It got worse when they were asked about current events. But it's even simpler than that. History textbooks are lousy and they may be getting worse. For more than a decade Gilbert T. Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, has examined history and social-studies textbooks for the fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades, and the message isn't good. Textbooks are worse than ever in both content and style.
Garish graphics dumb down the presentation further, overwhelming the text with simple-minded images.
It's hugely popular with teachers. One passage describes the Mississippi River, citing its origin in Minnesota and how the Indians named it. The reader learns how the barges carry goods from Minnesota to St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. So far, so good. But the text is overwhelmed by a huge photograph of a black man singing into a microphone, superimposed on a photograph of barges.