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 updated 7/4/07
TAAF holds dinner for donors, long-time TAA members, volunteers More than 40 people attended a TAA Foundation dinner held at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo in Buffalo, New York June 21. TAA Foundation Board Chair Michael Lennie talked about the Foundation's major projects, a study of textbook author diversity, and a study of the current system of textbook adoptions. Attendees were asked to share how they became involved with TAA and why their involvement has endured. Several attendees have been involved with TAA not only as members, but as volunteers on the TAA Council since the association's founding in 1987. TAA Foundation Dinner Photo Gallery: Click here TAA offers TAAF a three-phase matching grant totaling $30,000 At its meeting in Buffalo, NY June 21, the TAA Council offered the TAA Foundation a three-phase matching grant totaling $30,000. The grant will be made in three separate increments of $10,000, payable as the Foundation raises the matching funds. The funds must be raised by June 30, 2008 to qualify for the full match. The challenge begins July 1. To make a donation to the TAA Foundation, contact Richard Hull, TAAF's executive director, at rthull62@hotmail.com or (850) 893-6539. You can also mail your donation to TAAF, P.O. Box 76477, St. Petersburg, FL 33734-6477. Make checks payable to Text and Academic Authors Foundation. Educational advocate joins TAAF Board
Educational advocate Dr. Alberto M. Ochoa, a professor in the Policy Studies Department at San Diego State University, has joined the Text and Academic Authors Foundation Board. Ochoa said that his work with the K-12 public school system in California, coupled with his understanding of higher education as a professor in the California State University System for 32 years, his involvement in educational research associations that value faculty voice and research, and his work with ethnically diverse school communities in California in addressing the achievement gap between low-income and middle and upper income school communities, are the strengths he will bring as a member of the TAAF Board. "I decided to join the board because of the Foundation's immediate focus to raise funds to support projects that benefit text and academic authors and its study of the diversity of textbook authorship in the United States," he said. "As a TAAF Board member, I hope to contribute to the goal of encouraging more ethnically and linguistically diverse scholars to write textbooks." Ochoa, also chair of the Department for Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural Education, is a researcher and consultant to community development agencies. His research interests include public equity, school desegregation, language policy, critical pedagogy, student achievement, and parental leadership. In the last ten years, he has also been involved in developing processes for forecasting the educational needs of school districts through demographic trends, socio-political conditions, fiscal allocation of resources, and educational reform trends. Ochoa is involved with teacher education programs promoting biliteracy and multicultural inclusion in the Diversity Committees of Planned Parenthood and United Way of San Diego County. He is one of a core group of people coordinating the San Diego Latino Coalition on Education. He is also a founding member and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Parent Institute for Quality Education. He has published more than 50 articles on non-formal education, educational planning and development, parental leadership, bilingual desegregation, language policy and evaluation, and edited journals, offered seminars, evaluated early childhood education programs, and developed advocacy oriented programs. "The addition of Dr. Alberto Ochoa to the TAAF Board, along with the recent addition of Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, deepens the Foundation's academic resources necessary to take on the Foundation's massive diversity project," said TAAF Executive Director Richard Hull. "That project aims, first, at a survey of current academic text authors in some half dozen genre, or subject fields, to determine the representation among them of individuals with the kinds of ethnic backgrounds that enhance the authenticity and appeal to students of similar backgrounds of textual materials. The diversity project then will seek to rectify underrepresentation in the target ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic American, and Native American) by offering workshops on textbook writing and development to interested scholars from those ethnic groups." TAAF Board Chair Michael Lennie echoes this appraisal: "Drs. Ochoa and Asante are exceptionally accomplished scholars in their respective fields. We will look to them for leadership and inspiration as we move forward with these projects, to assist us in defining the need, sampling the authors, understanding the results, and crafting workshops that will address any discrepancies. My feeling is that with the addition of Alberto Ochoa and Molefi Kete Asante to the TAAF Board, the Foundation has moved into a position from which it can effect some meaningful change in public and private education in the United States. The Diversity Project and the School Textbook Adoption Project will benefit greatly from their experience and respect in the educational community. The Board will continue to seek outstanding individuals to assist in its quest to provide a quality education and instructional materials to children of all races and ethnicities." Asante joins TAAF Board
Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, a professor in the Department of African American Studies at Temple University, and the author of several academic books and the successful high school textbook, African American History: Journey of Liberation, has joined the Text and Academic Authors Foundation Board. "I look forward to working with the TAA Foundation," said Asante. " I believe it is worthwhile and very useful work." Asante is considered by his peers to be one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars. He has has published 65 books, among the most recent are The History of Africa: The Quest for Eternal Harmony (2007), Cheikh Anta Diop: An Intellectual Portrait (2006), Spear Masters: Introduction to African Religion (2007), Handbook of Black Studies, (2005), co-edited with Maulana Karenga, Encyclopedia of Black Studies, (2004), co-edited with Ama Mazama, Race, Rhetoric, and Identity: The Architecton of Soul, Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation, (2003), Ancient Egyptian Philosophers (2003), Scattered to the Wind, Custom and Culture of Egypt, and 100 Greatest African Americans. The second edition of his high school text, African American History: Journey of Liberation, 2nd Edition, (2001), is used in more than 400 schools throughout North America.TAAF receives three $1,000 donations Text and Academic Authors Foundation (TAAF) Board Members Michael Sullivan, a mathematics author, and Kären Matison Hess, a criminal justice textbook author, and TAA Executive Director Richard Hull have all recently made $1,000 donations to the Foundation. "The very generous gifts of these members are most appreciated," said TAAF Board Chair Michael Lennie, who also recently made a $750 donation to the Foundation. "Not only do Karen and Michael devote many volunteer hours as Board members, but by their gifts they demonstrate a real commitment to the worthy goals of TAAF to make text and academic authorship an even more honorable and diverse profession. We hope their selfless example will provide encouragement to others, both members of TAA, and all those interested in quality instructional materials and scholarship, to build the corpus of the TAA Foundation." Sullivan said: "TAA, and its Foundation TAAF, provide important information and education for creators of intellectual property. It is vital that this work continue and for that a solid financial base is required." As a charter member of TAA, Hess said, she has always felt supported and encouraged by it: "I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of the foundation: to support the creation and the creators of quality educational and academic materials. I have been amply rewarded financially through my writing and would like to support the efforts of others in this small way." Said Hull: "The TAA Foundation, beginning to gain a head of steam, deserves the chance to show its leadership in redefining the role of the textbook in American education. Textbooks have become political pawns of special interest groups. I believe TAAF has the potential to help lead textbook authoring and selection back into the realm of accurate presentation and interpretation of facts, as determined by dedicated historians and scientists of the human condition. It is a pleasure to be able to support its efforts." As a result of their gifts, Sullivan, Hess and Hull have become charter members of the TAAF Founder's Society, which recognizes annual gifts to the Foundation of $1,000 to $4,999. Lennie becomes a charter member of the TAAF President's Society. As members of these Societies, they will receive an invitation to a special event held the evening before the 2007 TAA Conference, special insider e-mail news alerts reporting TAA and TAAF news and information before the rest of the membership, an inscribed fountain pen, and free admission to the TAA Conference. December 2006 TAAF Donations TAA members Roger S. Bennitt, Marilyn T. Fordney and Dr. Lee Mountain made donations to the Text and Academic Authors Foundation in December. Marilyn and Lee become charter members of the TAAF Director's Society, and Roger becomes a charter member of the TAAF Supporter's Society.ĘThank you Roger, Marilyn and Lee! McKeague donates $1,000 to TAAF TAA Foundation board member Pat McKeague has made a $1,000 gift to the TAA Foundation. He is a long-time member and major donor to the Text and Academic Authors Association, making annual gifts of $1,000 to TAA for the past nine years. "The members of the [TAAF] board need to make contributions so that the outside sources we go to for money know we are committed to the Foundation," he said. TAA Executive Director Richard Hull said of McKeague's generosity: "Pat McKeague's quiet and faithful loyalty to the organization is expressed in many ways. Without prompting, he makes substantial contributions that help sustain our organizations. We are very grateful for his exemplary support." TAAF Foundation Chair Michael Lennie: "We appreciate Pat's support of TAAF and we hope it will serve as an example to encourage other author to make gifts to the Foundation." A former TAA Council member, McKeague has published more than 16 textbooks in mathematics, from basic mathematics through trigonometry. He writes full time and works as a part time instructor at Cuesta College. McKeague joined TAA when it was founded by Mike Keedy in 1987. He attended TAA's first meeting in Las Vegas, December 21, 1987, held at the Riviera. "I joined because of Mike Keedy," he said. "He was a very successful author and I had always looked up to him. The association has grown a lot since I joined. I use the legal services, the model contract, and I like the newsletter." It's broke, let's fix it The educational literature regarding textbook adoptions doesn't focus on the process, but on the failure of it - the plethora of badly written, inaccurate textbooks -- said Christopher Stream, assistant professor of Public Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, designated as principal investigator by TAA for a potential grant to study state adoption policies and practices for textbooks. "I am more interested in the process," he said. "We don't write books intending to provide inaccurate, boring and poorly written textbooks." The textbook adoption process has become the battleground for social conflicts in states and communities, said Stream. "On the one side is the Texas model (the religious right; ideas determine social condition) and on the other side is the California model (the liberal left; must be sensitive to all conditions)," he said. "Learning is secondary to the process. Effectiveness is not on the list." A part of the puzzle, said Stream, is linking textbooks to effectiveness. Currently, books are reviewed by unskilled and untrained reviewers. Also, he said, the textbook given to teachers through the textbook adoption process isn't the one they would use, yet they are accountable if children don't learn. "There's also censorship that goes on among publishers of K-12 texts," said Stream. "They water down the book even further than required to ensure that they don't offend anyone and lose the adoption." What is the motivation? he asks. Money. "I think it's a myth that Texas and California control textbook adoptions," said Stream. "Textbook supply is controlled by four mega publishers. It's a $4.3 billion industry. It's big money, big industry." The result, he said: powerful political interests whose censorship influences content; powerful publisher market domination, which stifles competition and innovation; and dull, boring, ineffective texts. Stream said two options for fixing the current textbook adoption process are to decentralize it and return control to districts and schools, and to offer more customized textbook options based on what schools want (something that is already being done in some areas). TAAF receives $15,000 gift
TAA member Betty Azar has made a $15,000 unrestricted gift to the TAA Foundation. Azar, the author of the bestselling Azar Grammar Series, published by Pearson Longman, said she hoped her gift would encourage other textbook authors of perennial bestsellers to support the Foundation with significant contributions: "I thought that if one author led the way, others might consider doing something similar." Azar's gift will be applied to the TAAF study of state adoption policies and practices for textbooks, being headed by Christopher Stream, assistant professor of public administration for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said TAAF Executive Director Richard Hull. "The TAAF board is grateful for Betty Azar's generous gift in support of the work of the TAA Foundation," he said. "Her gift puts the TAAF over its goal of raising $15,000 to receive a matching gift from TAA." The Foundation has so far raised $31,500. This year's goal is $40,000. In a letter to the TAAF informing them of her gift, Azar voiced her support for the TAAF's current projects, including its textbook adoption process study and its research into how to increase the diversity of textbook authorship. She also encouraged the Foundation to produce a series of publications on various aspects of textbook publishing (e.g., how to evaluate effective textbooks, the future of textbook publishing, and a look inside the workings of publishing companies). "I'd also love to see TAAF develop a library of books/anthologies written for textbook writers and publishers," she said. TAAF creates advisory board for minority author survey project Five TAA members have agreed to serve on a TAAF Advisory Committee for the Foundation's minority textbook author survey project. Dr. La Verne Gyant, Director of the Center for Black Studies at Northern Illinois University; Don Pepion, Director of American Indian Programs and Assistant Professor of Native American Studies at New Mexico State University; Mattie L. Rhodes, Clinical Associate Professor in the School Of Nursing at the State University of New York at Buffalo; Rosangel Cruz, Biopsychology, State University of New York at Buffalo; and Irina Weisblatt, a Community College Business Adjunct Instructor at Grossmont College, Southwestern College and Mesa College, will be available to discuss with TAAF ways to encourage minorities to write textbooks. Lennie, Sullivan reappointed to TAAF Board Michael Lennie, TAAF board chair, and Michael Sullivan, TAAF board member, were reappointed to the TAAF Board for additional three-year terms by a majority vote of the TAA Council. TAAF board member photos, bios added to website Bios and photos of TAAF board members have been added to the TAAF page on the TAA website. Check them out here. TAAF searching for advisory council members for minority author research grant A search of the TAA membership database uncovered a list of TAA members involved in education or publishing for Native Americans, African Americans, or Hispanic Americans as prospective Advisory Council members for steering TAAF's research grant on minority textbook writing; principal investigators for the grant; or as potential TAAF Board members. TAAF Executive Director Richard Hull is developing a portfolio of each prospect to present at the TAAF Board's May conference call meeting. TAAF appoints new treasurer Michael Sullivan, a math author and past president of TAA, was appointed treasurer of the Text and Academic Authors Foundation. Sullivan replaces Robert Christopherson, who resigned as treasurer from the board due to professional conflicts. TAAF looking for advisory board members The TAA Foundation is investigating possible members willing to serve on a TAAF Advisory Council to study minority textbook authorship. TAAF Executive Director Richard Hull is in the process of developing portfolios on prospective Advisory Council members. The Council will help TAAF as it conducts preliminary research for a grant to encourage textbook authorship by minorities, specifically Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans. TAAF approves hiring grant writer to seek funding for minority textbook authors survey The Text and Academic Authors Foundation (TAAF) approved TAAF Executive Director Richard Hull's request to hire grant writer Karin Kelley to write grants seeking funding for TAAF's minority textbook authors survey, the first step in the Foundation's efforts to encourage minority textbook authorship. TAA clarifies terms of TAA challenge grant TAA pledged a $15,000 challenge grant to the TAA Foundation dependent upon the TAAF's success in raising an additional $15,000 from a combination of foundation and corporate grants and individual gifts and pledges. To make a tax-deductible gift to the TAA Foundation, use the Foundation's secure online form or contact TAAF Board Chair Michael Lennie at mlennie@lennieliterary.com. TAAF's fundraising goal raised to $40,000 in 2006 TAAF hopes to raise $40,000 in grants and individual gifts in 2006. The goal includes a $15,000 matching grant from TAA, which will be awarded if TAAF can raise an additional $15,000 from foundations, corporations and individuals. To make a tax-deductible gift to the TAA Foundation, use the Foundation's secure online form or contact TAAF Board Chair Michael Lennie at mlennie@lennieliterary.com. TAAF authorizes purchase of donor management software, prospect research services The TAA Foundation authorized the purchase of the donor management software GiftWorks, and the use of Blackbaud's research services to aid in its Executive Director Richard Hull's efforts to identify prospective donors to the Foundation and manage donor records. Leave a gift to TAA in your will Support your association by including a gift to the TAA Foundation in your will. By doing so, you will ensure that TAA's good work on behalf of text and academic authors continues into the future. A bequest is an easy and convenient way to support the association while receiving valuable tax benefits for your estate. click
to read more TAAF moves forward More than $5,100 has been donated so far to the TAA Foundation (TAAF), a nonprofit organization formed two years ago to raise funds to support projects that benefit text and academic authors. In September 2003... click
to read more TAAF becomes a reality The TAA Council authorized the expenditure of funds necessary to incorporate a TAA Foundation for charitable and educational purposes, and to retain a grant specialist to help TAA search out and prepare grants in order to launch the Foundation. So far... click
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