The Hidden Messages of Schoolbooks

The article has three main parts. First, it recalls that bias in schoolbooks cannot be considered independently of the wider question of bias in teaching generally, and of how teachers should handle controversial issues. Second, the article surveys the schoolbooks currently being published in Britain, and measures their message against a draft checklist. Third, the article notes the customary procedure for producing schoolbooks and also considers what might and should be done to pressure publishers to change their ways.