The past 100 years of "English Journal" have positioned students and teachers in a variety of ways. As the authors embarked on exploring issues in the constructions of students in "EJ", they found that some concerns that teachers raised about English and English education resonated in their own classrooms and experiences as students and teachers.…

The term "political activity" can be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, but in this paper, it is taken to mean involvement in a variety of campaigns around issues affecting the way we live and the sort of society we want to live in. At a time when support for the main political parties has never been weaker, it is essential that…

Teachers who are not well prepared for ELL students struggle to address their needs in the classroom: How can I teach the students if I don't speak their language? What do I do when the students don't understand? If myths and misconceptions about those learning a new language are accepted, the type and quality of instruction for ELL students can…

In this article, I describe mainstream middle school classrooms designed to re-think the conditions under which language minority students who have lived in the United States for a number of years can develop English language skills while also gaining access to a rigorous curriculum. I describe a variety of transactions that students used to…