Curriculum Challenges in California: Third Statewide Survey of Challenges to Curriculum Materials and Services.

This paper presents findings of a longitudinal survey that gathered information on the number and types of challenges to curriculum and services in the California public schools. Data were collected from a questionnaire sent by the Board of Directors of the Educational Congress of California to every school-district superintendent in the state in 1990, 1991, and 1993. Sixty percent of the superintendents responding in 1993 indicated that challenges to curriculum had occurred in their districts. The challengers usually asked school districts to completely end the use of material or services (68 percent), rather than request that their children be excused from using the material (3 percent). Concerns about religious conflict or satanic/witchcraft issues accounted for 50 percent of the 1993 challenges, an increase of 9 percentage points since 1990. The vast majority of challenges were contentious and disruptive. In both the 1991 and 1993 surveys, administrators said that they would be less likely to adopt material challenged elsewhere or would not consider objects of controversy in other districts. Finally, 5 percent of the 1993 challenges came from school board members. Twenty-two tables are included. Appendices contain lists of the objects of challenges, challenging groups, professional resources, a sample board policy and administrative regulations, a copy of the questionnaires, and information on the Educational Congress of California. (LMI)