The implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) across the country necessitates revising the English curriculum, asking teachers to incorporate and analyze more perspectives in the classroom as society becomes more diverse. The authors wondered if this reform might provide an opportunity to examine social equity by studying an anchor…

Because of the global status of the English language, and the cultural and linguistic qualities of English literature, English teachers are at the fulcrum of educational debate. As global curriculum expands and refocuses the challenges and possibilities of multicultural education, teachers, schools, and communities are challenged to reexamine the…

Operation Magpie was a citizen science project that involved the community in collecting data about magpies. This article describes one aspect of the project from an education perspective. The study began with a collaboration of teacher educators, environmental scientists and a local radio station. After an initial workshop with 75 teachers, three…

This study aims to investigate how the teachers who have different background characteristics perceive the goals and content of the English language curriculum implemented at the 6th, 7th and 8th grades of public primary schools. The study was conducted during the 2004-2005 school year with 368 English teachers selected from the seven regions of…

This paper reports a small-scale study of wider reading at Key Stage 3 in current English classrooms in secondary schools in the south of England. Six English teachers, three of whom were relatively new to teaching, were interviewed on what they thought about wider reading. The findings indicate that because of a lack of time and absence of demand…

To communicate the writing instruction techniques they learned at the California Writing Project, 11 teachers organized a district writing resource team offering workshops and inservice sessions to other writing teachers in their district. Among the results of this subsequent Glendale Writing Project are a renewed enthusiasm and cooperation among…

In order to support an argument for the teaching of grammar in a writing class, this report first summarizes the descriptive studies done by Kellogg Hunt in 1965 and 1970, and the comparative studies done by John Mellon and Frank O'Hare in 1969 and 1973. The second part of the report consists of five workshop handouts about the following topics:…

Noting that issues surrounding grammar instruction are a source of controversy within the English language arts curriculum, this concept paper examines the usefulness of formal instruction in naming parts of speech, diagramming sentences, naming types of phrases and clauses, and naming sentence types. Following an introduction that defines…

Providing an international perspective on how children learn to read, this second of 2 volumes presents research studies and classroom experiences from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, and Israel, drawing on evidence from 18 countries. Essays in the volumes highlight implications for design, implementation, and…

Presented are the results of a questionnaire completed by 467 teachers from 32 states who teach English at the elementary school, secondary school, and college or university level. The questionnaire elicited information concerning teacher morale, critical issues facing the profession, the mood of teachers, and teacher curriculum interests and…

Reports on a study of students' preferences for social studies, English, and science courses among 888 secondary students. Finds that seventh graders preferred social studies over science, but this preference weakened substantially as students advanced into high school. Finds that boys preferred social studies over English throughout high school.…

Reports a survey of British middle-school teachers that supports recent British studies on teacher attitudes acknowledging the importance of poetry instruction and attributing reluctance to teach poetry to teacher lack of confidence and knowledge. Recommends promoting middle-school students' untapped interest in poetry through changes in the…

Asserts that, although international understanding is essential for survival, most high school students do not acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for competing in the global community. Finds that geographic knowledge can be integrated into literature courses and includes exemplary lesson plans. (CFR)