This paper gives a brief history of the Reverend Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority campaign against humanism in public school education. The document describes the successful textbook evaluation strategies of Mel and Norma Gabler of Texas, on which Dr. Falwell relies heavily, and lists 20 organizations protesting textbooks, library books, and…

The political implications of decisions on curriculum content are discussed. A review of the literature on school policies is analyzed with particular consideration of who determines what will be studied in the classroom and what bias may be reflected in textbook selection. It is argued that while it is generally assumed that boards of education…

The "Garcia-Armstrong Matrix System" provides specific instructions for evaluating the way textbooks depict ethnic/minority groups. The matrix is formed by evaluating individual sentences for their references to the activity or passivity of the target group and to the status of the target group in relation to other groups named in the same…

An analysis of a random sample of first- and second-year Spanish textbooks reveals that language textbooks fall short of achieving the affective goals learners and teachers value most, the aspect of culture that focuses on philosophical perspectives involving meaning, value, attitudes, and ideas. Moreover, most textbooks treat culture as products…

This case study of three content area teachers in one middle school and two high schools examined their use of multiple texts in the classroom. The teachers represented three content areas: physics, history, and English. Data were collected via surveys, e-mail exchanges, participant observations, field notes, and semistructured interviews. Data…

A first-year first grade teacher's professional disappointments were broken down into three divisions: (1) power and control, or the lack of them; (2) co-worker socialization; and (3) lack of professionalism and support. Lack of control was reflected in pressure from administrators to use certain texts, or even to decorate classrooms in a certain…

Learner Verification and Revision (LVR) has been part of Florida's instructional materials adoption process since 1974, when state statutes required textbook publishers to provide written proof that their materials were revised based on student feedback before publication. Publishers were also required to collect student data and make revisions…

Described in these four contributions to a discussion group are options open to publishers and purchasers to improve textbooks and textbook selection. The first contribution (by Robert L. Brunelle) briefly introduces the discussion and stresses the urgency of creating higher standards for textbooks as part of overall educational reforms. The…

To determine what procedures and criteria are being used in states with state-wide textbook adoption and to determine what similarities and differences might exist from state to state, state textbook administrators in such states were asked to respond to a 39-item questionnaire and to supply materials that explained their states' procedures and…

Procedures and findings of a recent introductory psychology textbook selection effort at 4-year liberal arts undergraduate institution are presented. The following sequential steps were taken: (1) identification of introductory texts for consideration; (2) design of an evaluation form for reviewing targeted books; and (3) collection and analysis…

J. D. Bransford's tetrahedral model of learning considers four variables: (1) learning activities, (2) characteristics of the learner, (3) criterial tasks, and (4) the nature of the materials. Bransford's model provides a research-based theoretical framework that can be used to teach, model, and have students apply a variety of study strategies to…

A description is provided of the development of "The History of the Modern World," a one-semester course offered at Bronx Community College (BCC), which was designed to survey the major aspects of the significant events that are part of the political, economic, social and cultural heritage that have shaped the course of world history since 1850.…

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

Examines how information from psychological and educational research was used to develop and implement a remedial chemistry course, focusing on the viewpoint of a learning process based on research in cognitive science. Comments on textbook selection, testing, scheduling, instructional strategies, and other areas are included. (JN)

Presents research findings about textbook construction and how they should influence the development of chemistry texts. Discusses learning as a constructive process, the importance of interpreting symbolic representations, and the creation of structure by the learner. Advocates publisher responsibility for incorporating results of research when…