The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is one of the most current reforms in the U.S. educational system. The standards were introduced, adopted, and implemented by 46 states along with the District of Columbia in 2009. Since the adoption of the CCSS, educators have expressed concern regarding the implementation process, specifically…

This report, based on statistics gathered from the first statewide census of Illinois public secondary school course offerings, enrollments, and cocurricular activities, focuses on English language arts courses. Among the highlights from the report are the following: (1) Illinois junior and senior high schools typically rely on general, grade…

This paper describes a survey, of 51 rural schools in Illinois, that was conducted to gather information on English and language arts teaching in rural areas. Following an introduction to the rationale and methodology of the survey, the paper discusses the results of the survey in the following areas: (1) the rural community, including community…

THIS COURSE DESCRIPTION RECOUNTS A FOURTH-GRADE TEACHERS EXPERIENCE OF MOTIVATING AND ASSISTING INNER-CITY SLUM CHILDREN TO DEVELOP COMPOSITION SKILLS AND INCLUDES THE THREE UNITS SHE TAUGHT--(1) "LEARNING TO BE SPECIFIC" AND "LEARNING TO DESCRIBE SENSE IMPRESSIONS," (2) "LEARNING TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE," AND (3)…

A fact-finding survey based on a questionnaire answered by 418 Illinois English teachers examined the teaching of language arts in grades 7, 8, and 9 in Illinois. It showed that teachers get very little supervision, that they feel that they need improvement in teaching composition, reading, and the "new grammar," and that composition…