Newspaper headlines from across the United States reflect the turmoil in public education today, with some states protesting federal requirements for testing, some states lowering proficiency requirements, other states raising proficiency requirements, and even kindergarten and preschool children facing higher academic expectations. These…

Suggests social constructivism offers implications for reshaping schooling to correct the gap between the literacy achievement of students of diverse backgrounds and that of mainstream students. Proposes a conceptual framework. Suggests students' literacy will improve as educators address the goal of instruction, home language role, instructional…