Tells the story of one English department's struggle over curriculum controversies and the implications of that struggle for the integrity of specific teachers' classroom curriculum and the literary education of their students. (TB)

Discusses the connections between the study of literary texts, language, and composition and the impact of these connections on English instruction and English programs. (SRT)

Applauds the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for maintaining its high principles in its attempt to develop national standards in English for the federal government. Suggests that NCTE acted wisely when it refused to be enticed by lucrative government contracts to bend its pedagogical principles. (TB)

Discusses five aspects of English teacher preparation that need to be improved: (1) teacher certification requirements; (2) understanding by college professors of the realities of teaching English at the secondary level; (3) cooperation; (4) involvement by English professors in their students' student teaching experience; (5) screening of…

Discusses the activities and accomplishments of the Canadian Council of Teachers of English (CCTE), especially with regard to its Teacher Education Commission's "Statement on the Preparation of Teachers of English and the Language Arts." (MS)

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), signed into law in 2002, bears certain resemblances to the war on terrorism in Iraq. Of course, NCLB will not directly produce any civilian casualties or smashed buildings, but the political strategies used to roll it out have been eerily similar to those used in the war against terrorism. Disturbing rates of…

Presents a skeptical perspective on the English teaching profession and the educational system in general. Argues that the alleged educational crisis is in fact an encompassing social crisis, necessitating teachers to teach from a social and political perspective. (MM)