The Trouble with Textbooks: Distorting History and Religion

Publication Date: January 2008

Publisher: Lexington Books; Institute for Jewish and Community Research

Author(s): Gary A. Tobin; Dennis R. Ybarra

Research Area: Education

Keywords: Publications; Education; Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; History

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author argues that bias, along with factual inaccuracies are widespread in American textbooks. Key findings include the use of "chop-shops" in the writing process, outdated material and poor scholarship. This results in a misrepresentation of topics, notably Judaism, Christianity and Islam, along with accompanying history, geography and politics. Through an extensive examination of existing materials, the authors explore the systemic nature of the problem, its origins, its extent and potential remedies. This article includes appendices and is a summary of a longer work.

Excerpted from: Gary A. Tobin and Dennis R. Ybarra, The Trouble with Textbooks: Distorting History and Religion (Lanham, MD: Lexington
Books, 2008).