America's advantage has historically been its people's creativity, flexibility and entrepreneurship. But just as painters need to be proficient in technique and theory to produce great masterpieces, the next generation of Americans will likely require a solid grounding in mathematics and science for their creativity to be maximized in a world…

In an effort to determine whether American Indian stereotypic phrases (identified by Harris) were being employed in California adopted U.S. history textbooks (grade 8), a total of 5 texts were examined longitudinally. Examination of more than 1,900 statements indicated portrayal of Indians had not changed significantly between 1956-76. (JC)

This booklet outlines the California state guidelines for writing which assert that students should be carefully taught to read and compose many types of discourse to prepare them for higher education, the job market, and citizenship in democracy. The booklet summarizes the purposes for which the California Assessment Program (CAP) was developed,…

This guide provides an opportunity for students and teachers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds to gain a more in-depth perspective of United States history by revealing the hardships, struggles, and contributions of Asians. The materials and lessons contained within this guide supplement the U.S. history textbooks currently in use at the eighth…

Analyzes two eighth-grade history and geography textbooks for multicultural content. Presents and follows the guidelines established in the "California History Social Science Framework." Discusses the texts' coverage of African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and immigrants from Europe. Evaluates visual…

This report examines student mobility among California Latino adolescents. Latinos are now the largest ethnic group in the California schools; if student mobility is indeed a problem for both students and schools, it is important to understand the consequences of changing schools for Latino adolescents. Longitudinal data were studied for two…

Beginning in 2003, there will be no standardized or norm-referenced test in history-social science for California students. That test is being replaced by assessments at grades 8, 10, and 11 based on California History-Social Science (H-SS) Content Standards. The H-SS standards tests at grades 10 and 11 count for 20% of the Academic Performance…

On July 28, 2006, a panel of experts briefed members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the putative benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in elementary and secondary education. Four experts presented written statements to the Commissioners that assessed the social science literature on this issue. They also addressed whether or not…