Asserts that many composition instructors design courses around theories driven by two narratives of progress: solitary struggle; or earning placement by the dominant social order through passivity. Argues that these approaches are counterproductive and alienate the underclass, ensuring high failure rates at urban colleges and sending students…

Examines concerns regarding the current external and internal attacks on Basic Writing in relation to the entire field of composition studies. Argues that new "recognition work" is needed in Basic Writing. Exemplifies the possibility of developing the capacity to see local communities not as places to export composition's beneficence, but as…

Describes both past and more recent efforts by the California State University (CSU) system to come to terms with "remediation." Describes recently mandated collaborations between high school language arts faculty and CSU English faculty to reduce the need for remediation. Describes an ongoing outreach program addressing the needs of…

Examines the ways in which students in basic writing respond to rhetorical constructions of their generation. Argues that compositionists' efforts to intervene and mediate society's conception of youth are complicated by students' simultaneous acceptance and rejection of these representations. Explores the subsequent implications for students' and…

Focuses on two endeavors to improve basic writing: the statement on writing assessment adopted by the Conference on College Composition and Communication and the reauthorization of Chapter 1 funds of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to support educational remediation. (RS)

Describes an exercise for basic writers which encompasses reading, listening, and writing. Finds that Edgar Allan Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" has an effective vocabulary, a first-person conversational tone for the "mad" voice, and a second-person direct address that makes it easy to follow. Notes that inexperienced readers can…

Identifies in the formation of United States college composition courses a tacit policy of English monolingualism based on a chain of reifications of languages and social identity. Shows this policy continuing in assumptions underlying arguments for and against English Only legislation and basic writers. (SG)

Discusses training as a gesture made within institutional power structures that can be influenced in various ways to help bring about good basic writing instruction. Offers questions, observations and discussion with the hope that others will re-consider training as an institutional presence made visible through their own campus configurations of…

Presents a conversation that is designed to get at the differences in definitions of basic writing across institutional boundaries, divergences in placement procedures and assessment mechanisms, and problems theoretical work has had historically in tackling the issues of central importance to educators and their students. Concludes with…

Examining the intersection of culture and literacy education, this book explores the roles that class, race, ethnicity, and gender play in students' learning to negotiate the conventions of academic discourse. A foreword by Gary A. Olson is followed by an introductory chapter, in which it is claimed that recent literacy scholarship has tended to…

The emotional transitions basic writers have to make when they enter the academic setting can be overwhelming. Basic writers tend to have a host of problems and obstacles to overcome, not the least of which are their own anxieties. One way to alleviate some of the anxieties and insecurities is through a studio or workshop course staffed with…

An exploratory study examined how gender might be connected with differences in how teachers of basic writing talk about their version of the course which David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky describe in their book "Facts, Counterfacts, and Artifact: Theory and Method for a Reading and Writing Course." Subjects, five male and five…

This collection of essays addresses the anxieties and problems of beginning writing teachers and provides a reality check for those who expect success from "day one." Following an Introduction: "Silences in Our Teaching Stories; What Do We Leave Out and Why?" (Thomas Newkirk), essays in the collection are: (1) "Forty-Eight…

Understanding why students are not naturally and easily able to generalize or apply what they have learned in other situations involves understanding what teachers want their students to learn; what learning is; what teaching is; and what is involved in generalizing or applying what has been learned. Research in educational psychology identifies…

This report discusses the state of developmental education in West Virginia from the perspectives of faculty, staff, and administrators throughout the state. It begins by defining developmental education as more than just "remedial" education and relying on faculty, focused coursework, and peer and professional support to help students…