Selected Articles to Read Online

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Newly-Added and Featured Articles Consider the Walls ~ Patricia Tarr A discussion about classroom environment and how it affects learning. This is a MUST-READ! (.pdf) Art in Schools Inspires Tomorrow's Creative Thinkers ~ Jeffrey T. Schnapp (Edutopia Magazine) Art isn't to be found only in galleries and museums; it is woven into the warp and woof of an entire civilization. Without the arts, education's grade is Incomplete.

Scroll down for links to online articles on the following topics:

~ Whole Language ~ Classroom Curriculum ~ Classroom Environment ~ Children and Learning ~
~ The National Reading Panel ~ Issues in Education ~ Educational Justice ~ Testing ~

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Whole Language	Whole Language: What It Is, What It Isn't ~ Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ed.D. The Whole Thing or a Piece? How the Unscientific 'Scientifically Based' Reading in Bush's Education Bill Will Harm Our Elementary School Classrooms ~ written by Whole Language Teachers Research About Whole Language; Research For Whole Language ~ Carole Edelsky, Arizona State University (pdf file) Sixty Years of Reading Research -- But Who's Listening? ~ Whole Language research unplugged! "Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated" (Mark Twain) ~ Gerald Cole explains why the "reading war" is not dead, why Whole Language survives, what's wrong with the term 'balanced literacy,' and a few problems with the National Reading Panel and Reading First. Richard Allington Reviews Louisa Moats' "Whole Language High Jinks: How to tell when 'scientifically-based reading Instruction' isn't" ~ Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice; Think Tank Review Project ~ Allington explains how Louisa Moats fails to provide convincing research to support her anti-Whole Language position, that she exaggerates the findings of the research she does cite, incorrectly dismisses approaches that are well-supported by research, and promotes her own reading products rather than providing an unbiased report on reading instruction.
Classroom Curriculum	Taking a Critical Stance: It's Not Just the Books You Choose ~ Christine Leland and Jerome Harste, Indiana University ~ Ideas about critical literacy and using books to generate important discussions in the classroom. A Note From Jim Trelease on Computerized Reading Incentive Programs ~ Jim Trelease discusses the lack of research on Accelerated Reader and provides links to additional articles. Christmas in Schools ~ Karen C. Spear-Ellingwood ~ Food for thought about how we deal with holidays in the classroom. Bibliography also available (these pages are in .pdf format) A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Curriculum: Playing the Dream ~ by Sydney Gurewitz Clemens ~ reflections on celebrating Dr. King with young children. On Homework ~ links to several articles from NCTE that address various issues about homework. "Butterflies" ~ Patricia Grace ~ a great little story about perspective. Art in Schools Inspires Tomorrow's Creative Thinkers ~ Jeffrey T. Schnapp (Edutopia Magazine) Art isn't to be found only in galleries and museums; it is woven into the warp and woof of an entire civilization. Without the arts, education's grade is Incomplete. Art in the Classroom: A Special Part of Every Day ~ Sydney Gurewitz Clemens ~ Ideas on immersing young children in developmentally appropriate art experiences. It's Not about Art! ~ Nancy B. Hertzog ~ a thought-provoking article about using art for communication and as a representation of children's thinking. Editing: Permission to Start Wrong ~ Sydney Gurewitz Clemens ~ Thoughts on writing with young children. Reading Alone Together: Enhancing Extensive Reading via Student-Student Cooperation in Second-Language Instruction ~ George Jacobs and Patrick Gallo ~ Using Extensive Reading in the classroom to enhance comprehension and interest in a variety of self-selected reading materials. Ideas for implementation and samples of student responses. The Mathematical Miseducation Of America's Youth ~ Michael T. Battista The author explains how judgments made about what mathematics should be taught to schoolchildren and how it should be taught are necessarily naive and almost always wrong.
Classroom Environment	Consider the Walls ~ Patricia Tarr A discussion about classroom environment and how it affects learning. This is a MUST-READ! (.pdf) Social Reality in the Classroom: An Alternate Strategy for Developing Class Rules ~ Renee Goularte ~ A short article about engaging students in helping create class rules. Creating a School Community ~ Eric Schaps ~ discusses the importance of creating a sense of community in schools, and how doing so leads to academic success ~ from Educational Leadership; March 2003 Components of a Successful Multiage Classroom ~ Renee Goularte ~ An article from the "Whole Language Newsletter" about first, second, and third graders working together in one classroom. Promoting Learning ~ Dr. Marvin Marshall ~ An interesting viewpoint on "Rules vs Expectations" in the classroom, proposing that rules are not productive in relationships, including classroom environments.
Children Learning	Like Mud, Not Fireworks ~ Mem Fox ~ The important role of the affective domain in learning. What Ever Happened to Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Literacy? ~ Susan B. Neuman and Kathleen Roskos ~ The authors question the pushing down of literacy activities into preschool classrooms. The Pleasure Principle ~ Nancie Atwell Some thoughts on reading in the clasroom. Painting a Tragedy: Young Children Process the Events of September 11 ~ by Toni Gross and Sydney Gurewitz Clemens ~ How one teacher used art in the classroom to help her students process the events of September 11. Hole-In-The-Wall ~ New Delhi physicist Sugata Mitra ~ What happens when a PC with a high speed internet connection is put in a wall in the slums? This conversation with Businessweeks Online Contributing Editor Thane Peterson reveals some ideas about how children learn. Kids and Violent Play ~ Jane Katch ~ reflects on students' violent fantasy play and sometimes real violence. Katch talks about her students' favorite games, such as suicide, and how parents and schools can work together to limit exposure to media that portray violence. Included: Tips for setting rules for recess and for getting parents involved at home with setting rules about media and violence. Taught to remove all thought ~ Lynn Stratton ~ Writing by the numbers, as dictated by Tallahassee, has created a generation of students whose words lack passion, creativity and original ideas, from the St. Petersburg Times
The National Reading Panel	Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors: A Critique of the National Reading Panel Report on Phonics ~ Elaine M. Garan ~ Ms. Garan hopes that readers will use her analysis as a starting point; take a long, hard look at the National Reading Panel's Teaching Children to Read; and draw their own conclusions -- without prejudice -- based on the research alone. Babes In The Woods: The Wanderings of the National Reading Panel ~ Joanne Yatvin tells about her experience as a member of the National Reading Panel, an experience which prompted her to write a Minority Report to the findings. Minority Report of the National Reading Panel ~ Joanne Yatvin ~ What the National Reading Panel didn't tell you, revealed by a dissenting member. Comments on the Reading Excellence Act ~ Ken Goodman ~ an article from Reading Online. The Federal Hickory Stick For Teaching Reading ~ Gerald Coles - Coles speaks out about the NRP committee selection process as well as the decisions made in terms of using 'scientific research' to mandate or discredit reading programs. The Bush-McGraw Hill Test ~ by Jim Trelease ~ Discusses the connections between Bush and McGraw-Hill
Issues in Education	It's Time to Start the Slow School Movement ~ by Maurice Holt ~ A sensible argument for to slowing down the schools. 'We don't need people who can spit back facts. We've got Google' ~ by Alanna Mitchell ~ An interesting article about a curriculum that includes spontaneity, discovery, intellectual agility, problem solving, and creative thought. Refrains of the School Critics ~ by Susan Ohanian ~ deconstructs some common criticisms of public schools. Will Katrina Topple the No Child Left Behiind Law? ~ by Elaine Garan ~ Shows how the ESEA/NCLB law itself is inequitable, and the people enforcing it are unreasonable and uncaring. Our Impoverished View of Educational Reform ~ by David C. Berliner - August 02, 2005~ This analysis is about the role of poverty in school reform. Using data from a number of sources, Berliner makes five major points about the relationship of poverty in the United States to school reform. (requires membership) Yes, President Bush, Johnny's Test Scores Are Up. But Can He Read? ~ Harold Berlak Reading in the Twentieth Century ~ by P. David Pearson ~ An overview of a hundred years of reform and reading wars. Learning to Read and the W Principle ~ Gerald Coles ~ A wonderful compilation of information on education in Texas, reading research, the right-wing drivers of the "No Child Left Behind" education legislation, and George Bush's plans for education cuts. What do we know about the effects of Direct Instruction on student reading achievement? ~ Richard Allington University of Florida ~ From EducationNews.org Capitalism, Calculus, and Conscience ~ Susan Ohanian ~ Ms. Ohanian accuses the Standardistos of child abuse and urges readers to call them on it. Business: A Poor Model for Learning ~ Dr. Marvin Marshall ~ Compares business model to education, and shows how the analogy is false. One-Size-Fits-All Education Doesn't Work ~ Alfie Kohn The Early Childhood Education Curriculum Debate: Direct Instruction vs. Child-Initiated Learning ~ from ERIC/EECE. Questions. FAQs. An interesting article about the short-term vs. long-term gains of children in these two types of preschool environments.
Educational Justice	Patriotic Literacy: The Intersection of Whole Language Philosophy and the Bill of Rights ~ Patrick Shannon, Pennsylvania State University (pdf file) The Goals of Mathematical Education ~ George Polya ~ The goals of mathematics education beyond earning a living.
Testing	DIBELS: The Perfect Literacy Test ~ by Ken Goodman ~ A detailed account of what DIBELS tests and how it is used inappropriately in schools to fail children. F For Assessment ~ by W. James Popham ~ A short article that succinctly explains the problems with standardized tests. Print it out and pass it around! Let Them Eat Tests ~ Stan Karp ~ The federal agenda for testing students, from Rethinking Schools Testing Trap ~ Richard Elmore ~ How standardized testing came about and why it's dangerous; from Harvard Magazine. Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion ~ National Association of School Psychologists Test Today, Privatize Tomorrow: Using Accountability to "Reform" Public Schools to Death ~ by Alfie Kohn ~ How the word "reform" has been 'hijacked' by those who oppose the whole idea of public schooling.

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