Details the concept of "breaking the rules" in the context of a high school English classroom. Describes how one English teacher abandoned regular reading materials to concentrate on Judy Blume's novel, "Forever." Considers the pros and cons of using this controversial text in high schools. (HB)

Describes the activities in a high school English class aimed at bringing attention through the media to a local political issue. Outlines how teachers can initiate students into acts of social and political activism by writing letters. Narrates how one teacher got students directly involved with a local sewage-treatment problem. Includes an…

Describes the way one English teacher designed a course by creating discourse community and thereby producing a group publication for a specific audience. Shows the steps by which a large group produced and revised copy for the publication. Argues for the efficacy of such courses. (HB)

Describes a method utilizing student-teacher memos that helps students to be more aware of their purposes and audiences for their writing. Delineates the procedures by which one teacher instituted communication with students through the use of such memos, thereby improving student writing. (HB)

Suggests that improvising scenes and developing fictional personas can help students to engage as active learners in their study of literary works. Presents examples of how such activities can be carried out in the classroom. Argues for the use of improvisation in the English classroom. (HB)

Describes the way one teacher utilizes literature in the English classroom to help students to identify and explore their own personal life philosophies. Advocates moving away from the actual fiction and applying its philosophies to the lives of the readers. (HB)

Gives an overview of the differences between American and Spanish educational institutions and practices. Draws upon personal experiences in both cultural settings. (HB)

Considers the right students have to the use of their own idiom in the classroom. Gives a historical overview of the 1974 "Students' Right" document prepared by the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Calls for a new view of language among English teachers. (HB)

Provides a detailed look at the creation of the Pacesetter English course by a member of the advisory committee that created it. Contends that the final assessment of the course through testing is a mistake based on economic factors. (HB)

Describes how one teacher observed her students and tried to draw educational conclusions about their behavior. Gives particular attention to the reading habits of students and the ways one teacher tried to foster reading among students. Advocates teacher research as a way of raising awareness among teachers. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher developed a multimedia poetry unit that opened her students' understanding of English poetry. Outlines the project's goals and methods of instruction. Provides students' written responses to the project and the teacher's reflection about its pros and cons. (HB)

Describes the assessment instrument developed by the author over a four-year period for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Argues that the instrument to be used by the NBPTS is nothing like the author and his assessment team originally designed. Criticizes the method of teacher evaluation being implemented by NBPTS.…

Describes the College Board's Pacesetter course, a proposed senior-year English curriculum. Argues that Pacesetter is not innovative at all but, in fact, constitutes a reactionary and teacher-dominated curricular package inspired by a conservative version of educational reform. (HB)

Describes the College Board's Pacesetter course, a proposed senior-year English curriculum. Argues that Pacesetter is a positive and a democratic curriculum. Defends the Pacesetter program against its most ardent critics. (HB)

Contends that the accelerated school model is a key to effective school reform in America. Provides a case study of one such school. Describes accelerated schools as positive, empowering vehicles by which students may succeed. (HB)