Suddenly, the books seemed horribly outdated. Since Sept. 11, textbook publishers have scrambled to revise their books to include references to the attacks. Writers accustomed to spending months, even years poring over the importance of world events, had weeks to make sense of the attacks and place them in a context that even young children can understand for years to come.
Textbooks always require minor tweaks on deadline.
This time, however, the stakes are higher, the job harder. Most textbooks are updated every two or three years, but states and school districts keep their books for five years or more. Many Texas schools, for instance, have hung on to their current history textbooks since 1992, and students will not get the new books until the fall of 2003. Because school officials in Texas, the nation's largest single textbook buyer, are scheduled to review history and social studies books this February, publishers are racing to have the updated books ready. They have brought back writers, artists and editors, in some cases tearing up entire sections.