Monica FreanerEng. 401Prof. Ron StricklandOctober 27, 2002Critical Summary of Journals in Teaching Writing in Secondary Education Introduction:With the ever-present need for “accountability” in education, state and national tests have begun to shift their focus from multiple choice/objective tests to performance based testing for high school students. SAT, ACT, and the Illinois State Aptitude Test have or will be incorporating writing samples as part of the exam regiment. High school English teachers, now more than ever, must be versed in the practice and theory of teaching writing. Unfortunately, text book manufactures have not been able to keep up with the changing methods, theories, and practices in teaching writing. With this in mind, teachers must rely on journals to present them with the most current information in the field. Though there are very few journals which specifically target the field of teaching writing in secondary education, there are a number that include this limited field in one of two ways: either in the broader spectrum of writing instruction at all levels or in the study of teaching English or language arts. The group of journals included in this analysis are some of the publications that address teaching writing through theory and/or practice. RTE: Research in the Teaching of EnglishPublished by the National Council of Teacher’s of English, RTE is a journal “committed to publishing manuscripts…. that reflect the diversity of sites , methodological perspectives and ontological orientations the have enriched literacy studies in recent years” (Nat’l Council of Teachers of English par. 1). The journal’s editorial team, Peter Samagorinsky and Michael W. Smith, keep the journal’s focus broad and inclusive. The manuscripts included in the publication reflect traditional approaches to research as well as “teacher research” and narrative discussion/analysis (Nat’l Council of Teachers of English par. 2). Similarly, the topics included within the journal are open to all areas of literacy. The traditional three strands of English studies: literature, composition and language are presented as well as areas of inquiry that are not traditionally thought of: bilingual education, ESL, gender issues, writing in the workplace, teacher/student relationship, and professional development. As the journal’s focus is broad in the areas of English studies it includes, so is its focus in the field of education. The journal’s content includes manuscripts relating to all levels of teaching- early childhood through graduate studies. While the journal’s focus is not exclusively on teaching writing, most issues address some area of writing instruction either through a specific article about writing, through articles addressing writing’s relationship to other areas of English studies, or through a review. Even though RTE does not focus exclusively in the area of writing instruction in secondary education, many of the articles present useful information. Most impressive is the editors’ ability to select manuscripts which are relevant and readable to the audience. The style of all of the manuscripts seems to fit the level/content and area on which it focuses. There is limited jargon and technical language, making the material readable and accessible to a wide audience.English JournalEnglish Journal, the official journal of the secondary section of the National Council of Teachers of English, is read by 45,000 junior and senior high school English teachers and supervisors (Miller par. 2) The English Journal, as its description states, is focused on teaching English at thesecondary level. Virginia Monseau, editor of EJ, keeps every aspect of the journal teacher centered - from the topic areas to the presentation of the publication. This long-standing journal, begun in 1912, is open to manuscripts of all types which relate, feature or highlight any area of language arts or English teaching (Miller par. 2). The authorship of the articles in the English Journal is a blend of university faculty, professionals, and secondary teachers. Overall the style is less formal than other journals. Besides the traditional research articles, EJ includes original poetry, fiction and photography, lesson plans, technology links, reviews of professional text and YA fiction. Also unique to this publication is the inclusion of educational issues including governmental policies, national standards, teacher training, curriculum, classroom management, etc….. The blend of the educational and the topical material makes this journal very focused and useful to the high/middle school English teacher. The current issue (November 2002) of the English Journal is a special issue: “Shakespeare for a New Age.” Other specialized issues have addressed assessment, technology in the classroom, and bilingual education. Recently in other issues, EJ has published articles dealing with workplace skills, portfolios, testing, multicultural literature, values education, and student motivation.Like Research in the Teaching of English, EJ does not have the singular focus of writing instruction, but each issue contains either an article, book review, lesson plan, or essay that directly or indirectly relates to writing. Most of the articles published within the journal are based on teacher-research, observation, interview and narrative. These articles also tend to be more informative than persuasive; however, the ongoing feature “Speaking My Mind” is editorial in nature and addresses controversial issues in English and language arts. Overall, the journal seems to present material that does not challenge the current practices of the secondary teacher.Arizona English BulletinPublished by the Arizona Teachers of English and Language Arts an affiliate of NCTE, the Arizona English Bulletin is written mostly by classroom teachers. Like the association who puts itout, the publication focuses on the issues relating to teaching English in middle and secondary school. Each issue is formatted to revolve around an identifiable topic. The Spring 2002 issue focuses on children’s literature; the Spring 1998 issue focused on learning communities; the Winter 2002 issue will focus on interdisciplinary study; the Spring 2003 issue will focus on pop culture and the canon. The most recent issue that focused on writing instruction was the Fall 1997. This issue