Presents seven responses to the 1987 report entitled "The English Coalition Conference: Democracy through Language." Notes that, although the response are critical, the conference achieved a spirit of cooperation that allowed participants from all levels of education to speak with equal authority about conditions affecting English…

Summarizes two cases emphasizing teaching in major research universities: (1) an address by the president of Stanford University and (2) efforts of the Alliance for Undergraduate Education. (YP)

Discusses the author's experiences while teaching at Carleton College, a liberal arts college. Discusses the complexities behind the stereotype of the "liberal arts college." Presents reasons why the stereotype remains. (RS)

Argues that college faculty, including English teachers, must work to maintain a healthy, whole person in the midst of their maddeningly busy schedules. Outlines the pressures and responsibilities faced by college faculty. (HB)

Presents the history of the Newark Teachers Union, explaining how it reached out to teachers who had previously kept their distance by emphasizing professionalism and collective bargaining. However, 25 years later, teachers are disappointed because the Newark schools continued to decline despite the union victory, and the union itself became…

Whining about not being treated as professionals buys teachers little respect. Teaching is hard work, but confers some plush benefits, while discouraging voluntary self-improvement efforts. The notion that pay should be commensurate with work is a noble delusion. Nannies and mothers are also underpaid. (MLH)

The multiplicity of ills facing the nation's public schools can depress even the most optimistic. In this article, the author presents her views about the school system and the negative effects that labor agreements have had on it. Her views on how to solve some seemingly intractable education problems have been informed by two experiences: her…

Engaging students requires giving them a say in what they learn and how they will learn it. However, in strictly disciplined, rule-bound schools with test-driven curricula, this cannot happen. Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit Education Management Organization (EMO), and Confluence Academy, an Edison-run school located in one of the most…

There are four conditions essential to developing and maintaining sound English curricula in the secondary schools. The first condition is that society hold public school education in sufficient respect that education can attract teaching candidates who are emotionally mature and committed to high intellectual and technical standards. More than…

Argues that reform of teaching conditions will only come through teachers' initiatives and crusades. Offers ways English teachers can improve their working conditions, including (1) achieving consensus among their colleagues; (2) presenting a workload study to principals, personnel directors, and superintendents; (3) requesting additional…

Although more media specialists are working outside public school systems, they share many basic competency areas with their school-based counterparts. Teacher education can accommodate diverse requirements if it focuses on: (1) audience; (2) objectives; (3) content; (4) media selection; (5) media production; (6) media presentation; (7)…

This essay explores the importance of the classroom environment on teaching and learning, and suggests a framework for conducting further research in the field. (LH)

Argues that the situation of adjunct instructors, particularly those who piece full-time employment from part-time appointments, is appalling and that there is responsibility to be meted out to all the various interests connected to the academy that benefit from it. Explores how adjunct instructors and graduate student can make decisions about…

In the current educational reform movement, schools have become the new scapegoat for the American economy's increasing failure to compete in the world market. The Bush Administration needs to articulate a vision linking public education to democratic imperatives, rather than the marketplace's narrow demands. Education for empowerment should be a…

Although the Department of Education declared that smaller classes don't really make for better education, one teacher discusses how common-sense experience keeps getting in the way of the Department's "higher truth." Experiences with "off-track" senior English students in a class of 12 are described. (MLW)