Explores the rediscovery of the social and civic values of general (or common) education in current reform movements. Discusses the historical experience English educators have had with common education themes. Suggests ways that the connection between English education and general education could be strengthened. (CJS)

A committee of the National Council of Teachers of English collected data on the elementary composition teaching perspectives observed in literature between 1900 and 1950. The committee's report on two categories of their collected data--position statements and state-of-the art reviews--shows that English teachers have trended from emphasizing…

Sketches the history of the Pacesetter initiative to reform high school English curricula. Discusses the pros and cons of the Pacesetter agenda, including its assessment instruments. (HB)

In tracing the development of language curriculum in public schools, one discovers that prior to the twentieth century grammar was the center of linguistic attention. Around the beginning of the century, psychologists and others were doing research on the supposed efficacious results of such study and were finding that such supposed results were…

Marion Sheridan, President of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1949-50, questioned traditional values, defending or assaulting them as the circumstances of a rapidly changing world deemed necessary. The voice that spoke through her writing was instrumental in modifying English curriculum. She pioneered the use of film in the…

The origins of modern English teaching can be found in the Uniform Lists provided by eastern colleges, beginning in 1874, for college entrance examinations. The study of literature was informed by the arguments of Matthew Arnold, who maintained that the purpose of literature study was initiation into, and maintenance of, "high…

Project English--a federally-funded research and development project in English education--existed from 1961 to 1968. Conceived in a frantic era of educational reform, Project English was designed to focus on research. Following an initial planning conference, the first curriculum study centers were funded, and areas of research were suggested.…

Examines how rural-urban, nonconformist-Anglican dichotomies characterized Welsh educational history. Discusses how nineteenth-century industrialization and social status encouraged Anglicization of Welsh schools and society. Analyzes subsequent developments that reawakened national consciousness, and demands for Welsh language instruction, now…