Book Description

Textbooks are the primary mediator of learning in academic settings. As students progress from elementary school to middle and high school, the need to read textbooks becomes ever more critical. Reading instruction has not, until recently, even begun to take this reality into account (Kamil, Lane, & Nicolls, 2004). Rather, reading instruction has focused largely on literary texts, although this seems to be changing. Publishers have also been slow to adopt research findings in the production of textbooks. There appears to be little communication between the various stakeholders in efforts surrounding research, production, and use of textbooks. For example, the Textbook Colloquium and its accompanying journal, "Paradigm," covers many topics but neglects publishing as a focus. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to provide a starting point for an ongoing and interactive dialogue about the quality of the texts students read and to extend communication between publishers and researchers on how to create enriching text materials that support teaching and learning. [For related reports, see "Adolescent Literacy Programs: Costs of Implementation. Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy" (ED535296); "Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success. Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy" (ED535318); "Measure for Measure: A Critical Consumers' Guide to Reading Comprehension Assessments for Adolescents. Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy" (ED535299); "Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy. Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy" (ED535297); and "Adolescent Literacy Development in Out-of-School Time: A Practitioner's Guide. Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy" (ED535304).].