CourseWorkBooks began as a project I started in September, 2009, while teaching Integrated Algebra review classes at a Brooklyn charter school. Each of my classes consisted of over thirty students who had previously failed the Integrated Algebra Regents exam, the course, or both. One essential goal for meeting this challenge was to compile as many actual Regents exam questions on each topic as possible and to present them liberally throughout the year as the topics were taught. I am convinced that categorizing exam questions by topic, and presenting a number of them after each topic is taught, best prepares students to succeed on the exam. Since the Integrated Algebra curriculum was relatively new, there weren't many past exam questions, so I supplemented them by created my own additional Practice Problems.
After that year, I took on an administrative position at the school and the workbook project was moved to the back burner. Then, in 2011, I somehow found the energy to teach an afternoon Integrated Algebra class at a Jewish boys' high school in Brooklyn. Having begun my teaching career in 1987, I was used to the 40 to 50 minute period that most high school schedules implement. That's why I knew that the 30 minute periods at the Yeshiva would take some getting used to. I knew we couldn't waste time having students take notes and copy problems into their notebooks, or even flip through pages of a textbook to find the explanations and exercises related to the class. So, I created and handed out a new multi-page worksheet every day.
Each worksheet started with a concise explanation of just the "Key Ideas" that the students would need to complete the related Regents questions. Next, I wrote out one or more "Model Problems" and their solutions. This allowed me to introduce the Key Ideas and to demonstrate the Model Problems on the board without having the students copy them down. After each Model Problem, we worked together through one or two related Practice Problems, often with students explaining their steps. This was followed by students working through problems on their own or in pairs while I walked around to observe and help. Sometimes, we needed to pause to go over a more difficult problem together. Finally, I assigned them some Regents Questions, also included on the worksheet, for homework. The next day, we went over the homework and a new worksheet was handed out.
The boys eagerly anticipated each day's new set of notes and added them to their binders. We found this daily process saved a lot of time and allowed us to get through the entire curriculum despite meeting for only 30 minutes a day and only 4 days a week. The students performed very well on the June Regents exam, with over 85% passing and more than 75% earning at least an 80.
When the year was over, I realized that, by combining these worksheets into a book, I could create a workbook that other Integrated Algebra teachers could benefit from. So, I published my first Course Workbook in 2012-13 and started the company, Course Workbooks (spelled as two words at the time), in 2013.
In 2013-14, New York State had begun to shift the curriculum from Integrated Algebra to a new Common Core Algebra I, and the timing couldn't have been better. I created a workbook that helped teachers transition from Integrated Algebra to Common Core Algebra by including and labelling topics from both curricula in one book. Having this book published and available on Amazon before any of the major textbook publishers had committed to the new curriculum led to a huge increase in sales. The following year, the book was updated to just cover the Common Core standards.
From the 2014-15 through the 2016-17 academic years, the Algebra I workbooks were updated with the new Regents questions and published annually. Then, a Geometry workbook was added in 2017-18 and an Algebra II book in 2019-20. All three of these books have been updated annually ever since.
The four colors on the CourseWorkBooks logo were always meant to represent the four levels of math publications I had planned to write: Algebra I (green), Geometry (blue), Algebra II (yellow), and Calculus (red). Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to writing the Calculus book yet, but I'm still hopeful that will happen (along with a PreCalculus book in orange).
I retired from teaching after the 2019-20 school year. In 2021, CourseWorkBooks, Inc., was formed, with the company name now stylized with no spaces and initial caps for CWB.
A new Statistics workbook (in purple) was added in 2022-23 and was intended for an introductory college course, but this was edited and reorganized to align closely to the AP Statistics curriculum in 2024-25.
Having generated over $1M in revenue over the last 10 years, CourseWorkBooks is dedicated to growing to meet schools' needs. We recently added instructional videos and upgraded our eBooks offerings. We moved away from the print-on-demand model and began using a new fulfillment center, located in our New Jersey warehouse, to fill our orders and ship books to customers and schools within days instead of weeks. We are also contracting Regional Sales Managers to help increase the exposure for the 2026 editions throughout the state. Check out our News Page for more information about recent and upcoming changes.
I feel confident that CourseWorkBooks is well positioned for continued success moving forward. If there's any way I can help improve CourseWorkBooks to better meet your school's needs, please feel free to shoot me an email. Many of the company's best decisions came from customers' suggestions.
-- Donny Brusca, President