The article examines the historical/contemporary impact of textbooks on the curriculum and the relationship between controversy and textbooks. Specifically, current science and humanities textbooks have become involved in certain controversial issues. (Author/NQ)

Presents 30 questions about values in reading that teachers can review when deciding which stories and readers ought to be used with children. The questions are divided into five categories: characters depicted; story philosophy of values; plot development; cultural, social and physical setting; and emotional intensity. (NEC)

The "skills trace" is a textbook evaluation process by which an evaluator isolates one skill and reads every reference listed in the index of the teacher's manual. The evaluator then observes how that skill is introduced, taught, practiced, and tested throughout the grades. (Author/DCS)

Suggests sources which can guide schools in evaluating textbooks. (MKM)

Discusses factors that psychology professors should consider when selecting a textbook for introductory courses. These include readability, human interest level, comprehensiveness, and authoritative accuracy of the material. (RM)

Presents three commentaries--by a teacher, a textbook author, and a textbook publisher--examining issues associated with elementary and secondary school textbooks. (MM)

Integrates strategies and suggestions from professional books and articles to provide educators with an overview of components of the textbook selection process. Organizes the smorgasbord into three sections: the salad bar (initial screening), the main course (examination of textbooks), and the dessert bar (plans for implementation of the textbook…

An objective index-based textbook evaluation method that can be reliably applied to large collections of introductory textbooks is described. The method was designed to help teachers reduce the pool of available introductory texts to a manageable number for more in-depth treatments. Dimensions assessed were key concepts and major theorists…

California state-adopted commercial art and music instructional materials are described to aid state school districts in matching instructional materials with curriculum goals and objectives. Information is provided in three sections. An annotated index gives pertinent information about each program, including title, year of copyright, and grade…

This publication is intended to serve as a resource for teachers who are responsible for selecting textbooks for general mathematics courses in high school. Contained are 18 factual textbook reviews. (The reviews do not contain assessments about the quality of the books). Each review includes four parts. Part 1 contains information furnished by…

Censorship efforts are taking place throughout the country in spite of greater activism among anticensorship forces. One of the alarming trends is that many of the censors are now attacking the curriculum of the schools, challenging textbooks in reading, literature, history, science, health, and social studies. The International Reading…

This article describes textbook adaptations for special needs students. The article offers suggestions for detecting the compatibility of the textbook with students' reading and interest levels and presents four categories of adaptations: substitute the textbook, simplify the textbook, highlight key concepts in the textbook, and structure…

This booklet addresses the question of what is wrong with textbooks and then shows how textbooks can be improved through the selection process. A conceptual scheme is proposed as the basis of the selection process. Specific attributes and features to look for when selecting textbooks, based on this conceptual scheme, are discussed. Five categories…

Censorship of books and learning materials is a growing trend nationwide, according to responses from a 1980 survey of 1,891 public elementary and secondary school administrators and library personnel from across the country and of state administrators overseeing evaluation and adoption of textbooks in 21 states. This summary and interpretation of…

In 1985, People for the American Way released its first review of biology textbooks that was inspired by the ongoing controversy over whether or not (and how) evolution should be taught in public school classrooms. The purpose of this review is to gauge how successful the response of educators and scientists have been at convincing publishers that…