We regret to report that we cannot afford to sustain the Teaching for Change print catalog and webstore. This catalog played a vital role in promoting progressive teaching resources for 16 years.
Teaching for Change’s board and publications staff tried everything imaginable to sustain the catalog/webstore, but the challenges were substantial, including:
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School cutbacks that have made textbooks the almost exclusive (yet sadly limited and biased) source of “knowledge”;
Amazon.com, which entices customers with steep discounts and free shipping;
Decreased attendance at national conferences and higher exhibit costs;
Increasingly centralized school purchasing procedures; and, on top of it all,
The broader economic crisis.
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In November, 2008, a Teaching for Change Board Task Force was formed to research viable alternatives to the catalog but the myriad reasons (listed above) led us to the sad conclusion: we cannot sustain the catalog in the current marketplace. However, we are committed to finding ways to promote progressive teaching resources. And we’ll still fill purchase orders through our bookstore.
Closing the catalog has required laying off the person who worked on distribution for the past 8 years, Carolina Valencia. We honor and deeply appreciate her years of service, passion for Teaching for Change’s mission, and dedication to the catalog.
We will continue to sell our own TFC publications (Beyond Heroes and Holidays, Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, Caribbean Connections series, etc.) and enhance our non-profit bookstore operations at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.
The Brighter Side at Teaching for Change
On a more hopeful note, Teaching for Change’s other program work is going strong, including:
Parent organizing in public schools with our Tellin’ Stories Project;
Collaboration with Rethinking Schools on the Zinn Education Project;
Leadership development through our Early Childhood Equity Initiative;
Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching curriculum and professional development in McComb, Mississippi; and
A growing bookstore and quality events at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.
When in DC, please make your book purchases at our non-profit bookstore at Busboys and Poets. We can special order any title and, as mentioned above, fill purchase orders. Teaching for Change staff operate the bookstore, and you can enjoy our carefully selected collection of thousands of progressive books for children, young adults, educators, and the broader community.
Appreciation to Our Supporters
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of concern and appreciation from hundreds of educators across the country, who have asked what else could be done. We are fairly confident that, with help from many colleagues, that we have left no stone unturned. Below are some examples of efforts made:
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A full-page plea for help ran in the Fall 2007 issue of Rethinking Schools. Bill Bigelow wrote: “We are in danger of losing a vital institution in the social justice education movement. The Teaching for Change catalog — far and away the best and most comprehensive resource focusing exclusively on critical, multicultural teaching materials — is in dire financial distress.” Read full text here.
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Cutting costs on the print catalog: the 32-page print catalog was reduced to 4 pages as we moved its design in-house.
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To discourage people from using our catalog as a shopping list to buy the items elsewhere, we offered free items with each order. However, instead of increasing orders, a lot of people requested many free items along with a purchase of one small item.
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Upgraded the webstore and increased online marketing increased online orders but mostly with very small orders—sustaining the catalog requires a significant number of large purchase orders each month.
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Special opportunities to promote the catalog to new audiences netted few orders.
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June 2008: inclusion of the catalog in 4,000 free Zinn Education Project packets distributed to educators in all 50 states.
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September 2008: Teaching Tolerance released an article we submitted on stereotypes in children’s literature about Africa, listing Teaching for Change as the source to buy the recommended books.
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Conference coordinator Lauren Cooper’s careful analysis of how to pare down costs at conferences included driving to Chicago and Florida to save on shipping and receiving costs.
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Many groups and individuals offered in-kind outreach support:
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Teachers and educators distributing the catalog to their students;
Rethinking Schools listed Teaching for Change as the source for many recommended books;
Teaching Tolerance linked to our webstore for many titles and themes;
Philadelphia School Notebook provided a free banner ads on their website;
EdChange listed us as the key link for book purchases;
Teachers 4 Social Justice in the Bay Area and Teachers for Social Justice in Chicago provided free conference booths and services;
NYCORE member Bree Picower had all her education students buy one of their course books from our catalog;
The Georgetown Day School Equity Collaborative and the SFUSD Teacher Intern Program gave gift certificates to participants in their training;
Publishers (including New Press, Syracuse Cultural Workers, and Rethinking Schools donated books to use as our free item incentive;
Authors promoted their book for sale on our webstore, including Peniel Joseph with Waiting ‘til the Midnight Hour and Nizam Ali with Ben’s Chili Bowl;
Many individuals donated to Teaching for Change to support the catalog.
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We are exploring alternative ways to continue to provide lists of carefully selected progressive teaching resources. We just will not be able to distribute them through our webstore.
Contact Lauren Cooper or Deborah Menkart if you have questions or suggestions.
