Racial bias in instructional materials is still a monumental and pervasive problem which can and must be dealt with. Here is a description of what one local group did to help correct the problem. (Author/RK)

Frances FitzGerald's critique of American social studies and history curricula in "America Revised" is reviewed. The conclusion drawn is that censorship, special interests, and marketability exercise too great an influence on the textbook industry. (JMF)

Discusses feminism and its role in social studies. Suggests that adding a few female names and faces has not changed the inherent masculinity of the culture. Argues that women's contributions are overlooked because they do not fit the male model of achievement. Suggests that women's culture must be articulated in the social studies. (DK)

Designed to offset the effect of sexually biased texts and materials, this annotated bibliography lists available nonsexist instructional resource material for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. The majority of items focus on activities teachers can use in classroom settings. The guide is organized into the following eight subject…

This study is a history of the societal-problems approach in social studies education as revealed in secondary school social studies textbooks used in Problems of Democracy courses from 1895 to 1985. The central thesis is that the definition of the problems approach and the problems selected for study by educators as illustrated by the textbooks…

These critiques of a high school American government textbook, "American Government in Action," (Resnik and Nerenberg, 1973) represent the first in a series of studies designed to assess the effectiveness of social science textbooks in communicating and reinforcing Western values. The critiques are followed by a response by the authors of the…

Results of a workshop to review language arts, social studies, and counseling curriculum materials for sex bias are reported. The workshop, held in Lansing, Michigan in June 1979, consisted of 37 teachers who analyzed content and illustrations for sex discrimination. Evaluations are arranged alphabetically by the publisher of the textbook within…

This document represents Volume I of a two volume study to determine the extent to which four elementary level social studies programs reflect the multi-racial, multi-cultural nature of American society. The document is presented in three parts. Part I covers the Michigan Social Studies Textbook Act, an historical overview of previous Michigan…

This document, Volume II of a two-volume report on the extent to which four elementary level social studies programs reflect the multi-racial, multi-cultural nature of American society, contains individual reports of each reviewer. Fifteen reviewers examined textbooks and accompanying instructional materials according to the degree to which they…

The status of the North American Indian in most history and social studies textbooks has not substantially changed in the last 20 years. The Indian continues to be portrayed in extreme, simplistic, stereotypical roles--on the one hand noble, peaceful, friendly, and helpful and on the other hand fierce and warlike. (JHZ)

Considers the ubiquitous use of textbooks in social studies classrooms and recommends constructing critical-thinking exercises revealing textual bias. Suggested exercises concern issues of emotional or ambiguous language, geographic and cultural inclusion/exclusion, and accuracy of data. Includes several examples of critical-thinking activities.…

This article explores sex bias in curricular materials for elementary and secondary schools. Sex bias is defined as a set of unconscious behaviors that, in themselves, are often trivial and generally favorable. Although these behaviors do not hurt if they happen only once, they can cause a great deal of harm if a pattern develops that serves to…

The Arab world holds a storied place in western history and is a significant area today culturally, economically, and politically, with its more than 190 million people sharing a common heritage with the West. The Arab world merits serious study in U.S. schools; however, it is often misrepresented in U.S. textbooks. This notebook is written as an…

Based on an examination of 50 general social studies textbooks, the report discusses the most frequently found biases, misconceptions, omissions, inaccuracies, and misrepresentations. Criteria for judging the textbooks include: readable and suitable materials; accurate and current content; presentation of Africa as a diverse continent; open…

Thirty-six textbooks used by the Pittsburgh public schools at grade levels K-5 were reviewed to see how they treat girls vs. boys and men vs. women. Language, reading, science, social studies, and mathematics texts were evaluated. Blatant sexism is found in all areas. Different ideas of behavior and mores are propagated for boys than for girls;…