There is increasing momentum behind the idea that curriculum materials, including textbooks, represent a powerful lever for education reform. As funders are lining up and state leaders are increasing their policy attention on curriculum materials, this report discusses the very real challenges of this effort. The report draws on my experience over…

In recent years, the curriculum programs have been changed dramatically in Turkey, as part of a comprehensive reform initiative. The history curriculum for secondary schools was subjected to this transformation as well. This study examines the curriculum reform in terms of teacher autonomy, a key-concept for the comprehension and improvement of…

Outlines the frustrations foreign language teachers experience in attempting to select appropriate methods, textbooks, and teaching materials. (DS)

Too frequently textbooks used in class are criticized heavily by educators. In and of itself, a textbook is neither good nor bad. If the text has been carefully chosen, there may be reasons for criticizing its use. Textbooks should always be carefully evaluated when new basals are chosen so that the very best one(s) are selected for a class.…

Two brief studies on community college social science textbook readability are compiled in this document. The first study compared textbook readability in 1977 to the findings of previous research. When the readability levels of community college social science textbooks were compared with the reading levels of the community college population in…

Teachers' ability to act as full professionals is significantly limited by textbook programs in state and local curricula as well as the use of standardized achievement tests. Curriculum reform and upgrading of teacher professionalism go hand in hand. (SK)

The teaching of history is part of the continuous process of redefining American civilization that lies at the center of what it means to be an American. A major challenge facing teachers of U.S. history is how to strike an appropriate balance between the forces of continuity and change. Much of the concern over history standards and the choice of…

Compares the production and selection of textbooks in the United Kingdom and North America with respect to such areas as derivation of textbook ideas, evaluation of the ideas, production, distribution, how and by whom the books are bought, and limitations on certain textbook topics. (GT)

To assist textbook adoption committees in answering the questions that arise as they consider basal reading series, this paper provides a discussion of readability. Following a brief introduction, the second section of the paper offers a background discussion of what readability really means. In addition, this section looks at three factors to…

To determine how textbook publishers have changed the content of teachers' manuals designed to accompany basal reading series, a study was undertaken to examine manuals published by two different publishers since the l920s. Ten fifth grade manuals were reviewed for physical characteristics, tests, number of stories, instructional suggestions,…

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)