Surveys National Council of Teachers of English Centers of Excellence to learn how good English curricula develop. Discusses the Center of Excellence's origins and development, curriculum approval process, implementation, evaluation and assessment, funding, and obstacles. Concludes that the Centers of Excellence offer a highly professional,…

Describes several projects designed to involve parents in their child's English education. (MM)

Presents eight responses from practicing teachers to the question, "What have you learned about record-keeping in the classroom that you would like to share with beginning teachers?" (HB)

Examines the notion that much of what is taught in English classes is irrelevant to the challenges faced by today's students. Questions whether literary study serves students needing literacies outside the school. Considers the social context of literacy. Reconceives English instruction to provide relevant literacy skills. (HB)

Details the origin, plan, and benefits of a high school program which created a bridge between classroom teacher, guidance counselor, and student. (DD)

Describes the contradictory impulses embedded in the secondary English curriculum. Considers changing notions of the curriculum and recent trends in curriculum design and theory. Outlines the prominent features of successful curricula based on the concept of engendering coherent conversational domains. (HB)

Describes the lessons that can be learned from the recent history of assessment in the English language arts. Considers the possible future uses to which assessment might be put in the near future. Explores the assessment activities of the National Assessment of Educational Progress over the past several years. (HB)

Presents one teacher's experience of organizing and producing a high school theatrical group specializing in performances for younger children. Describes recruitment of students, writing the script, rehearsals, performances, and student feedback. Argues that such an undertaking is English education at its best.(HB)

Looks at the missions and goals of the International Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, a global multicultural network promoting communication and cooperation for international exchange of teaching practices, literature, literacy, curriculum development, and research in English. Suggests some criteria to look at when…

Offers six predictions on the interrelated development of film technology and film study in the teaching of English. Sees the instructional centrality of the video cassette recorder in the near future, progressing to microcomputers, laser disks, and hybrid spoken-written-graphic text. (MM)

Each brief statement covers the areas of jargon, rhetoric, and humor in political language and how these may be approached in the classroom. (CRH)

Argues that relevant, multiethnic literature and meaningful, "democratic" activities provide a means of finding the solution to the literary tyranny that has dominated English studies for many years. (HB)

Considers how to keep students engaged in the disciplines of English--literature, composition, and language study--in an era of MTV, video games, and the Internet. Discusses ways of ensuring the cohesiveness of the curriculum and instruction. Suggests using diverse perspectives to deepen discussion and enhance learning. (SG)

Describes a collaborative reading and writing project matching preservice student teachers with eighth-grade students. Provides analysis of participant reactions to the program, including specific comments by both students and teachers about the readings and the subsequent writing assignments. (HB)

Discusses the standards controversy as it relates to school curriculum. Discusses studying curriculum in action. Characterizes curriculum as a domain for conversation. Outlines four general principles for curriculum evaluation: quality of contributions to the conversation; quantity of material to be dealt with; relatedness of the contributions to…