European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 10, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine Battle Over textbooks pits conservatives against critics in fight for students minds  a censorship and children by Gene i. Maeroff new York times t he decision in California to reject More than 20 science textbooks because they water Down instruction is seen by experts As a sign of a Small but growing reaction against the pressures exerted on schools and publishers by religious fundamentalists. Educators around the United states say the action comes at a time of growing dissatisfaction with the scope and Content of textbooks which Are also being challenged for the Way they handle issues of racism and sexism their treatment of nuclear War. And what critics say Are their declining level of difficulty. Bill Honig California s superintendent of Public instruction said the action there in september was the first in a series of Steps that he said were needed to set higher standards Tor the textbook Market. It s not just science books he said. It s history literature. We re raising the  an official for one of the publishers that had a Book rejected in California defended it recently but said his company would look very carefully at the proposed revisions. We be never watered Down anything Bobby e. Jones president of the school division of the Macmillan publishing company said in an interview. We Don t believe in avoiding Tough controversial  he said that Macmillan refused a request by several states to say at the front of textbooks that evolution was theory rather than tact. He said he was concerned that publishing companies should be asked to treat evolution in seventh and eighth Grade textbooks at a College level or be accused of watering Down their books. To Imam Margad in the Early 1970s, when conservatives began a Campaign to influence teaching in the nation s elementary and secondary schools. The move included a push by fundamentalist christians in favor of the biblical Story of creation. Recently that Campaign has begun to encounter Active opposition from such groups As people for the american Way an advocacy group formed by the producer Norman Lear in part to oppose censorship. Both sides Are trying to affect the thinking of students. The publishers who covet hundreds of millions of dollars in annual textbook sales Are caught in the Middle. The publishers wimped out in terms of the pressure from the creationists and now the publishers Are scared to death said Thomas a. Shannon executive director of the National school boards association. The big Story is not that California rejected the books but that officials will now meet with the publishers and Tell what they find  Hong the California education official said publishers have Given in to pressure from special interest groups and Are publishing lower Quality books. They re watering Down books and lowering standards because they think that s what the Market wants he said. To California Board of education rejected All of the textbooks submitted for use in seventh and eighth Grade science classes after a review panel said that the books had systematically omitted thorough discussions of evolution. The publishers were asked to produce rewritten versions of the textbooks in line with the state s guidelines for the teaching of evolution. The publishers frankly chose to ignore our guidelines said Robert Douglas a member of the curriculum commission in California. He said that the state had told the publishers a year ago How their books were expected to treat evolution. The dispute Over the teaching of evolution in California comes after similar controversies in Arkansas Texas Louisiana and new York. At the same time publishers Are under attack on several fronts accused of simplifying textbooks and deluding them of intellectual Challenge. Complicating in controversy Are the Subtle methods used by publishers to accommodate the pressures. For instance in some cases rather than removing a discussion of evolution from a textbook publishers have simply not listed evolution in the Book s Index making the treatment less obvious. Many fundamentalist christians say that textbooks should make students aware of the biblical account of the creation of Man by god and not be limited to the scientific theory describing Man s evolution from lower species. Many publishers have added information on creation Lam to some books and have downplayed the topic of evolution in others. We Don t object to evolution being represented As a theory said Kelly Segraves of the creation science research Center of san Diego. But we Are concerned that there is nothing which gives the impression that it is  Bill Hong a n rating the ant. Sunday november 10, 1985 she said her group would review any textbook Rev sons made by publishers in response to the California action. John h. Buchanan chairman of people for the american Way said the California action was part of an ongoing Battle to shape the Content of school curriculum a. It s a struggle Between scientific creationists and the rest of us who think you can learn the truth from science As Well As biblical revelation Buchanan said. It s a political contest that needs strength on the Side of  California la Ona of some two dozen states that establish lists of officially approved books. School districts Are barred from using state funds to buy books not on the list so few school systems use books that have not been approved. Publishers have altered the Content of books to make them acceptable in California and Texas which has a similar program because the two states represent such Large markets. Sometimes publishers produce another version of a Book for the rest of the country but often the version accepted in California or Texas becomes the National Standard. Thus the two states Are often the Arenas for those fighting to influence the contents of textbooks. Last year Texas repealed a regulation it had adopted 10 years ago requiring that textbooks used in that state describe evolution As Only one theory of human origin. I Don t see any effect in Texas from what California is doing William n. Kirby Texas education commissioner said of the rejection of the science textbooks. Many other states including new York new Jersey and Connecticut do not have official lists of approved books and allow local school districts .0 select books of their Choice. Some educators maintain that the More school districts do to produce their own supplementary materials and to Dee books other than textbooks the less it will matter How textbooks treat controversial topics. Many teachers however do not have the time or resources to go beyond the textbook education experts say. And textbooks Are expected to continue to play a key role in setting the boundaries of instruction. The stars and stripes Page 13