This document is the report of a commission appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to examine the status of Eastern European studies in the state's public schools. The commission surveyed the state's secondary schools and found that the Eastern European region outside of Russia was given very little attention. As its main focus, the commission…

An introductory textbook in English as a Second Language, commonly used in Egyptian schools, was evaluated for the degree to which its stated principles for classroom use of Arabic corresponded to instructions given in the lesson notes. A computer concordance program was used to extract relevant passages from the teacher's introduction and the…

Initial activities in a collaborative reading project for tenth graders were based on the categorizing process, which is the basis for understanding the structure of ideas in most textbooks. Ideas are organized in a hierarchy of related categories moving down from the title, through chapter headings, main headings, subheadings, to paragraphs.…

Representing the second phase of a study surveying the instructional approach to writing skills in Ontario teacher training institutions as well as secondary composition instruction in general, this volume contains three reviews and a survey. The first review discusses the scope of language arts texts in relation to preservice teacher education…

This paper is based on a descriptive study of six elementary school secretaries. The study was undertaken to gain an understanding of the work of the school secretary and how this work might contribute to school effectiveness. Several research methods were combined in this study: onsite observations, interviews with secretaries and their…

Recent concern about citizenship education has resulted in the examination of how civic values are presented in the classroom. Using the 10 civic values from R. Freeman Butts'"The Revival of Civic Learning," two third grade classrooms and their teachers are observed, and the textbooks for reading, social studies, and health are examined…

The Capital Area School Development Association, New York, sponsored a school law conference to fulfill a need in the region for school board members and administrators who desire to maintain and improve their knowledge in the area of school law. This document contains the text or outline of the following four presentations: (1) "Preserving…

United States history as a linchpin in the school curriculum and as a potentially exciting, sometimes electrifying, subject was the conviction underlying this analysis of U.S. history textbooks. This assessment investigates the capacity of leading U.S. social studies and history textbooks to inspire the imagination of students through effective…

Using selected passages from Japanese and U.S. social studies textbooks, this booklet presents contrasting views and interpretations of historical events or circumstances. The textbooks, review, and supplementary materials collected or developed in conjunction with the Japan/U.S. Textbook Study Project provides much of the basic material for the…

Since most textbooks and instructional materials are designed to appeal to the majority market, they often are written from an ethnocentric viewpoint. American Indian viewpoints are either stereotyped, distorted, or omitted. To assist educators and publishers in developing awareness of American Indian heritage and culture and contemporary issues…

This article surveys the teaching materials available in the United States for teaching Chinese at the college level. Suggestions are made for the improvement of existing materials and for the development of new ones. The main problems associated with the production and usefulness of language materials are that: (1) languages change through time…

This 1976 review by the Michigan Department of Education of senior high school government textbooks used in Michigan schools suggests that the majority of textbooks are "grossly lacking" in terms of the fair inclusion of the "achievements and accomplishments of ethnic and racial groups," as specified in Act 127 (Social Studies…

This report on sex discrimination in the Kalamazoo Public Schools describes the findings from a study of materials used during the 1971-72 school year. Conducted by a task force on elementary school textbooks, the study evaluated 172 texts, 65 supplements, and 24 study-print sets for sex stereotyping and sexism. Sex roles depicted for both…

An examination of 54 language arts textbooks (grades 3-6) was made to determine textbook content criteria and the amount and specific nature of the speech and listening contents. The results indicated that authors and publishers feel that language skills (1) are used primarily for communicating, for social compentency, and for thinking, (2) are…

In compliance with the Social Studies Textbook Act of the State of Michigan, 18 elementary, junior high school, and high school level social studies books were examined to determine the extent to which they adequately reflect the multi-racial, multi-ethnic and pluralistic nature of American society, both past and present. A group of 27 educators,…