Notes that competitions can excite and motivate students in reading and writing. Lists a sampling of such competitions, appropriate for students of all ages, and offers tips about participation. (SR)

A carefully coordinated literacy assessment and instruction framework implemented school-wide can support school teams in making sense of various types of data for instructional planning. Instruction that is data based and goal driven sets the stage for continuous reading and writing improvement. (Contains 2 figures.)

Argues that literacy professionals, in schools as well as colleges and universities, need to write for the general public, and that if they do not, they are contributing to an educational crisis of unprecedented proportions. Provides suggestions on and examples of how to write for the general public. (SR)

Notes that the move from writing privately to writing professionally can be daunting. Suggests that various kinds of sharing, group interaction, and feedback from colleagues can ease the transition from private to public writing. (SR)

Narrates the author's experience and insights regarding the power of stories from an individual's own family. Discusses the power of learners' family stories, story in the freshman English classroom, learning how story structure works, family stories in remedial college classes, and writing for publication classes. Describes a year-long writing…