Seven secondary school teachers discuss the need for writing centers in secondary schools and identify the services they should provide. Includes descriptions of existing writing centers, and suggestions that writing centers should help students change their perception of writing as well as intervene in stages of the writing process. (JG)

Presents an overview of the language and literature of California, and particularly of Los Angeles. Describes the social context and work of the following writers: Bret Harte, Henry Dana Jr., Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, Gertrude Atherton, Helen Hunt Jackson, Frank Norris, John Steinbeck, Mary Austin, and others. Also discusses minority literature…

Second of a two-part series that identifies probable changes in English instruction resulting from technology's impact on society and schools. Provides a review of five books recommended for considering the source, nature, and direction of trends in hardware, software, and "neural netware," or brains. Reports questions used by researchers on this…

Argues against direct formal grammar instruction in middle school. Notes that even students with high IQ's frequently score low on cognitive development measures, with children in the concrete stage of thinking usually unable to identify simple subjects and verb phrases. Recommends that until students achieve a level of formal reasoning they…

Discusses teaching junior high students Ann Sexton's poem about remembrances of childhood. Notes the strong personal connections students make with the action and feelings of the poem, and that the poem helps thirteen- and fourteen-year olds understand their own developmental transformations. Suggests related writing assignments based on multiple…

Reviews five books by James Moffett, discussing ways these practical applications of his development theory can be adopted as a course, a program, or a curriculum. Presents Moffett's work as a holistic integrated arts approach that offers a "real writing" alternative to such external controls as standardized tests, formalized writing mandates,…

Examines definitions of written fluency, methods used to promote fluency, and some of the problems inherent in the approaches. Topics discussed include writing process, modeling, metacognition, and developmental studies. Concludes that written fluency is a multi-dimensional concept involving a range of strategies, their organization, and…

The author of the 1970 book of educational predictions "Deciding the Future" reexamines educators' expectations of the 1970s, comparing them with actual developments. He finds many prognostications fulfilled, and foresees continuing alterations in curriculum and policy that follow trends started in the l960s. (JG)

Examines positions on English education reform in the early 1900s, specifically the following professional concerns: finance, curriculum, teacher recruitment, and professional leadership. Notes that attitudes and circumstances of the past are repeated in the present. (JG)

Former editors of English Journal review the issues published in the last four decades under their respective editorships, noting trends and developments that may hold promise or provide warnings for the coming decade. (JG)

Thirty-five English educators identify three priority areas: (1) pedagogy, including class size, occupational conditions, and the dropout rate; (2) teacher issues, including teacher motivation, teacher training, and administrative relations; and (3) curriculum issues, including grammar and repetition in textbooks. (JG)

Forecasts the changes in English instruction likely to be generated by technological developments. Surveys research on information trends and problems resulting from computer processing and media proliferation. Concludes that silicon technology will produce challenges but not drastically modify English teaching. (JG)

Discusses the quality and value to students of recent Broadway plays. Noting that dramatic output is limited in size and content, recommends the use of an international English-language repertory for the education of young students. Cites British, Australian, Canadian, Caribbean, African and South African authors. (JG)

Discusses the political relevance of Miller's play about Salem witch trials to (1) the McCarthy era hearings, and (2) current cases between religious fundamentalists and school curriculum boards. Summarizes the history of these events and relates them to an interpretation of "The Crucible." (JG)

Discusses the value of teaching and producing contemporary plays as well as classics in high school. Argues for the superior interest level of challenging, low-budget, relevant dramas recently appearing on the young adult scene, such as those by Jerome McDonough and Hindi Brooks. Includes an annotated bibliography of young adult drama. (JG)