Background/Context: Across the nation, people living in the United States are embroiled in conflict over the meaning of its past. Many of the most fervent conflicts relate to acts of historical violence: war, enslavement, conquest, and colonization among them. Elementary school students commonly study the early colonization of the land now known…

In 1986, the California State Board of Education rejected all 14 kindergarten-eighth grade mathematics textbook series submitted for adoption. Implications of this action are discussed. (CB)

The instructional textbooks for history-social science, K-8 grades, recommended for adoption in the state of California are described in this report. The rationales for recommendation of particular texts are provided, as well as those behind the decision not to recommend other materials. A number of special issues dealt with by the adoption…

To assist school districts in selecting science instructional materials, the California State Department of Education has developed detailed descriptions of state-adopted elementary programs and texts. This guide includes an annotated index of all adopted materials and separate descriptions for each program or series. The index contains a listing…

A list of books is presented as typifying the textbooks used in California schools. It is pointed out that these books fail to nurture a sense of respect and understanding for children of minority group cultures. The textbooks were classified into the following categories: (1) Books in compliance with the State Education Code Sections 8553, 8576,…

Short evaluations of all instructional materials (books, filmstrips, cassettes, kits) adopted by the State of California in 1974 are given in the fields of English, spelling/handwriting, and literature. Piloted reading materials were also evaluated. The evaluations were performed by two or more local elementary teachers or educators and are…

Designed for publishers and producers, this document initiates the annual subject area(s) adoption of basic instructional materials for California schools, kindergarten through eighth grade. The document presents an overview of the total instructional materials adoption-distribution process, specific instructions relating to initial submissions…

The selection of an elementary-level reading series in a small California town caused a divisive backlash from some parents who are claiming their rights to supervise their children's reading material. The controversy is reported through excerpts from interviews with representatives from both sides of the issue. (JD)

This case study describes two experienced teachers' attitudes and actions during implementation of a new mathematics curriculum in California. It focuses on their attentiveness to learners' needs. One teacher viewed learners' needs largely through the prism of a fixed set of curricular demands, while the other focused on an equally rigid set of…

This project was a one-year study of California's reform effort in mathematics education. The research focused on two issues of great importance to current efforts to reform mathematics instruction: (1) What distinguishes teaching mathematics for "understanding" from rote performance and what does teaching mathematics for understanding…

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2009 proceedings, see ED504973.]