This article analyzes CEE's and NCTE's current positions related to political action and highlights the increasing need for public intellectual and political activism as an integral part of organizational policy. Using Lakoff's (2005) concept of cognitive/linguistic framing in political discourse along with Kuchapski's (2002) characterizations of…

This article reports the findings of a study examining the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) members' perceptions of what is required to become and to remain a highly-qualified teacher of the English language arts. An online survey was conducted to ten NCTE members: five teachers, and five university-based teacher educators. Findings…

Schooling, which is shared to the extent that Americans share no other cultural or institutional experience, is perhaps the single greatest influence on how people understand the world around them and their places in it. English instruction, required as it is throughout formal schooling, constitutes perhaps the most powerful vehicle for shaping…

English teachers need to be informed and concerned about the effects of mass testing on English curriculum and instruction. (JH) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Procedures.

Urges editors to evaluate the educational concepts underlying commercial educational materials and to determine whether the concepts are in accord with the findings of educational research. (DD)

Discusses the restrictions imposed on English teachers by the new copyright law and suggests possible alternatives to practices which violate the new law. (DD)

Urges English educators to develop career-related methods courses and illustrates how career education has been incorporated successfully in the elementary and secondary school English curriculum. (DD)

Back to basics fundamentalism, the minimal competency movement, and competency testing are simplistic approaches to complex educational problems. (DD)

Describes the tenets of the back to basics movement, especially as it applies to minimum competency testing, and points out that it creates an environment which impedes consequential learning. (DD)

Discusses several dangers inherent in focusing attention on minimum standards instead of realizing students' maximum potential. (DD)

The word "back" in back to the basics means endless study of language analysis and memorization of factual bits to the neglect of affective concerns and broader cognitive objectives. (DD)

Compares educational problems in England with those in America, highlighting the recent "Black Paper" furor in England. (Author)

Describes an approach to teaching composition skills based on a sequence of activities designed for different grade levels. (DD)

Claims that there are many writing teachers, not just a few English/language arts teachers who are so designated, and that writing is already taught across the curriculum. Argues that teacher educators must reconsider their exclusive concern with methods and focus on teachers' theories of teaching and learning. (MS)

Discusses the activities and accomplishments of the Canadian Council of Teachers of English (CCTE), especially with regard to its Teacher Education Commission's "Statement on the Preparation of Teachers of English and the Language Arts." (MS)