The aim of this article is to map out the priority directions and shape the program for the development of the textbook. The tasks of adjusting the aims of education, renovating the priority directions in the selection of the content of areas of education and school subjects, and improving the tools and means, methods, and organizational forms of…

Discusses the problem school systems have in selecting textbooks that do not offend special interest groups but still address pertinent, possibly controversial, issues. (JC)

Argues that only through understanding and improving the textbook adoption process can those interested in improving education influence the quality of textbooks printed and used. Presents some observations about the adoption process, makes recommendations for research, and suggests actions to take while waiting for research findings to come in.…

The purpose of this book is to chart procedures for the selection and purchase of instructional materials and related services for the public schools. Recent developments cited as having a significant bearing on the selection process are (1) the struggle of minority groups toward new status; (2) the increased political power of parents, students,…

Refutes the claim that textbooks are responsible for educational difficulties. States that textbooks are a reflection of what teachers want. Provides a behind the scenes look at textbook production. Points out the problems created by the lack of a national curriculum and the textbook policies of state adoption committees. (RW)

Discusses a study which investigated effects of the New Social Studies movement on social studies textbooks published in the 1970s. Topics discussed include characteristics of the New Social Studies, textbook analysis, and changes reflected in textbooks from 1950 to 1970. (Author/DB)

This article introduces and discusses some aspects of the complex problem of textbook reform, and suggests what the future holds for textbooks. (DCS)

For newly independent Central Asian republics a debate has arisen about how much of the aims, content and pedagogy of old Soviet-era curricula to retain, how much to revise or replace, and with what. There is a need to replace and revise textbooks, which are wearing out and outdated. Financial crisis has made the financial support of external…

Analyzes 10 editions of an introductory college psychology textbook to determine changes in the content. Reveals that coverage of consciousness, personality, abnormal (disorders), therapies, and social psychology increased, while coverage of introductory material, learning, methods, intelligence, developmental psychology, and applied psychology…

Textbooks with a multicultural focus that attempt to promote tolerance are increasingly being used in elementary, secondary, and higher education. The issue is whether or not multicultural readers are a feasible replacement for the traditional literary canon. Changes in academic publishing are responses to activist and minority groups. (SLD)

This analysis of U.S. history textbooks from the 19th century to the present examines how and why textbooks have changed during certain decades. The book is organized into three chapters. Chapter I, Past Masters, discusses the politics of textbook publishing, the influence of large adoption units, and the book from which a majority of American…

Although subtle compared to the politicization of education in a totalitarian state, American education has been politicized, with liberal ideologies affecting both curricula and teachers. This gradual politicization of the classroom will, if left unchecked, lead to infringements on individual freedom and the right to the pursuit of happiness.…