Certain events between the late sixties and the eighties were major influences in empowering Australian reading teachers to break the basal habit. During the late sixties a growing number of elementary classroom teachers and principals were showing an interest in classroom practices that focused on children's individual progression. During the early seventies, a number of "alternative education" or "non-graded" schools emerged, and teacher training institutions began to adapt courses to reflect contemporary trends. During the mid-seventies schools became progressively more literature-based, and made use of new books such as Don Holdaway's "Core Library." During the late seventies, curriculum evaluation became the responsibility of the school. In addition, the value of standardized tests was becoming widely questioned. Finally, during the eighties, a study of a New Zealand teacher training system resulted in the development and implementation of the Early Literacy Inservice Course. By the mid-to-late eighties, individual publishers could no longer market basal readers; evaluation became increasingly dependent on the teacher's observations, records, and samples of work; and publishers, teachers, and academics began to collaborate to develop a broad range of valid materials for the classroom. Some reasons why teachers were so willing to break away from dependence on basal texts include the empowerment of teachers through the political acceptance of alternatives, training, a grass roots movement, and cooperative effort. (PRA)