Budget cuts put new textbook purchases on hold - Los Angeles Times

Budget cuts put new textbook purchases on hold - Los Angeles Times: "Instructional materials are revised when society changes its mind about what's vital to students' education, when new research points to better methods to boost student learning, and when teachers offer feedback about what lessons work. For example, social studies texts were last adopted in California four years ago, and since then, educators have pinpointed areas that need improvement, said Herman Clay, who was in charge of L.A. Unified sixth- to 12th-grade social studies instruction for four years. (He recently became principal of Cleveland High School in Reseda.)

Some American history books dwell on New York City politics but contain not a word about the 2003 California recall of Gov. Gray Davis. Instructors would also like to see a greater emphasis on landmark California rulings, such as Mendez vs. Westminster, a 1946 school desegregation case that laid the groundwork for Brown vs. Board of Education. Also, teachers are now more focused on frequent assessment of students."