Social studies textbooks need careful inspection with regard to how they treat ethnicity. Although there have been several studies of possible bias in textbooks, there are methodological concerns that need further deliberation. Content analysis has been called a "technique for systematic inference from communications," and it may be viewed as a…

A study was conducted to assess the role of State departments of education in evaluating ethnic content of social studies material. The approach was to identify and assess instruments, such as guidelines and historical outlines, employed in the evaluation. The way States define ethnic content is criticized. (Author/GC)

Ten Oklahoma reading textbooks from five publishers contained 462 stories, of which 28% were multicultural. A survey of 148 teachers from 10 rural Oklahoma schools found that only 4% of books used in classrooms addressed cultural diversity. Tradebooks address cultural diversity better than textbooks, but are less available to rural teachers.…

Asserts that, since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, social studies textbooks have changed to reflect a multicultural perspective. Encourages primary-level teachers to supplement instruction with visual aids that represent ethnic groups in positive ways. (CFR)

Describes a two-part study involving 125 minority female students, 14 faculty members and 35 textbooks that explored the kinds of images minority students found in their textbooks. Results indicated that the exclusion, omission, or misrepresentation through images directly impacted student learning as well as student career choices. (Contains 12…

Six popular high school American history textbooks are examined to address accusations of overcompensation by textbook publishers as a result of the raised ethnic consciousness of the 1970s. The textbooks are: "Our American Heritage" (Silver Burdett); "The Pageant of American History" (Allyn and Bacon); "A History of Our American Republic"…

Reports on a study of introductory college economics textbooks on the quality and quantity of coverage of the economic status of women and minorities. Finds that textbooks still have a tendency to exclude women and minorities from the general discussion and disguise the multiplicity of explanations for observed differences. (CFR)

This paper reviews statements by the New York State Commissioner of Education, the New York State Board of Regents, and various task forces and committees on the importance of infusing a multicultural perspective into programs of study for New York's schools. The learning outcomes for English language arts presented in these statements call for…