Negotiations are underway for an acquisition deal between two textbook publishing companies: Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group and American business of the Harcourt division of Reed Elsevier. If the deal -- in which Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group would acquire the Harcourt division of Reed Elsevier for $4 billion -- is approved, the new company would become the largest textbook publishing company in America. The Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep Group is itself the result of a recent $3.4 billion acquisition deal between the Dublin-based Riverdeep and the Boston-based Houghton Mifflin. Analysts say that these deals, and other recent acquisitions between textbook publishing companies, are being spurred by the industry's steady revenue stream, minimal competition and new requirements in some states, such as California, which are calling for schools to replace their current textbooks.
A Dartmouth Medical School study concluded that nearly 400 of 534 popular films that were released recently had characters who smoked cigarettes. Many of these movies also only had a PG-13 rating, despite the obvious risks associated with smoking. The school also did research that proved that German teenagers, after seeing smoking in Hollywood movies, were more likely to have already had their first cigarette than those teenagers who did not see smoking often on screen. In an effort to combat similar trends in youth, Disney has launched a campaign to change the face of cigarettes in movies. During this past spring, over 30 state attorneys general demanded that the Motion Picture Association of America bestow an R rating on films that include explicit smoking
The College Board, the company that administers the SATs and the Advanced Placement testing program, announced that it would audit high schools currently teaching classes denoted AP on a student's transcript. This move comes after colleges found many student's transcripts contained classes such as AP Philosphy or AP astronomy, classes in which the College Board does not even offer a test. The College Board is attempting to standardize the curriculum in different AP classes so that it actually represents what college freshman would learn, allowing colleges to award credit with confidence. Teacher's who wish to teach an AP class must submit their syllabus ahead of time. If the syllabus is not approved the teacher has two more chances to make the course acceptable. Only then can a course be denoted AP.
