Amid growing concerns about the quality of textbooks, a leading educational publisher announced plans yesterday to correct any mistakes in its books and set a goal of "100 percent factual accuracy" in future books.

Pearson Education, which publishes 45,000 textbooks and related materials, said it would review all its books by the end of this year, post corrections on the Internet, and set up a panel of outside experts to examine the content of books.

"We're going to attack this head-on," said Maggie Aloia Rohr, a company spokeswoman. "We know there's a social responsibility in producing textbooks. The communities we serve expect these to be the best you can provide."

Pearson's move comes as educators complain that many books used by U.S. schoolchildren are riddled with factual and conceptual errors, and are poorly written, superficial and dumbed down. Until now, critics say, publishers have often refused to acknowledge their mistakes.

"I think it's wonderful that they're going to take accuracy seriously and that they are going to use people outside the shop to check up on accuracy," said Harriet Tyson, author of "A Conspiracy of Good Intentions: America's Textbook Fiasco."

In the past, she said, "all of these publishers, when caught in blatant factual errors, have attempted to discredit the critics. If this is a real departure, that's cause for celebration."

One of Pearson's recently acquired divisions, Prentice Hall, was the publisher of a middle-school science book that has come under attack.

A parent from Millcreek Township, Pa., has campaigned for years to get the publisher to correct dozens of errors in the book, "Exploring Physical Science." His efforts were highlighted in The Sun in January.

In addition to using the Internet to correct mistakes that creep into the copy, Rohr said, Pearson plans to post updated material in cases where information is made obsolete by world events.

Textbook scholars and educators applauded Pearson's initiative yesterday, but some said they were concerned because many schools -- particularly in poor urban areas -- don't have Internet access. Even in schools that are online, many teachers aren't technologically proficient.

Pearson notes statistics from the U.S. Department of Education that say more than 90 percent of teachers have access to the Internet. While 89 percent of Maryland's schools were wired in 1997-1998, the figure drops to 51 percent in Baltimore City.

The company will figure out ways to bring its new service to schools without Internet access, Rohr said.

"I think they're exercising ethical behavior and accountability that certainly has been needed for a long time," said Maryland schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. "They're sending a message that this is intolerable, that children cannot be subject to this and they're proposing a remedy. But the problem is the mechanism they're choosing isn't available to everyone who is using textbooks."

Correcting errors after the fact is not enough, Grasmick said. "The other part of the accountability has to be much more scrutiny when the books are published so we don't have books with errors."

The company has pledged to appoint a director of standards and quality to monitor its books. That person will work with editors and convene an independent panel of authors and experts to review textbook content.

William J. Bennetta, editor of a California newsletter that reviews middle- and high-school textbooks, said that over the years, textbook companies have expressed the attitude: "We know best, we know everything, we know what the teachers want, our books are perfect, so go jump in the lake."

Pearson's plan, he said, seems to be "a candid admission that the school-book companies and their products have not been perfect and that there is a need for a mechanism to monitor them and to improve them."

In Millcreek, the Erie suburb where parent Howard Lyon began his crusade, the response was more muted yesterday.

"Pearson is making a long overdue step in the right direction, but I remain enormously skeptical," Lyon said. "I will welcome the chance to see Pearson fix errors I've known about for four years."

Pub Date: 3/26/99