Considers the state of educational reform in the United States, with particular attention to the reformers. Discusses educational standards and uniformity. Asks how educational critiques disillusion the public concerning education. (HB)

Details the history and politics of educational standards in American educational institutions. Outlines key features of various standards projects. (HB)

Discusses the English Standards Project and its proposals. Questions the findings and proposals of the Standards Project. Asks what proper standards should be for secondary English students. (HB)

Examines the results of calls for educational standards in public schools. Argues that the call for higher standards blames schools for educational failure and tends to obscure the true sources of America's educational crisis. (HB)

Describes the assessment instrument developed by the author over a four-year period for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Argues that the instrument to be used by the NBPTS is nothing like the author and his assessment team originally designed. Criticizes the method of teacher evaluation being implemented by NBPTS.…

Describes the College Board's Pacesetter course, a proposed senior-year English curriculum. Argues that Pacesetter is not innovative at all but, in fact, constitutes a reactionary and teacher-dominated curricular package inspired by a conservative version of educational reform. (HB)

Describes the College Board's Pacesetter course, a proposed senior-year English curriculum. Argues that Pacesetter is a positive and a democratic curriculum. Defends the Pacesetter program against its most ardent critics. (HB)

Argues that English teachers must rediscover and subsequently utilize an interdisciplinary approach to reform the schools. Explores two implications for interdisciplinary study growing from a holistic, process-centered approach to English studies. Suggests that English should become the leader in an interdisciplinary future. (HB)

Contends that the accelerated school model is a key to effective school reform in America. Provides a case study of one such school. Describes accelerated schools as positive, empowering vehicles by which students may succeed. (HB)

Contends that changing teaching habits may be the only educational reform that really works. Illustrates bad habits by discussing in detail the use of reading quizzes. Suggests that, instead of holding onto such habits to ensure that students read assigned texts, teachers choose more compelling works to read. (HB)

Gives an account of how several English teachers in two different schools used portfolio responses to re-form the content of their classes. Outlines the positive effects of such portfolio-based course assessment and learning. (HB)

Describes how teachers might invite their students to become participants in the act of educational reform. Argues that school reform will ultimately fail unless students are encouraged to participate. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher discovered the complex differences in nonverbal communications among her students. Argues that a proper understanding of such cultural differences can enhance teacher/student relationships and classroom harmony. (HB)

Gives an overview of how one English teacher tried to make connections between the many short stories that were being read in her English classroom. Claims that teachers should always try to make explicit connections between works of literature. Provides examples of how this was done in one class. (HB)

Describes the best young adult novels of 1993. Outlines the contents of the books and evaluates the books as suitable for middle and high school readers. (HB)