The author suggests that quality selection of textbooks at the local level is more likely to occur when: (1) administrators involve teachers, subject-matter specialists, and others in the selection process; (2) these individuals comprise a committee which makes a regular, continuing study of textbooks; (3) they consider using materials recently developed in various project centers; and (4) they base their selection on the school system's course of study, local children's needs and interests, materials currently in use, teachers' academic backgrounds, and community attitudes. Fifteen specific guidelines for the selection of educational textbooks, guidelines for the selection of supplemental materials, and suggestions for the local staff all center on the belief that curriculum development determines textbook selection; textbooks should not determine the curriculum. (DD)