Describes the results of a questionnaire survey of the faculty of American University to determine their perceptions of student literacy and to discovery what kind of writing, and how much of it, is being assigned. (DD)

Examines patterns of instruction in literature, particularly the transactional strategy proposed by Louise Rosenblatt, that emphasize the reader's immediate experience with the text. Illustrates the effective application of response-based teaching of literature. (RL)

Discusses two research questions that literature teachers must continually answer--their students' reading interests and how well their students read a text. Shows how research has both complicated and clarified these questions. (RL)

Argues that bulk mailings can successfully be used in the classroom to teach reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Provides examples of activities addressing salutations, alliteration, connotations, rhetorical appeals, sentence structures, close reading, and vocabulary development. (KEH)

Presents a policy statement by the National Council of Teachers of English that identifies the ways in which the study of English contributes to the knowledge, understanding, and skills of those who will make up the society of the future. (JL)