School is sometimes framed as a place for preparing, a place for becoming college and career ready. At times this approach positions school as an important space "within" the world of college and careers, envisioned perhaps as Dewey imagined it, as a safe place to try things, a space where real work of participation in society could be done but in…

The authors argue that if the Conference on English Education (CEE) is to nurture and grow its membership in the coming years, we will need a more focused purpose related to the central mission of the organization: "the effective education and development of students and professionals in English language arts education." To that end, the authors…

Unpacks some of the problematic features of "objectives" as they are used within public school districts. Weaves together what has been learned from working directly with teachers with the historical origins of the professional practice of writing curriculum objectives. Discusses a language arts committee that was unable to produce a finished list…

Reflections on the annual conference of the Canadian Council of Teachers of English (CCTE) and the development of language study in Canadian education are given. (HTH)

The educational enterprise is awash in standards, but little attention is paid to what the term really means. Without carefully crafted, widely accepted definitions of standards, standards projects are rife with problems and frequently fail. The absence of careful definitions typically leads to confusion, rejection of standards, and can actually…

Offers tips that can help teacher supervisors grow and develop even when faced with financial restrictions. (FL)

Discusses the nature of English from a historical perspective. Argues that conceptions of English arise within or center around an open set or centripetal tendencies and purposes. Discusses these purposes as coalescing around five distinct foundational metaphors, which help to answer how to teach English and how to organize it for instruction.…

Examines how two teachers work through a system of collaboration and cooperation, detailing the real-life snags and complications in breaking from the tradition of individualistic approaches to learning. (TB)

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)

Most arguments in support of teacher research have been epistemological and political. They have focused on its potential benefits for improving instruction and for reforming the culture of schooling. Advocates of the teacher-research movement have claimed that it can empower the teacher as a maker of knowledge, encourage collaborative inquiry…

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)

Explores the debate over the value of literature in the English curriculum. (HOD)

Describes what publishers can do to improve textbooks and teaching, and what teachers can do with inadequate textbooks to repair the "faulty" state of language education. Lists nine "knowns" about language education and explains how textbooks can exploit that knowledge within existing constraints. (RS)

Reports on a survey that investigated significant differences within the English teacher community in terms of the beliefs and practices on key issues. Makes a contribution to a larger National Council of Teachers of English project to foster communication among disparate groups of English educators. (TB)

Discusses, through a dialogue between an education professor and a student, a course entitled "Teaching Language Arts in the Elementary School." Describes selected aspects of the course, including purpose, plans, and results. Explains how the course helped prepare the student for teaching and how the dialogue helped the professor refine the…