Nearly a century ago, John Dewey (1916) stated that democracy requires continuous and thoughtful attention. A hope that is seen for democracy lies in the vivid demonstrations of literate democratic habits of mind and core democratic values among the citizen groups.

Shares stories of the author's family's literacy projects in schools, at home, and on the street to explore how critical literacy can become part of everyday lives and dreams for a better future. Articulates the seriousness of these projects, how these projects spring from our questions and interests, and how they can inform educators about…

Explores popular, historical, progressive, and economic representations of teachers' work to consider opportunities and dangers these images offer. Discusses the power to represent teaching, and speculates on the intentions of those who wield that power. Suggests ways teachers might make their work visible to the public in order to represent…

Argues that the National Council of Teachers of English's Standards for English Arts serves corporate unreality rather than the reality of America's children, and that NCTE is pursuing someone else's agenda, diminishing its potential impact on schools and society. Suggests that the standards are part of a coordinated effort by corporations in…

Reviews recent research suggesting that teachers may unintentionally perpetuate social class stratification during reading instruction. Explores possible solutions to the unequal treatment of social classes during reading instruction. (HTH)

Examines skills-based, interactionist, and whole language positions on literacy instruction, focusing on the issue of control. Discusses how these three approaches are reflected in both Canadian and American basals. Argues that students must be treated as active learners, adding a political and sociological dimension to the whole language…

Disusses three assertions regarding mastery learning in reading programs: (1) mastery learning is adopted to "legitimize" reading programs to the public; (2) schools cannot provide unlimited time for learning to read; and (3) thus, teachers are reduced to managers of materials and, with students, surrender control of their literacy. (HTH)

Examines a professional journal's treatment of the relationship between elementary teachers and commercial reading materials. Findings are divided into 10-year increments from 1924 to the present. (HTH)

Explains how a teacher education course (designed by the author using an adaptation of Paulo Freire's problem-posing methods) actually hampered students' development and learning. Describes how together the class and teacher recognized the discrepancy between the teacher's rhetoric and the course realities and adjusted the course to fit students'…