This collection of essays offers a new approach to strengthening the development of students' civic identity through the teaching of reading, writing, speech, and literature. A foreword by Richard L. Larson and an introduction by Sandra Stotsky are followed by the following essays: (1) The Decline of a Civic Ethic" (Sandra Stotsky); (2) "Reading and Civic Literacy: Are We Literate Enough To Meet Our Civic Responsibilities?" (Jeanne S. Chall; Dorothy Henry); (3) "Teaching Contemporary American Literature: A Professional Dilemma" (Sandra Stotsky with Barbara Hardy Beierl) and "Appendix. An Annotated Reading List for High School and College Teachers: Reclaiming Our Humanity in Twentieth-Century Literature" (John W. Cameron); (4) "On Developing Independent Thinking and Responsible Writing: What We Can Learn from Studies of the Research Process" (Sandra Stotsky); (5) "Teaching Academic Writing as Moral and Civic Thinking" (Sandra Stotsky); (6) "Language Education and Civic Education: Recovering Past Traditions, Reassessing Contemporary Challenges" (Lisa Ede); and (7) "The Uses of Argument in Civic Education: A Philosophy and Practices for Our Time" (Richard A. Katula). (AA)