Considerable research indicates that high-stakes accountability policies have the capacity to influence language arts instruction, particularly in urban, high-needs schools where pressure to increase test scores tends to be most acute. This article utilizes Cultural Historical Activity Theory to critically examine the constraints and affordances…

The Family Backpack Project provided 249 low-income, prekindergarten children and their families with opportunities to read and listen to audio recordings of 3 sets of books in their homes. Families received English or dual-language texts (English plus Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, or Somali) matched to their home languages. Children and their…

Notes that finding time for skills instruction without replacing literature discussion and writers' workshop requires a strong organizational framework for literacy instruction. Suggests that teachers need principled, conceptual frameworks to guide their thoughts and actions. Describes a framework, Book Club Plus, designed by a practitioner…

Discusses findings from research with the South Brunswick, New Jersey, schools--where an Early Literacy Portfolio was in use across the district for over five years. Finds that instruction and assessment were more closely aligned than in the past and that teachers felt confident in their abilities to make sound instructional decisions and to…

Describes one rural school's development of a literacy program in which family members collaborate with educators to provide literature-based experiences and tutoring for struggling readers. Concludes that family literacy programs are more successful when they involve family members in working with children as they learn the literary strategies to…