The author recounts his experiences in the textbook adoption process during his tenure on the California State Board of Education from 1975 to 1981. The focus on legal criteria (such as the reflection of cultural or racial diversity or print and page size), he argues, too often overrides concern with quality of the books' contents. (GC)

This booklet is one of a series of reports addressing the most critical issues confronting state boards of education throughout the United States. Each report attempts to present a concise, informative review and analysis of the best and most current information available on one of these critical topics. This booklet focuses on improving…

This paper outlines the complexity of the politics of education and the difficulty of dealing with 19,000 districts and fifty States, each of which is relatively unique. A case is made for increased research efforts in this field. (LLR)

This document examines various efforts to reform education by institutions of higher education, by states and local school systems, and by the federal government. It charges that many K-12 reform policies are moving secondary and postsecondary education in disparate directions. Problems identified include a lack of authentic measures for student…