In this column, the author describes a current research project on vocabulary instruction in settings with high percentages of English learners (EL). The project focuses on designing and implementing a multifaceted, comprehensive vocabulary instructional program (MCVIP) in mixed EL and native English speaker (NES) classrooms in relatively…

For new educators, the obstacles of high-stakes testing, curricular mandates, and their own inexperience and self-doubt can render teaching for justice and equity overwhelming, seemingly impossible ideals. However, as students are increasingly tied to prescriptive curricula and academic performance standards, the goals of social justice and…

Writing is a powerful social tool that offers students opportunities to chisel their identities as they position themselves and others on issues and beliefs (Dyson, 1992). This article presents the story of how Mark, a fifth-grade student who resisted writing in certain classroom contexts, used positional writing practices to shape his identities.…