Articles in this journal issue focus on aspects of writing instruction and research. The articles discuss the following topics: (1) recent changes in the teaching of composition, (2) a writing sequence for the junior high/middle and secondary school English curriculum, (3) 10 writing-for-learning tasks to use throughout the curriculum, (4) writing and learning, (5) meaning versus correctness in writing, (6) group conferences in large composition classes, (7) how to make writing conferences work, (8) how to teach the research paper, (9) poetry in the elementary school, (10) writing journals, (11) prewriting, (12) moving nonmainstream children into the fictive mode, (13) making the transition from expressive to transitional writing, (14) a student writing project, (15) an individual approach to spelling, (16) two methods of using reading in a writing class, (17) the applicability of cognition and writing research to instruction, and (18) what secondary school teachers should know about children's writing. A section of teaching ideas is included in the journal. (HTH)