High-quality K-12 instructional materials can meaningfully improve teaching practice and student achievement, especially when paired with professional learning support. Yet state policymakers have usually left ultimate authority for textbook selection to school district leaders. Consequently, the quality of materials across U.S. classrooms and…

The article explores the structure of a graduate educational technology course that used a learner-centered approach to prepare students to be independent responsible learners. Key features of this approach were the balance of power between the instructor and students, involving students in decision-making about their learning, sharing the…

If the textbook and material selection process is to be adequately supported in school budgets, curriculum directors, teachers, and administrators must be able to defend their requests with high-quality information. This article offers nine suggestions to help build a leadership structure and a database for making appropriate textbook selections.…

Shows how a technique taken from the world of management can be used for selecting textbooks in such a way that involves everyone on a teaching team. Shows how selection criteria can be established and weighed, and how coursebooks can be selected using these criteria. (11 references) (Author/CK)

Reports on a study of how seven fifth-grade teachers organized their social studies curriculum following the adoption of a new textbook. Finds that teaching styles were more varied than might be expected given the similarity of materials. Discusses three observed teaching styles. (CFR)

EFL teachers need to be careful in their decision on the selection of cultural content for ELT classrooms. To address the issue, this paper investigates the design guidelines to evaluate textbooks as sources of cultural content in the ELT curriculum. The paper is organized in two parts. In the first part, the notion of culture and the important…

Contends that teacher's decisions regarding textbook use can be understood through public choice theory. This theory claims decisions are made balancing competing interests of scarcity, time, costs, benefits, and incentives. Teachers use textbooks because of their efficacy in organizing and providing instructional material. (MJP)

A collection of papers on distance education is presented. "Distance Education: An Option for Social Welfare and Social Work Education in the 1990s" (Robert A. Bush and Chris J. Williams) discusses the implications for welfare education of changes in tertiary education and community services industry that are likely to pressure welfare…