The dangers of a single story in current U.S. large-scale writing assessment are that assessment practice does not align with theory and this practice has negative effects on instruction and students. In this article, I analyze the connections or lack of connections among writing theory, writing assessment, and writing instruction, critique the…

On February 14, leading scholars and private foundation presidents shared the stage at a Capitol Hill briefing, "Payoffs of Long-Term Investment in Education Research." Speakers emphasized that education research based on long-term funding has led to important payoffs for education policy and practice in areas such as early intervention,…

Narrative research has become part of the landscape of education inquiry, yet its theory and practice are still debated and evolving. This article addresses the construction of narratives using literary elements common to nonfiction and fiction writings. The authors discuss these elements and use four narratives to illustrate them. They address…

The testing of English language learners (ELLs) is, to a large extent, a random process because of poor implementation and factors that are uncertain or beyond control. Yet current testing practices and policies appear to be based on deterministic views of language and linguistic groups and erroneous assumptions about the capacity of assessment…

The author accuses Wineburg of using intellectual shortcuts and selective presentations to support the argument against the self-fulfilling prophesy phenomenon. The prophesy does exist and is applicable to schools because it is interrelationships which hold together social systems such as schools. Teachers' beliefs have definite consequences for…

There is not much evidence that supports the notion of the self-fulfilling prophecy as applied to teachers' expectations of students. The "Pygmalion" study is often cited by courts and in the media; but it is highly criticized in scholarly circles, and its findings could not be replicated. (VM)

Among concepts that seem to be the guardian angels of school reform, coherence is a rebel angel, advancing human learning, but escaping control. Coherence must not be confused with consistency. It allows for change and imagination but remains true to concepts and experiences that construct coherence without fabricating consistency. (SLD)