A review of research and literature in the teaching of writing suggests two divergent forces operating simultaneously. First, the conservative tradition perpetuates the national mania for correctness and reverence for standard English. Second, a wide range of theoretical approaches proliferates through professional journal articles and books. To determine which textbooks and which kinds of texts are widely used, a survey of approved lists from states and from 50 large school districts was conducted. From the results, it was concluded that the traditional emphasis on correct usage and close adherence to standard English is still the predominant approach. Nevertheless, a wider range of textbooks is used now than a decade ago. Comparing the types of books and series, it was concluded that students using any of the composition series would recieve more instruction in writing than would students using the grammar- or language-oriented textbooks. Students using any of the textbooks examined would write relatively few compositions about literature. (TS)