Discusses several books that make the point that readers do and should read stories that are judged to be truly different from stories that are made up. Argues that the responsibility of reading teachers is to help young readers become thoughtfully engaged in their suspension of disbelief. (RS)

Muses over and responds to several "letters" regarding top 10 lists for reading teachers, political correctness, best sellers, and Howard Gardner on drill and discipline. (SR)

Presents a humorous treatment of trends in the literacy business: blaming somebody else and tackling complex problems as if they were easy. (SR)

Argues that reading teachers ought to pay as much attention to what students read as to how they read. Illustrates the state of children's publishing with the heavily revised and simplified Hardy Boys series and with sloppy books about dinosaurs. (RS)

Discusses comments about and responses to an article on semiotics by Donald J. Cunningham in the June 1992 issue of the "Educational Psychology Review." Discusses the semiotic method of juxtaposition, juxtaposing a menace being posed to reading teachers with the menace experienced in W. W. Jacobs' classic ghost story "The Monkey's Paw." (SR)

Elucidates five guidelines to be considered by administrators and teachers as they cooperatively attempt to hire qualified reading professionals. Includes a checklist for the recruitment of qualified reading professionals. (SR)

Urges reading teachers to think of themselves as publicists as well as educators and suggests several public relations efforts that teachers can undertake. (AEA)

Explores the factors leading to teacher burnout and offers strategies for alleviating them. (FL)

Provides information on the federally sponsored National Diffusion Network and describes how one exemplary reading program was transferred to a school across the continent. (MKM)

Claims that reading research and reading instruction have come no closer to each other than they ever were because the two sides have trouble communicating. Postulates that the work of teacher-researchers like Mary Heller might help link theory to practice. (SKC)

Argues that an increased federal government emphasis on accountability will have a great impact on reading teachers in the 1990s. Explains the changes brought about by the Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Amendments of 1988. Explores the possibilities for responding to a strengthened federal focus on accountability.…

Discusses Roger Schank's book "Tell Me a Story," noting that understanding stories (their structure, acquisition, and retelling) is at the heart of understanding intelligence. Notes that the best reading teachers adapt their stories--rather than relying on rules--for the guidance they need to work with different students at different times. (SR)

Considers three aspects of support offered by principals and reading supervisors to beginning teachers: instructional models, instructional materials, and mentoring. Argues that providing support for beginning teachers (particularly those using literature-based instruction) should not be left to chance but requires conscious effort and planning.…

Presents a satirical view of the current literature on reading. Suggests that reading therapy inundates the student with theoretical constructs. (ARH)

Suggests ways in which reading teachers can help the non-native speaker of English to assimilate new linguistic patterns. (KS)