School librarians are experts at so many things: navigating the seas of digital information to find an elusive article, creating interactive forums in which kids learn to collaborate and create, and, of course, critically selecting materials. Some have been reading and reviewing books for so long they can smell a stinker from a mile away or…

Describes the work of Mel and Norma Gabler and their campaign against what they have determined are "improper" textbooks. (IRT)

Provides a brief description of the current state of book censorship in Warsaw, Indiana, and of some of the community response to the censorship. (IRT)

A three-part review process is proposed as an aid to textbook selection for college courses. After an introductory discussion of the importance of developing standards and criteria for selecting course texts, the three-phase process is presented. The initial phase involves the establishment of departmental criteria for textbooks, which may be…

Describes how the nursing faculty at Shoreline Community College developed a process to make textbook selection both more satisfactory and appropriate for the program, and less complicated and time-consuming for educators. Examines important factors, the review form, form content, guidelines, and the review procedure. (CT)

Mathematics textbooks are critical tools for student learning in American classrooms. Teachers use them daily to plan and deliver lessons, and students use them in class to explore and learn mathematics. Given textbooks' potential to support student learning, it is important to understand how they are developed. While pressure is growing on…

In the fall of 1984, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) was awarded a grant from the U.S. Secretary of Education's Discretionary Fund to identify alternative state roles for improving instructional materials in mathematics. To help state leaders define an appropriate and effective role in upgrading these materials, ECS proposed first to…

The California State Board of Education is responsible for adopting textbooks and instructional materials for use in kindergarten through grade eight. The purposes of the instructional materials program are to: (1) establish clear standards for the educational and social content of texbooks and instructional materials; (2) evaluate instructional…

Students don't hang on to textbooks anymore, and the prevalence of second-hand merchandise obliges publishers to recoup their costs the first semester after a new release. Thus, those publishers are loath to experiment with novel approaches and are hypersensitive about reviewer criticism. Steven I. Dutch, who spent a decade preparing an…

Publishers are compelled by public policies and practices to produce textbooks that confuse students with non sequiturs, mislead them with misinformation, and bore them with pointlessly arid writing. Recommendations for textbook policy are proposed. (BJV)

Topics include: (1) the content, style, and level of physics' textbooks; (2) suggestions for in-class use; and (3) recommendations for upgrading current texts. (SK)

Outlines the essential elements of a textbook. Analyzes geography textbooks in terms of their commitment to global interdependence, and treatment of a wide range of geographic concepts. Identifies components of a well-integrated textbook program. (RW)

Many feel that textbooks dominate what students learn. They set the curriculum and often the facts learned in most subjects. For many students, textbooks are their first and sometimes only early exposure to books and to reading. The public regards textbooks as authoritative, accurate and necessary and many teachers rely on them to organize lessons…

Discusses the conflicts and controversies associated with public acceptance of certain teaching materials and textbooks. Cites specific court cases and outlines the issues involved in the adoption process. Reviews efforts taken by different states in addressing the quality of instructional materials. (ML)

This article examines the history textbooks available in 1998 for adoption in the United States at both the high school and elementary levels. New books have appeared on the scene since the last textbook adoption series. California begins its textbook considerations in August. The California adoption will rekindle national interest in the content…