Discussed are the origins, objectives, activities, and achievements of a project which developed a book of lessons to teach high school students about the U.S. Constitution. A textbook study and an educational conference revealed the need to develop supplementary curriculum materials to strengthen textbook treatments of the Constitution. The book…

This document is the report of a commission appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to examine the status of Eastern European studies in the state's public schools. The commission surveyed the state's secondary schools and found that the Eastern European region outside of Russia was given very little attention. As its main focus, the commission…

An introductory textbook in English as a Second Language, commonly used in Egyptian schools, was evaluated for the degree to which its stated principles for classroom use of Arabic corresponded to instructions given in the lesson notes. A computer concordance program was used to extract relevant passages from the teacher's introduction and the…

United States history as a linchpin in the school curriculum and as a potentially exciting, sometimes electrifying, subject was the conviction underlying this analysis of U.S. history textbooks. This assessment investigates the capacity of leading U.S. social studies and history textbooks to inspire the imagination of students through effective…

Since most textbooks and instructional materials are designed to appeal to the majority market, they often are written from an ethnocentric viewpoint. American Indian viewpoints are either stereotyped, distorted, or omitted. To assist educators and publishers in developing awareness of American Indian heritage and culture and contemporary issues…

This article surveys the teaching materials available in the United States for teaching Chinese at the college level. Suggestions are made for the improvement of existing materials and for the development of new ones. The main problems associated with the production and usefulness of language materials are that: (1) languages change through time…

This 1976 review by the Michigan Department of Education of senior high school government textbooks used in Michigan schools suggests that the majority of textbooks are "grossly lacking" in terms of the fair inclusion of the "achievements and accomplishments of ethnic and racial groups," as specified in Act 127 (Social Studies…

This report on sex discrimination in the Kalamazoo Public Schools describes the findings from a study of materials used during the 1971-72 school year. Conducted by a task force on elementary school textbooks, the study evaluated 172 texts, 65 supplements, and 24 study-print sets for sex stereotyping and sexism. Sex roles depicted for both…

An examination of 54 language arts textbooks (grades 3-6) was made to determine textbook content criteria and the amount and specific nature of the speech and listening contents. The results indicated that authors and publishers feel that language skills (1) are used primarily for communicating, for social compentency, and for thinking, (2) are…

In compliance with the Social Studies Textbook Act of the State of Michigan, 18 elementary, junior high school, and high school level social studies books were examined to determine the extent to which they adequately reflect the multi-racial, multi-ethnic and pluralistic nature of American society, both past and present. A group of 27 educators,…

As a part of a doctoral thesis considering the history of teaching physical and chemical change, 641 chemistry/science textbooks have currently been examined. These books are from many different countries and date from the eighteenth century to the present time. The books have described a wide variety of experiments to illustrate the difference…

Uses brief excerpts from Chinese and US history textbooks to compare the different representations of historical themes. The themes represented are British colonialism in North America, Native Americans, Chinese immigration, post-Civil War reconstruction, Spanish American War, Versailles (post-World War I), the Great Depression, and Hiroshima.…

Examines text and photographs in 28 introductory textbooks published between 1990 and 1992 for coverage of diversity issues (minority group members and gay and lesbian lifestyles). Although the quantity and quality of diversity coverage has improved, the content and images in 1990s textbooks has varied substantially. Includes statistical tables.…

Discussed is the influence of mathematics textbooks on the sequence and amount of mathematics taught in middle grades. An alternative method of organizing mathematics instruction is proposed. The issue of homework is addressed. (KR)

Reports on a study of introductory college economics textbooks on the quality and quantity of coverage of the economic status of women and minorities. Finds that textbooks still have a tendency to exclude women and minorities from the general discussion and disguise the multiplicity of explanations for observed differences. (CFR)