The papers in this book focus on the strategies, practices, theory, or research related to emergent literacy, elementary and secondary reading, literature, philosophy, affective issues, school improvement, teacher training, and assessment that are related in important ways to issues in past, present and future reading education. Papers in the book are: "Why Do We Have to Read This Anyway?" (Thomas H. Estes); "Toward a Feminist Pedagogy of Difference" (Donna E. Alvermann); "We're All in This Together: Difference, Pedagogy, and Critical Literacy" (Patrick Shannon); "Critics and Workers--Lessons on Fame and Pain" (Rick Erickson); "Some Funny Things Happened on My Way to the Forum" (Wayne Otto); "Call to Forum: A Dream about Gatto's 'Dumbing Us Down'" (Thomas Cloer, Jr.); "Effects of Anchored Instruction on Preservice Teachers' Knowledge Acquisition and Problem Solving" (Victoria J. Risko); "Explorers of the Universe: An Action Research Scientific Literacy Project" (Marino C. Alvarez); "Who Taught You How To Do That? Insights into Literacy Learning in a Student-Centered Nongraded Classroom" (Mona W. Matthews); "Results of Collaboration between College and Schools with a Parent Involvement Reading Program" (Shara B. Curry); "The Effects of Read-Along Tapes on the Reading Comprehension of Middle School Students" (Thomas Cloer, Jr. and Gail R. Denton); "Authentic Assessment and Literacy Instruction: Exactly Where Are We?" (Karen Ford and others); "Creating an Informal Reading-Thinking Inventory" (Anthony V. Manzo and others); "Cultural Values as Depicted in Hispanic Contemporary Fiction Books Written for Children" (Nelly Hecker and Bob W. Jerrolds); "Not Newbery but National Issues for Developing Higher Level Literacy" (Louise M. Tomlinson); "Linking Literature-Based Reading of Today with Literature-Based Instruction in the Past" (Janet A. Miller); and "A Participant-Observer's Notes Regarding a Problems Court Session at the American Reading Forum, 1994" (Wayne Otto and others). (RS)