Maintains that the impact of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union on U.S. politics and society during the post-World War II era can hardly be overstated. Reviews 18 college history survey textbooks on their interpretation of the origins of the Cold War. (CFR)

Updates and extends a previous study of the portrayal of the black family in collegiate marriage and family textbooks. Examines 20 of the best-selling textbooks published between 1986 and 1980 for their portrayal of family life among four minority groups. Finds little attention paid to minority families and evidence of cultural bias. (CFR)

This paper compiles information pertaining to over 200 challenges to public school library books, text books, reading series, magazines, newspapers, plays, and nonprint materials in Oregon from 1968 through 1993. Although Oregon ranks 29th in the nation in population, it is second only to California in the average number of challenges in school…

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…

A study was conducted to examine the instructional approaches to decoding and comprehension in the first grade basal reading programs published by Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich (1983); Houghton Mifflin (1979); Ginn (1976); and SRA Reading Mastery (1983). In addition, analyses were completed on the comprehensibility of matched stories from each of…

The annotated bibliography provides information on commercially prepared materials that can be used in classrooms at all levels where English is taught as a second language. Twenty-four textbook series are described, arranged alphabetically by title. The listing is preceded by a categorization of the series by their content and focus:…

Focusing on current knowledge of the textbook in American education and society, the 18 papers in this collection represent the views of educators, publishers, state and federal education officers, librarians, authors, and industry critics. Papers in the first section, "Textbooks and Literacy," deal with the role of the textbook in the curriculum;…

Focusing on the development of students' writing skills and on the instructional techniques used to promote those skills, this report relates the findings of the second phase of the National Study of Writing in the Secondary School. In addition to further analysis of data collected during the first phase of the study, the report provides…

The results of an APEID (Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development) workshop on producing textbooks and other teaching and learning materials, especially in reading, for the first level of education are provided in this book. An initial overview presents the objectives and the organization of the workshop. The second…

This resource book is intended to be used with the companion program guide, and is so arranged that it can be put in a loose leaf binder and incorporated with other notes. It is divided as follows: (1) a discussion in outline form of prescribed material including three methods of organizing the program, a complete indication of the contents of the…

Native Americans know that they have a complex social, political, and economic heritage, and they have been concerned that social studies textbooks describe the history, traditions, and values of Indian tribes much too simplistically and generally. To address the need for Indian heritage to be presented without bias, use of stereotypes, or…

This study explores the complex spectrum of motives and perceptions underlying contemporary criticism of science as expressed in the arena of public education. Part 1 briefly portrays the historical context of present-day disputes, discussing those aspects of the early reaction to Darwinian evolution and its introduction in the school that have…

In this study of the treatment of Egypt in elementary and secondary school literature, the content of 109 textbooks and 180 supplementary works is analyzed and evaluated and recommendations for specific corrections and additions are presented. The purpose is to alert the authors of educational materials and teachers about the imperfections in…

The intent of this brief paper is two-fold: (1) to review selected past studies and discuss what is believed to be misdirections in their focus and inadequate methodology and (2) to report a series of studies that attempt to counter these shortcomings. It is held that, by focusing on discrete components, such as curriculum, and using limiting…

This book describes and analyzes authority relationships in classrooms through explorations of theory, prior research, and contemporary qualitative studies. The emphasis is on the social construction of authority and the crucial role authority plays in K-16 teachers' pedagogy and students' academic engagement and achievement. The introductory…