Analyzes six high school U. S. government textbooks. Discusses method of evaluation. Compares textbooks based on the following criteria: content, physical characteristics, understandability, and fairness. Concludes that all of the textbooks studied competently meet the aforementioned research criteria. (RW)

Presents findings from a systematic analysis of elementary-school science textbooks in terms of content domain, method of information presentation, types of questions, and considerateness. Found substantial differences between programs and suggests five further research questions. (YP)

Based on data from a longitudinal study of teacher preparation conducted at a large midwestern U.S. university, this article describes and appraises what elementary teacher education students were taught about textbooks, what they learned, and what they did with these lessons during student teaching. (Author/TE)

Examines the table of contents and the indexes of nine business communication and five technical writing textbooks for coverage of the skills that are needed by businesspeople and engineers. Concludes that technical writing texts are preferable for writing skills, whereas business communication texts are better for oral skills. Makes…

Discusses the use of content area textbooks and indicates that content textbooks are difficult for students to understand because the books generally are not well written. Offers solutions for how to use content textbooks and illustrates how lessons can be created through the integration of tradebooks and through discussions in which critical…

Traces the development of global studies in Arkansas from conception to institutionalization. Focuses on the dilemmas of textbook adoption and teacher licensure, teacher preparation, and support from the Arkansas International Committee, University of Arkansas at Monticello, and Southern Arkansas University. Addresses the role of Bill and Hillary…

Students don't hang on to textbooks anymore, and the prevalence of second-hand merchandise obliges publishers to recoup their costs the first semester after a new release. Thus, those publishers are loath to experiment with novel approaches and are hypersensitive about reviewer criticism. Steven I. Dutch, who spent a decade preparing an…

Textbooks play a central role in the US education system. High school level World Geography textbooks are an important tool in the campaign to reform geography education in the United States, particularly through the introduction of the National Geography Standards. The status of the Standards in US schools is appraised. Five factors (authority,…

This book presents an overview of the treatment of the Holocaust in the textbooks used in the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, and the United States. Selection of these three countries was based on historical, political, and state administration criteria. All three countries are democratic but vary in terms of history, heritage, and…

Some communities have been successful in removing textbooks containing sexist and racist stereotypes.

This reference is intended for teachers who are responsible for selecting textbooks for biology or life science courses. The publication provides reviewers with a compilation of 10 biology and 7 life science textbook reviews. Using this document as a resource, teachers can save valuable time by reducing the number of books they review and pilot…

This article reports a study of decision-making processes for selecting instructional materials. The project had two aims: (1) to survey research findings and practices of decision-making processes in instructional material selection in the United States and Australia; and (2) to identify the attributes of decision-making processes used to select…

In 1985, California launched a 2-year curriculum reform initiative in history and social science that could eventually bring new standards of learning in these areas. Professional studies and student surveys relate a common message: a more extensive, literature-based, issue and idea-oriented curriculum, and better teaching methods would increase…

"Practical rhetoric" is a narrowing of classical rhetoric because it no longer shapes public opinion but is increasingly shaped by it, specifically by special interest groups formed around and geared to what a selected audience wants to hear. In the teaching of composition, this pluralism of rhetoric leads to fragmentation and specialization, and…