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Changing Market Demographics and Their Impact on FundingThis article is the fourth in a series recapping the themes and issues most relevant to the future of the educational publishing industry, as told by the slate of expert speakers at the 2007 Educational Publishing Summit. This installment focuses on Monday's second general session, "Big Picture Thinking," which looked at four key areas of change within the industry: The Business of Publishing, Curriculum, Changing Demographics, and Educational Technology. Some of the most important market demographics are not new or emerging sectors, but those that are receiving new or increased funding. This was Dr. Jennifer House's main message during her portion of "Big Picture Thinking," the second general session of the 2007 Educational Publishing Summit. House, Principal at RedRock Reports and a former school district administrator, said that paying attention to funding allocation is going to be even more important than usual for educational publishers, especially in this time of No Child Left Behind Reauthorization. House reviewed six major demographics, most of which are well-known throughout the industry. She then pointed out reasons why they should be receiving more attention. 1. Public schools - "We've all seen the statistics a million times, but what is important to know is that they're still there, they're still growing, and that [the growth] is moving up toward the high schools," said House. As more emphasis is being put on the high school/college/workforce transition, secondary education will be a focal point for much legislation and many new sources of funding. 2. Private and Catholic school - The private school market is one that has been slowly growing for some time, said House, but it's important to keep in mind because there are a number of faith-based organizations in Washington lobbying for federal funding for these entities. These are bills that publishers should be aware of. 3. School enrollment - The largest growth in school enrollment is among 18-19 year-olds, many of whom are enrolling in community colleges. But according to House, an alarming number of these students can't read. "If you talk to a president of a community college, that's one of their biggest problems," said House. "So if you're looking at that specific market, that is--unfortunately--an interesting one." 4. Pre-primary - More and more children are entering preschool with no language background, and, while research has been predicting this for years, people are just beginning to notice it and act on it. House said that the majority of money currently available is state money, but that there are also bills in Congress right now. 5. Kindergarten - The increase in full-day kindergarten poses a tremendous challenge to kindergarten teachers, said House. Keeping the attention of children requires a huge quantity of materials and depth of content. House also said that language development is a large and imposing issue in this demographic as well. "You can't begin to emphasize the importance of the language issue in schools," said House. 6. Students with disabilities - According to House, many students that are being identified as disabled don't necessarily have a physical disability; many of them have difficulty reading. "The good news is there is a lot of money available for these children," she said. She recommends looking closely at the IDEA reauthorization for potential sources of funding. Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 302-295-8349. |
If you attended the Summit and would like to obtain House's PowerPoint presentation, please contact Doug Ferguson. Click here for more information on the 2007 Educational Publishing Summit. |
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