Textbooks in American Society
Politics, Policy, and Pedagogy
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Description
In recent years, textbooks have been widely criticized for low standards, lack of imaginativeness, and insensitivity to racial and gender issues. Increasingly, they are cited as another "weak link" in American public education. This book goes beyond the headlines to examine how textbooks are produced, how they are selected, and what pressures are placed on textbook authors and publishers. The book focuses on the relationship of the textbook to the educational system and includes important issues such as the politics of textbook policy, the determinants of textbook content, the role of textbooks in educational reform, and the process of selection at the state level. The authors offer current research on textbook policy including perspectives from those directly involved with textbooks—from several thoughtful analyses by textbook editors and publishers to the views of California's Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Philip G. Altbach is Professor and Director of the Comparative Education Center Gail P. Kelly was Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Organization, Administration, and Policy Hugh G. Petrie is Dean of the Graduate School of Education; and Lois Weis is Professor and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Education, all at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Reviews
"This book is particularly important in light of the recent reform movement in education. It is clear that textbooks and policies affecting their creation and distribution will be undergoing major scrutiny in the future. "—Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. , University of Miami