Based on the belief that language should be the central focus for study in the reading and language arts classroom, this collection presents 10 diverse viewpoints on language study in the middle school and secondary school. The collection is divided into the following areas: studying language through literature and the arts, using writing and speaking to study language, language use in different academic settings, and emerging trends in language study. An introductory article by the editors is entitled "The Context of Language Study in the Contemporary Classroom." Chapters are as follows: Chapter 1: "The Study of Language for Adolescents: A U.S. Historical Perspective" (John S. Simmons); Chapter 2: "A (W)Hole in the Middle: Language Study for Transformed Middle Schools" (Pamela Sissi Carroll); Chapter 3: "Poetics, Poetry Reading, and Poetry Writing" (Michael Angelotti); Chapter 4: "Language Secrets from a First-Year Teacher in a Rural School" (Anthony Kunkel); Chapter 5: "Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Requisites for Teaching Language" (Walt Wolfram); Chapter 6: "The Languages of Words and Numbers" (Micah Dial and Lawrence Baines); Chapter 7: "The Invisible Discrepancies in the Teaching of Language" (Kyoko Sato); Chapter 8: "Language Education in the 21st Century: Dreaming a Caring Future" (John S. Mayher); Chapter 9: "Reading and Writing in the Shadow of Film and Television" (Harold M. Foster); and Chapter 10: "The Future of the Written Word" (Lawrence Baines). An author index and a subject index conclude the collection. (NKA)