Bill Bennett's terrific U.S. history textbook, America: The Last Best Hope, is making serious strides into the classroom as one place after another endorses and starts using it as the high school (and college) mainstay that it deserves to be. In recent weeks, both Indiana and Illinois added it to their state-approved lists. (The Hoosier board of education noted that in this subject it's the only textbook option written in such a way as to motivate student interest!) New York City has okayed it for use in the public schools of Gotham. And a lengthening list of private and charter schools across the land is deploying it in their classrooms. This is more than a book, of course; the program includes a nifty student website, audio-casts with the author, scads of on-line resources for teachers, and more--and the whole package costs a lot less than its competitors, a boon in tight budgetary times. Learn more about it here.