Criteria for Evaluating

Instructional Materials

The writing in textbooks . . . must incorporate
human interest wherever possible so that students
will recognize the universal humanity of people in
other times and places, . . . the men and women
whose triumphs and tragedies continue to deserve
our attention, . . . and people who . . . authored
terrible tragedies. …

Texbooks and other instructional materials must be
accurate and truthful in describing controversies in
history, including controversies among historians.

Textbooks and other instructional materials must
portray the experiences … of different racial, re-
ligious, and ethnic groups … and the importance
of cultural diversity in American history or world
history.. . .

Historical controversies must display a variety of
perspectives by the participants; for example, the
debate over slavery at the Constitutional Conven-
tion, and implementation of the Brown decision.

Writers of textbooks and other instructional mate-
rials must pay close attention to ethical issues….
Publishers and other developers of curriculum
materials should pay special attention to the treat-
ment of human rights as an expression of a society’s
ethics.. . .

Textbooks and other instructional materials should
reflect the significance of civic values and demo-
cratic institutions; for example, respect for the
rights of minorities___Those instructional materi-
als that deal with world history should describe the
balance between the power of the state and the
rights of the citizens and should note the presence
or absence of those practices that are associated
with a democratic government.

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