When parents see their children bringing home books they used when they were in school, or not bringing home books at all, they know that there is a major problem. More than four out of five teachers believe that every student should have a textbook to use in class, yet one in six teachers reports that students are without them, according to the survey. While four out of five teachers believe that every student should have a textbook to take home, that's not the reality for far too many. Two out of five teachers report that students do not have textbooks to take home. No books often means no homework, according to the survey.
Voters say that education is their top concern.
The Berlin Wall has fallen, the Cold War is over and Nelson Mandela now leads South Africa. Not so, according to the social studies books from which many American children learn. In many of these, America and the USSR are engaged in a cold war, Germany is divided and Mandela is behind bars. One in four teachers surveyed reports using textbooks that are at least ten years old. More than half of teachers say their students are exposed to incorrect information in outdated textbooks, according to the survey.