Love and MATH
Issue Brief featuring Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Heather Hill, Brian Rowan, and Hyman Bass

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (http://www.centerforcsri.org)

Some elementary teachers might have breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear that the new “highly qualified teacher” rules in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) would not require much in the way of subject-matter knowledge. Those rules asked middle and high school teachers to demonstrate proficiency in the subjects they teach, either by earning a college major or passing a test in those subjects, in addition to having a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate.1 However, although the law made a nod to elementary teachers knowing their subjects too, for K–5 teachers in most states, it required nothing new.

You can read the policy brief here (Adobe PDF).

Handbook of Language and Literacy
Development and Disorders
Edited by C. Addison Stone, Elaine R. Silliman, Barbara J. Ehren, and Kenn Apel

Guilford Publications, 2005 (http://www.guilford.com)

Much has been learned in recent years about the close connections among language and literacy processes, both typical and atypical. Filling a significant gap in the literature, this comprehensive volume brings together leading authorities in communication sciences and disorders, learning disabilities, and literacy education to present current knowledge in this area. Reviewed are the latest advances in theory, research, and practice in language and literacy development, including the impact of specific language-related processes on literacy learning and ways to achieve optimal learning outcomes with diverse students.

Writing on Demand: Best Practices and Strategies for Success
by Anne Ruggles Gere, University of Michigan, Leila Christenbury, Virginia Commonwealth University, Kelly Sassi

Heinemann Publishing, 2005 (http://www.heinemann.com)

Research and experience show that writers need three things: ownership of the form and subject of their writing; feedback from other writers; and time to draft and revise. Yet the harsh and confusing reality of today's college-entrance and state-mandated examinations-or any test with an essay component-is that students, trained in writing workshops, go on the clock to compose a paper on an assigned topic, in a prescribed form, for which they will receive no feedback.

...And their future depends on it.

In Writing on Demand, you'll discover how to help your students gain the valuable skills they need to succeed on the essay portions of the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, and other exams and to help them develop as writers.

For more information, please visit the publisher's Web site above.