NCCRESt

part of the Education Reform Networks

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Evaluation Criteria

• "Dangerous Indians": Evaluating the Depiction of Native Americans in Selected Trade Books
  A study examined 20 trade books (1964-1997) to evaluate their accuracy in depicting Native American peoples and cultures. The criteria embodied an authenticity guideline based upon the "Five Great Values": (1) generosity and sharing; (2) respect for elders and women; (3) getting along with nature; (4) individual freedom and leadership; and (5) courage.
• A Demand for Excellence in Books for Children
  Children's books selected for schools and libraries are judged by criteria of literary and artistic excellence, and books featuring minority-group characters must be held to additional criteria. Such scrupulous selectivity is not censorship.
• Children's Literature about Disabilities Enhancing Multicultural Education in Elementary Schools
  This paper describes the use of unbiased stories featuring children with disabilities as a part of presenting a multicultural perspective in elementary schools. It emphasizes that the inclusion of a multicultural perspective will help teach social acceptance rather than separation, and laments that current children's books about disabilities tell little about true experiences of people with disabilities and have had the ultimate effect of dehumanizing the people.
• Early Childhood Special Education for Children with Disabilities, Ages Three through Five: An Introduction. Revised
  This introduction to a reference guide for early childhood special education personnel in North Dakota discusses the purpose of the guidelines, the North Dakota philosophy on the importance of early intervention programs, and quality indicators of early intervention programs.
• Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the Early Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls
  Picture books that depict the variety of ethnic, racial, and cultural groups within U.S. society (known generally as multicultural picture books) allow young children opportunities to develop their understanding of others, while affirming children of diverse backgrounds.