To improve the teaching of writing in public schools, pre-service teachers should be trained in the theories and practice of composition and rhetoric through new courses in rhetoric, regardless of the teacher's subject area. Although the academic discipline of composition studies is now established, many public school teachers are not familiar with the fundamental works in this area. To address this deficit, an undergraduate course in rhetoric--"Current Methods of Teaching Writing," for example--might be required of all students in teacher-certification programs, introducing them to alternatives to the traditional rhetoric instruction. Such a course would provide frequent writing opportunities, reflect contemporary rhetoric, provide a framework for students to articulate their understanding of that paradigm, and put into practice its principles in both teaching and research. It would also incorporate research on the writing process, problem-solving, a systems analysis approach to error, emphasis on cognitive development instead of surface detail, and an appreciation of shifting linguistic registers when the purpose, audience, and occasion demand. For schools to begin teaching writing in all courses and in all grades, English departments and education departments need to prepare writing teachers for every classroom by teaching their students to write. (Sixty-one references are appended.) (MM)