Sketches the history of the Pacesetter initiative to reform high school English curricula. Discusses the pros and cons of the Pacesetter agenda, including its assessment instruments. (HB)

Describes the Pacesetter English course and its seven units of study. Outlines the program's objectives and methods. (HB)

Provides a detailed look at the creation of the Pacesetter English course by a member of the advisory committee that created it. Contends that the final assessment of the course through testing is a mistake based on economic factors. (HB)

Responds to the Pacesetter English program by nominating it for the 1995 National Council of Teachers of English's "Doublespeak" Award. Criticizes the Pacesetter program as faulty and a "mind-numbing manipulation of teachers, texts, and students." (HB)

Describes the results of a survey of over 350 educators regarding their tracking and grouping practices. Finds that most teachers do not have a systematic approach to grouping practices except for a pragmatic, functional approach. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher implemented a cross-curricular team-teaching method that combined instruction in American literature and history to create an American studies approach. Outlines how two teachers taught aspects of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." (HB)

Gives an overview of how curriculum design might best be undertaken. Provides unconventional suggestions for developing curriculum. (HB)

Describes the diversity of learning styles and intelligences that students bring to the classroom. Suggests ways to reach a variety of learners and provides the implications broadly speaking for education at large. (HB)

Describes various teaching tips used by a practicing English teacher to enhance writing instruction assessment in the classroom. Focuses on the ways a skills review might be more fun for students. (HB)

Gives suggestions for fostering critical thinking skills among English students. Summarizes the views and theories of several educators, all of whom participated in a critical thinking conference in Boston in the summer of 1994. (HB)

Describes the way one teacher connected young adult novels with poetry. Provides extensive suggestions for teachers interested in such connections. Includes a listing of possible titles to be connected. (HB)

Recounts the experiences of an American English professor who spent 10 weeks as an exchange professor at Odessa State University in the Ukraine. Compares the language and literature curricula in the Ukraine with that of American higher education. Suggests how such an experience causes teachers to rethink American higher education. (HB)

Questions whether English teachers have the responsibility of instructing students to think politically as citizens. Claims that English teachers must focus more on the primary skills of critical reading, talking, and writing. (HB)

Discusses the issues involved with the selection of materials for English classrooms, particularly literary selections. Provides guidelines for teachers faced with the selection of texts. (HB)

Considers the nature and function of the past in the way people construct the present, particularly with regard to the study of literature. Presents reader response as a feasibile approach for teachers of literature. Discusses issues surrounding the literary canon and the role of literature teachers. (HB)