Applauds the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for maintaining its high principles in its attempt to develop national standards in English for the federal government. Suggests that NCTE acted wisely when it refused to be enticed by lucrative government contracts to bend its pedagogical principles. (TB)

Describes how the English department at Merrimack College set out to revise the English curriculum as a participant in the MLA-FIPSE English Programs Curriculum Review Project. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, and articulates two strategies marking the successful phases of the process. (HB)

Describes how the English department at Roger Williams University set out to revise and revive the English major under difficult circumstances during the 1988-89 school year. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, recruited new majors, and established support programs. (HB)

In order to help teachers identify works of literature that will remain vibrant parts of their students' lives and give them new insights into themselves, their friends, and their enemies, this journal contains articles suggesting works that the authors found most meaningful to themselves. Titles and authors are as follows: (1) "'April Morning':…

This study investigated the influences shaping the curriculum decision-making process of four English teachers in two middle schools in order to identify sources of professional autonomy and obligation in classroom curriculum. These teachers made decisions daily by selecting content, texts and materials, modes of presentation, learning activities,…

In 1979, the Yonkers Public School district (New York) launched a project to design and implement secondary school language arts curriculum guides with an emphasis on written composition. A theoretical framework was developed, based on the work of James Britton and the philosophy of the Bay Area Writing Project (BAWP). Britton's work provided the…

Reading tests can be a source of inquiry into the processes of reading, learning to read, and curricular implications. During a staff development program, teachers reviewed and analyzed various reading tests. They discovered that reading tests seem to be unequal in their concern for what is being measured; that very few tests offer explicit or…

A current trend indicates that credentials in English can and do move people successfully into business related careers. Colleges of business administration and English departments might take an important cue from the trend and work together to offer a double major or co-major in English business. Such a program would offer undergraduate students…

This book examines the changes that have occurred in the teaching of English in recent years, especially in England and Australia, and attempts to arrive at a new conception of what it means to teach English. Divided into seven parts, this book explores English as a language activity; defines English in terms of what it is and what it is not;…

The aim of this locally-funded cooperative enterprise of the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and the College of Education (COE) of the University of New Mexico is to improve the training of secondary and middle school teachers and to improve the secondary English curriculum. Student teachers are selected competitively for the program, which…

In an attempt to discover how, if at all, a consultant can be a significant factor in effecting changes in teachers and curriculum, the author, under the auspices of the National Union of Christian Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the United States Office of Education Training Teachers of Teachers Program at the University of Illinois, made…

Intended for curriculum builders at the local level, this handbook outlines a five-step process for curriculum planning: step 1 (define present practices) helps assemble information about the existing English program; step 2 (examine present practices) explores the assumptions behind current English teaching and weighs them in light of the listed…

Describes the philosophy, organization, and content of freshman English courses in the Division of Junior Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Attempts to correct and identify academic shortcomings in entering students through small group instruction, personal contact, and counseling/guidance services. (RL)