A disproportionate emphasis on mechanics impairs students' reading by detracting from the focus they should have on making sense of the world. (DD)

Examines trends in reading instruction, suggesting that some approaches are responsible for children's reading difficulties. Looks at research suggesting ways to bridge the gap between reading experiences that take place in the home and those that occur in school. (HTH)

Cites materials in the ERIC system dealing with the importance of using good literature for children's reading materials, as well as suggestions to help teachers bring children and good books together. (HTH)

Establishes five premises on which language-centered reading is based and makes five recommendations for language-centered reading instruction. (DD)

Jeanne S. Chall, Roger Farr, John C. Manning, Robert B. Ruddell, Russell G. Stauffer, Dorothy S. Strickland, and Richard L. Venezky comment on significant developments in reading during the 1970s, hopes for the 1980s, and important references dealing with teaching children to read. (DD)

Offers an account of school literacy development for all children. Uses a metaphoric "drinking god" to capture the influence that children's nonacademic textual experiences have on their entry into school literacy. Aims to describe how children use old resources from familiar practices and adapt them to enter into new ones. (SG)

Identifies inaccuracies and distortions in the research supporting the No Child Left Behind legislation, as well as in government documents and the National Reading Panel "Summary Booklet." Offers alternatives to the limitations of the Reading First initiative through five major sections. Presents 12 recommendations regarding Reading…

Argues that the absence of the arts in testing programs contributes to their marginalization. Considers the role of imaginative potential in determining what is important in schools. Considers what the arts have to do with literacy, that is, with the standard conceptions of reading and writing. Discusses transforming brains to minds, the arts as…

Reports on the authors' revisiting of the reading process using proficient adult readers (advanced graduate students in a school of education) as their informants. Begins with a brief overview of the current debate concerning the nature of reading and explains how they went about investigating the issue. Discusses what they learned from their…

Notes important distinctions between "hands-on" experiences and "first-hand" experiences. Argues that teachers need to consider the kinds of learning that books, hands-on experiences, and first-hand experiences provide for students, and the roles they play in the creation of curriculum. (SR)

Shares how students in second through sixth grade learn the "language of challenge" as they learn to read and write in their classrooms. Describes how the teachers and students challenge each other to grow as readers and writers and how they support each other in this process. (MG)

Discusses potential dangers in the current move toward literature-based instruction across the curriculum. Calls for educators to help students understand that there are different stances one can take in reading a text and not to mislead them by treating literary works as if they were intended to be read "efferently." (MG)

David Booth, internationally renowned educator, author, and professor of education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at Toronto University has presented workshops in all areas of language learning and has won several awards for his classroom teaching, his contributions to the teaching of reading and his books for young people. He…

A continuous reading program is presented that has developed basic skill sequences in all areas of reading and set forth behavioral statements for each skill.

Examines legislation and court cases operating from assumed criteria of reading competence according to standardized tests, and also examines present and possible future criteria for judging reading competency. (DD)