Claims literacy expectations need to be examined and interpreted by teacher-researchers at the local level in order to make sense of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, suggesting this information will provide a factual base from which to plan programs. (NH)

Discusses the ways that one English teacher researched her student's language patterns and used that information to adjust her teaching. Considers the difficulty of changing ingrained habits of nongrammatical usage in student speech and writing. (HB)

Details the experiences of one teacher researcher who observed an 11th-grade English class over the course of a year. Describes the changes initiated by the teacher, along with their mixed results. Analyzes the student response to such innovations as writing workshops and shared interpretations of texts. (HB)

Describes what the author (a former high school English teacher) learned about teaching spelling to secondary students through a collaborative research project with a group of elementary school teachers. Analyzes four kinds of classroom-based data from that instruction, resulting in eight recommended teaching practices. Argues that well-targeted…

Examines the benefits of group discussion in English classrooms. Demonstrates how small group discussion yields qualitative learning among participants and enhances questioning skills. Advocates the growth and challenge that can come from such activities. Provides student discussion transcriptions. (HB)

Discusses how a unit using a Russian novel helped students experience a sense of glasnost in their classrooms and allows teacher/researchers to examine how middle school students respond to literature. Finds that using literature from other countries forces students to examine their own values in contrast with those of the characters. (MG)