Given the assumption that children learn societal values in schools, textbooks and teaching manuals were reviewed to determine their effects on immigrant and minority-group children. The study was limited in three ways: (1) only primary through eighth-grade materials were reviewed; (2) only the immigration period (1880-1920), the post war period (1950-1972), and the current period (1973-1982) were included; and (3) emphasis was given to Chinese, Japanese, and Jews. An unequal number of textbooks and teaching manuals were evaluated for each time period. Reviewers considered which ethnic groups were named, the tone of the citations (negative, positive, stereotyped), and the accuracy of the content. It was found that between 1880 and 1920, the basic school policy was Americanization in which ethnic groups were given little consideration. Few changes took place until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s when ethnic studies were encouraged, but mainly at the secondary level. Since 1973, teachers and textbook publishers have become more cognizant of ethnically balanced materials. Multicultural education is an accepted practice, but teachers need better education and guidelines. (BY)