Current high school instructional practices trending across our nation primarily focus upon providing content to students and lack content-area literacy strategies or higher-order metacognitive reflective writing practices. Educational research consistently demonstrates the need for increased skill development in American secondary schools, so why…

This study investigates how university instructors from various disciplines at a large, comprehensive university in the United States evaluate different varieties of English from countries considered "outer circle" (OC) countries, formerly colonized countries where English has been transplanted and is now used unofficially and officially…

In the May 2009 issue of "English Journal", we reported on our analysis of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to provide a first look at changes in the teaching of writing over the past 30 years. In this article, we provide a more detailed look, drawing on data collected from visits to 260 English, math, social…

Maintains that all teachers on interdisciplinary teams in middle schools should teach writing. Examines how content area teachers can use writing to enhance learning. Looks at three levels of student writing (correlated with complexity and time) that may be useful in content area classes. Discusses concerns about writing in content areas. (SR)

Identifies four areas concerning writing across the curriculum programs in which consensus across the campus should be sought: dealing with errors, common terminology, a process or routine for response, and enthusiasm for the effort. Includes response checklists. (HTH)

Describes the evaluation practices and concerns of secondary home economics teachers who participated in a series of university writing workshops on incorporating the writing process into their subject areas. Notes that some of the teachers implemented some of the evaluation methods presented in the workshops but that they continued to struggle…

In a study of writing perceptions held by college faculty in disciplines other than English, 81 faculty members indicated whether each of 67 student writing errors bothered them a great deal, a little, or not at all. Results showed that teachers did not strongly object to errors apparently produced by carelessness or by ignorance of finer…

Reports on a study designed to reveal differences in quality ratings that teachers in three high school curricular areas--English and social studies, mathematics and science, and business--gave to representative samples of freshman writing in the argument mode. (RBW)

Describes the implementation of a content area writing program in a middle school. Observes that many teachers were resistant to the task and passed their frustration on to the English teachers. However, most were pleased with the improvement in students' writing due to the increase in the amount of required writing. (SRT)

An 18-item survey was distributed to 308 faculty members at Tennessee Technological University to elicit information about the kinds of writing students are expected to do in courses both inside and outside the English department, the relative importance of writing in various courses, and the specific expectations faculty members have concerning…

Reports results of a poll of faculty rhetorical values, student rhetorical values, and student perceptions of faculty writing preferences. Concludes that faculty members in all disciplines need to communicate their desire for clear language by responding actively as readers to student texts. (MM)

A study was conducted at John Abbott College to establish the reliability and validity of holistic evaluation for assessing learning in content courses. The study involved: (1) an informal poll of members of 22 departments concerning the acceptability of holistic evaluation within their department; (2) a faculty survey to ascertain opinions…