Curriculum News in Brief

Scholastic Gets Heat for Offering Materials Backed by Coal Group

May 24, 2011 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In the face of sharp criticism from advocacy groups and the editorial board of The New York Times, the educational publisher Scholastic Inc. indicated earlier this month that it would no longer distribute a package of curricular materials on energy issues that was developed with financial support from the American Coal Foundation. Scholastic also said it would conduct a “thorough review” of its policies and procedures for such sponsored content.

Several groups, including Rethinking Schools, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Friends of the Earth, had raised concerns that the curricular materials gave children a one-sided view of coal that didn’t mention its effects on the environment and health.

A day after the Times ran a news article on the curricular materials, the newspaper’s editorial page weighed in. “The lessons talked about the benefits of coal and the pervasiveness of power plants fueled by it--and omitted mention of minor things like toxic waste, mountain-top removal, and greenhouse gases,” the May 13 editorial said. “A Scholastic representative said that the company had no intention of repeating the energy project but noted that it was never meant to serve as a comprehensive curriculum. That’s beside the point, given that the lessons carried the company’s imprimatur and were misleadingly touted as complying with national fourth-grade learning standards.”

Scholastic and the American Coal Foundation followed with letters to the editor.

“We acknowledge that the mere fact of sponsorship may call into question the authenticity of the information, and therefore conclude that we were not vigilant enough as to the effect of sponsorship in this instance,” wrote Scholastic President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Robinson. “We have no plans to further distribute this particular program.”

John Nils Hanson, the chairman of the American Coal Foundation, countered that the program offers instructional materials on all forms of energy that generate electricity. “Children who are informed about the types of coal used to generate their electricity, where in the country coal is mined, and the men and women who mine it, are more likely to make informed decisions about coal’s use and question the occasional criticism of it,” he wrote.

A version of this article appeared in the May 25, 2011 edition of Education Week as Scholastic Gets Heat for Offering Materials Backed by Coal Group

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Opinion Making the Case for Restoring Wisdom to America’s Schools
A Johns Hopkins professor discusses how to improve what he sees as a siloed, incoherent education system to best serve students.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Curriculum Swim Lessons Save Lives. Should Schools Provide Them?
A push is on in some states to make swim lessons part of the school curriculum.
5 min read
Close up of African American person's legs in the pool.
E+/Getty
Curriculum Audio Climate Change Is Tough to Teach. 5 Ways to Approach It
Listen to a conversation about how educators can approach teaching about climate change.
6 min read
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide.
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide. <br/><br/>
Carlos Delgado/AP
Curriculum The Case for Choosing a Physical Book Over a Digital Reader
Physical books encourage a deeper reading of a text than digital devices do, some experts argue.
2 min read
Stack of library books with two blurred people in the background.
iStock/Getty