Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association

This practitioner research study examined students at an ethnically and economically diverse high school and the impact of replacing the corporate-produced textbook with teacher-created reading packets and questions that asked students to take a critical stance on historical events in United States history. Using critical theories of education as a lens, this study analyzed survey and interview data. The results show this new text increased students ’ interest in reading about history, improved students ability to recall information and complete homework, developed students ability to see history as interpreted perspectives, and helped non-White students better identify with the people in history. Purpose A vast majority of high school history students in the United States learn from textbooks (Cuban, 1991; Paxton, 1999), which are mass-produced by an elite group of corporate educational publishers. The narratives that are embedded within these textbooks convince students that they represent the omniscient voice of history and speak with an authority convincing most students they are simply the facts. Yet, these textbooks portray the dominant narrative of those who hold power in society (Anyon, 1979), serve the purpose of political indoctrination (FitzGerald, 1980; Loewen, 1995), and marginalize non-Whites, women, the poor and working classes, among others (Anyon, 1979; Avery &amp