The Project PRIMES (Progress Research in Meeting Elementary Standards) system examines elementary schools in light of minimum standards set by the Ohio State Department of Education. This evaluation instrument includes sections on the use of test results, pupil evaluation, teacher profile, administrator strengths and weaknesses, instructional…

Presents three teachers' anecdotes concerning relinquishing control of the learning situation to the students: seeing through a child's eyes, letting a child write longer pieces with invented spelling rather than being concerned with neatness, and letting students select and interpret poetry instead of teachers doing it for them. (HTH)

Reviews recent research suggesting that teachers may unintentionally perpetuate social class stratification during reading instruction. Explores possible solutions to the unequal treatment of social classes during reading instruction. (HTH)

Discusses one teacher's gradual acceptance of poetry as a useful means for teaching many areas of the language arts. Includes a case study of one student's growth as a poet. (HTH)

Explains how the arrival of the performance contractor, Behavioral Research Laboratories, at Gary, Indiana, was beneficial and why their departure became a necessity. Contends that the tenure of BRL had to be curtailed because they functioned not as a creator of a new program, but as a change agent sufficiently powerful to force change at Gary.…

Argues that the schools have failed minority group children, that a major cause of this has been a failure to understand the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of such children, and that there must be increased attention given to training educational personnel to bring about this understanding' if education for minority children is to improve."…

A teacher of high school gifted students discusses his experiences, noting the importance of teacher humility; teacher involvement; making "basics" interesting; focusing on relevance; understanding common tactics of these students; and sharing ideas for "trapping" students into enjoying the humanities, social studies, and language arts. (DB)

Considers how to "unfix" certainties about students' potential and their performances in class; uses three middle school students dealing with language arts as case studies. Describes how learning occurred over the school year. Includes responses that offer a record of success and comments on fighting "fixity" in teacher education. (PA)

Notes the popularity of the science fiction/fantasy genre, and offers a definition of these genres. Discusses teachers' reluctance to read or teach science fiction, but emphasizes its appeal and its usefulness. Discusses how teachers can select and use good science fiction books. Offers a checklist for evaluating such books, and suggests 18…

Examines the evolving relationships between teachers and standards in Maine and in Derbyshire, England. The politics of who develops the curriculum and how it is implemented have strongly shaped teachers' attitudes toward working with standards. Notes that while teachers believe they are substantially meeting those standards, documenting and…

Summarizes research on gender differences in writing, and challenges readers to reconsider how these are understood. Looks at the use of violence and humor versus sincerity in boys' writing. Argues that, rather than seeing these differences as deficits, the cultural materials boys bring to the classroom should be acknowledged and engaged. (SR)

Describes what to pack for the English/Language Arts teacher of the new century: a brain (outlining crucial lessons learned about language teaching and learning, important principles, and particular points about writing and reading literature); a heart (since teachers must inspire, nurture, and care about their students); and courage (in the face…

Describes the author's first year of teaching (1972). Discusses six lessons she learned, including how: (1) collaboration and choice build ownership and enthusiasm; (2) excitement and passion are vital supports for learning; (3) reading and writing for audiences beyond the classroom are powerful motivators; and (4) openness to new ways of viewing…

To investigate whether and how commercial software products for literature do or could complement response-based pedagogy, an extensive review of existing applications was undertaken. Teams of language arts teachers, both preservice and inservice, met weekly to initially discuss and share observations regarding the potential of multimedia to…

A study investigated the effectiveness of the Writing Express program (similar to the "Writing to Read" program, but with the distinction that students write in their second-grade classrooms and follow thematic maps integrated into the regular classroom curriculum). All 895 second-grade students in six Writing Express schools and 6…