This commentary on Porter, McMaken, Hwang, and Yang's "Common Core Standards: The New U.S. Intended Curriculum," which finds a lack of alignment between the Common Core State Standards and state standards and assessments, suggests possible reasons for the lack of alignment. It also offers possible reasons for Porter et al.'s finding of a…

This article presents the authors' critique of lessons proposed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). The authors initiate a discussion about content that they hope will play out in schoolhouses and statehouses across the country. They take on a different task: they present a handful of lesson ideas from P21 that could enhance studies…

The authors argue for teaching queer-inclusive English language arts (ELA). They report on a study that surveyed high school personnel across the United States, revealing that very few people in charge of ELA curricula value such inclusion. In response to these findings, the authors offer "images of the possible" in which texts and…

For over two decades the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement has administered achievement tests internationally. Results of past and future tests can not only indicate where U.S. students rank in achievement, but also broaden curriculum makers' visions of what is desirable for students. (Author/JM)

Denies that the paradigm shift in composition pedagogy (process/product), apparent in the rhetoric of many journals, has become a widespread pedagogical reality. Gives first-hand accounts of teaching methods in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States showing that pedagogy continues to be product-oriented. (SR)