The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts (CCSS-ELA). Toward this end, suggestions and cautions are provided that focus on understanding the vision, understanding the anchor and grade-level standards, and understanding the implications for instruction. In…

This resolution builds on the National Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE's) longstanding policies on students' rights to their own languages, resolutions opposing practices that denigrate home or heritage languages, policies supporting the unique learning needs of the individual, resolutions supporting inclusion of exceptional students, and…

This study explores how ELL students' parents participated in a blog-mediated English language arts curriculum in a second grade classroom at a U.S. urban school, and how they supported their children's learning of school-based writing. Adopting ecological perspectives on technological affordances, this study views digital literacy as discursive…

In this article we discuss the respective roles of young adult literature and literary texts in the secondary level English Language Arts classroom and explore the connections that can be made between popular young adult books and the traditional canon. We provide examples showing how young adult literature bestsellers such as "The Book…

We examine the Los Angeles Unified School District's Public School Choice Initiative (PSCI), which sought to turnaround the district's lowest-performing schools. We ask whether school turnaround impacted student outcomes, and what explains variations in outcomes across reform cohorts. We use a Comparative Interrupted Time Series approach using…

Background: Researchers have emphasized the importance of integrating mental health education with academic curriculum. The focus of the current studies was "Mental Health Matters" (MHM), a mental health curriculum that is integrated with English language arts. It is taught by trained community member volunteers and aims to increase…

For two decades the International Literacy Association (ILA) has published the "What's Hot, What's Not in Literacy Survey." In the last five years, the hottest topics featured on the lists have largely been connected to the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (ELA CCSS)--a publication produced by the National Governors…

This study investigates the learning reported by a set of volunteer participants from three university teacher education programs: from one Southwestern U.S. University, the program in secondary English/Language Arts Education and the program in Elementary Education; and from one Southeastern U.S. University, the program in secondary…

Oral narratives are a commonly used, meaningful means of communication that reflects academic language. New state curriculum standards include narrative-related language expectations for young school-age children, including story grammar and complex language. This article provides a review of preschool narrative-based language intervention…

Results from large-scale evaluation studies form the foundation of evidence-based policy. The randomized experiment is often considered the gold standard among study designs because the causal impact of a treatment or intervention can be assessed without threats of confounding from external variables. Policy-makers have become increasingly…

This research is exploring how emerging technologies are impacting teaching pedagogy and whether these technologies are nurturing higher order thinking in secondary schools in Australia. Technology in education has been identified as a 'wicked problem' (P. Mishra & Koehler, 2008) and a conundrum (Arntzen, 2008). It has been described as an…

This study used generalizability ("G")-theory as a theoretical framework to study the effects of multiple facets on the variability and reliability of New York State Grades Four through Six constructed-response scores for ELA and Mathematics. The impact of the study could be both timely and significant given the current political climate…

With a national reputation for high standards and a rigorous assessment system, Massachusetts now faces a critical transition. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's (BESE) December 2015 decision to develop a new state assessment (Next-Generation MCAS) brought with it the opportunity to improve the 2011 state standards for…

All Florida schools teach the Florida Standards, and students' knowledge of these standards is assessed through the statewide Florida Standards Assessments (FSA). Student performance on the FSA provides important information to parents, teachers, policy makers, and the general public regarding how well students are learning the Florida Standards.…

Few topics have garnered more attention in preservice teacher training and educational reform than student diversity and its influence on learning. However, the actual degree of cognitive diversity has yet to be considered regarding instructional implications for advanced learners. We used four data sets (three state-level and one national) from…