On October 14, 1974, the Kanawha County Association of Classroom Teachers requested that the Teacher Rights Division of the National Education Association (NEA) conduct an investigation into the textbook controversy. This report contains information on the background, evolution, educational consequences, and dynamics of the conflict, and the results of the NEA investigation. Among the NEA conclusions are the following: (1) it is the basic principle of our Constitution that no group has the right to impose its religious value system upon the public schools; (2) education's fundamental purpose is to prepare students for good citizenship and for full, constructive lives by instilling in them the ability to think critically, reason, analyze and relate data, and to see behind deceptive facades; (3) an essential task of public education is to treat students honestly, inform them of the history of this and other nations, and provide them with a vast diversity of literature so that they may understand and appreciate the many cultures, races, and ethnic groups that comprise our society; (4) teachers and students must be free to discuss controversial issues so that students may acquire the skills needed for intelligent analysis of issues; and (5) the West Virginia laws governing textbook selection place the responsibility for textbook selection where it belongs -- with the final decision-making authority vested in the elected board of educators, although it is recommended that parents should be involved as advisors, but not as censors. (ND)