Higher Education
Diversity at Risk
Feb 20, 2010 — A statement by APIEL NOW!
Making students jump through admissions hoops is essential to a wor... [ More ]
“LA Times: Bills target rising college textbook prices”
“Scott McNeely: How Students Might Help the Open Textbook Movement”
“Press Release: Skyrocketing Costs of College Textbooks Under Fire”
“Press Release: Assembly Higher Education Committee Takes Up AB 1548 ”
“AB 1548: Transparency in College Textbook Publishing Practices Act ”
Textbook Prices
With rising tuition and living expenses and diminishing student aid, the price of textbooks represents an increasing portion of the overall cost of higher education, impacting students the UC, CSU and CCC segments. California college students spend an average of nearly $1000 per year on textbooks, which is more than tuition for many community college students. According to a 2005 GAO report, college textbook prices increased by 186 percent between 1986 and 2004, almost triple the rate of inflation over the same period. Publishers contribute to this problem by bundling textbooks with software and workbooks, as well as shortening revision cycles that quickly make used textbooks obsolete. We are working to make textbooks more affordable and are looking toward the future, along with Silicon Valley partners, of online and open-source textbooks.
Assembly Bill 1548
Before it was amended by the publishing lobby, Greenlining wrote and sponsored AB 1548 (introduced by Assemblymember Jose Solorio, D-Anaheim), which required textbook publishers to be more transparent about changes in prices and content of textbooks. AB 1548 was signed into law in October 2007, albeit in flawed form and no longer with our support.