Does the Common Core State Standards' focus on informational text mean that teachers must teach fiberglass installation manuals and the minutes of National Reserve Board meetings? No, responds literacy expert Timothy Shanahan. "I've pored over the lists of exemplary texts suggested by the standards, and I've not been able to…

Describes a high school English teacher's community outreach program and its "outsider in society" theme. The teacher matched reading assignments to appropriate community service ventures, ranging from puppet shows to public speaking engagements and work with Alzheimer's patients. Community interactions inspired students to polish and practice…

The Los Angles County Office of Education developed the Educational Communications Network (ETN) to help implement English curriculum reform mandated by the California State Board of Education in 1987. ETN has become an electronic staff development distribution system using satellite-transmitted live and interactive inservice programing. (MLH)