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,…

Publishers are compelled by public policies and practices to produce textbooks that confuse students with non sequiturs, mislead them with misinformation, and bore them with pointlessly arid writing. Recommendations for textbook policy are proposed. (BJV)

Describes components of new elementary and secondary school textbook packages and reviews criteria for evaluating textbooks. Topics discussed include the development of teaching aids; curricular considerations; evaluating content-area textbooks; the whole language approach to instruction; and the role of librarians and media specialists in subject…

Assesses extent and nature of cutss made in the version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" used in a 1980 Harcourt, Brace and World anthology. Suggests that rather than serving to shorten or clarify the play as claimed by the editor, cuts were actually made to clean up the text and eliminate any passages with a sexual connotation. (RBW)

This review of current German history textbooks shows that the documentation of anti-Semitism, Jewish persecution, and the Holocaust has improved since the 1960s. However, there are still weak areas. Necessary additions to all books should include documentation on medical experiments and ghettos and improved discussion concerning activities of…

Topics include: (1) the content, style, and level of physics' textbooks; (2) suggestions for in-class use; and (3) recommendations for upgrading current texts. (SK)

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)

Examines selected first-grade mathematics textbooks used in Japanese and American schools. Focus points of analysis include size and volume, repetition, length of explanations, mathematics content, gender issues, and the relevance of the pictures to the mathematics content. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Using content analysis, presents a study of 14 U.S. history textbooks. Analyzes textbook treatment of the Declaration of Independence, the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust. Examines nontextual materials. Finds errors of omission, boring writing styles, and a basic similarity between the textbooks. (RW)

Outlines the essential elements of a textbook. Analyzes geography textbooks in terms of their commitment to global interdependence, and treatment of a wide range of geographic concepts. Identifies components of a well-integrated textbook program. (RW)

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)

Examines advantages and disadvantages of using textbooks as the basis for curriculum and instruction, discussing textbooks as the predominant instructional medium. The article describes attributes of good textbooks and text structures, identifies strategies for improving readers' text comprehension, and notes teachers' role as facilitators in…

This collection of materials is designed to assist Indiana educators, administrators, and communities with the textbook selection process. Criteria for making such selections is outlined in the following articles: (1) "Laws, Rules, and Guidelines for Teaching Social Studies in Indiana" (Victor A. Smith); (2) "Indiana's Recommended…

Many feel that textbooks dominate what students learn. They set the curriculum and often the facts learned in most subjects. For many students, textbooks are their first and sometimes only early exposure to books and to reading. The public regards textbooks as authoritative, accurate and necessary and many teachers rely on them to organize lessons…

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…