The author's career in professional education is intertwined with the history of language arts education in the United States and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The author joined NCTE in the 1960s, though she was already teaching for about 10 years with a well-developed constructivist perspective on teaching and learning.…

As part of the Commonwealth's drive to enhance Australia's competitiveness in the global economy, Australia is five years from implementing "National Benchmarks" to leverage measurable literacy outcomes from schools. This "back to basics" agenda is in tension with another drive to foster advanced thinking skills in children. Teachers are being…

English and writing teachers are often pressurized to return to the basics of grammar, despite the evidence that drilling grammar does not improve students' writing skills. A great disparity exists between public perception of effective education and the perception of professional educators, which is the main reason why parents and government…

A national opinion survey of social studies teachers revealed that the overwhelming majority of teachers (1) had regularly used inquiry as a teaching strategy; (2) believe inquiry is currently less emphasized than it was in the 1960s and 1970s; and (3) perceive the back-to-basics movement as contributing significantly to the deemphasis of inquiry.…

A charter school in Kenai, Alaska, offers back-to-basics curriculum and direct instruction. The school has drawn many home-schoolers back to the public school system, and consistently scores high on standardized tests. The school's success is attributed to teachers' collaboration and common vision, continuity across grades, high academic…