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By its very title, the No Child Left Behind Act makes a promise to consider the needs of individual students in raising student achievement. But as superintendents across the country [...]

Byline: Aisha Labi A few years ago, a student from Russia showed up on the campus of the University at Buffalo to begin training for the tennis team before the [...]

From The Boston Globe: The Massachusetts commissioner of elementary and secondary education is recommending that the state replace its highly regarded academic standards for English and math with a uniform [...]

The cost of being tongue-tied in the colonisers' tongue ONCE it claimed to have more English speakers than all but two other countries, and it has exported millions of them. [...]

Norwich Road School in Thetford, Norfolk, has adopted the 54321 approach to creative writing teaching. The appraoch involves groups of five primary pupils working together for five days, and experiments have shown that the writing level of all pupils, from gifted to less able, moves up as a result of the approach.

Article looks at how Cardinal Wiseman Catholic Technology College in Birmingham adopted the Edexcel GCSE pilot. The Edexcel GCSE in English comprises seven distinct units and enables students to gain three GCSEs in one subject.

I grew up on the '60's outside New York, where there were racial riots and free love. The Beatles boomed from boxes and people sang about clouds, vanity, and love. [...]

English language skills standards under the national registration scheme have been revised and are open for consultation after four months of confusion and delay for many seeking registration. The requirement [...]

In June, the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of state-led education standards entitled the [...]

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of state-led education standards in English-language arts and [...]

Kentucky is the first state to adopt some of the academic standards for K-12 education from the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The state board of education approved replacing current [...]

The government has proposed a quality-assurance panel to vet phonics schemes and those meeting pre-approved standards will be published in an official list. The criteria which must be met by each programme have been set to publishers and literary consultants for approval.

Pupils can get A* in English and English Literature GCSEs and also top marks in KS3 tests without ever completing a book, according to a new paper by Anthony Farrell, head of English at St Ives school in Cornwall, and Professor David Jesson at York University. The paper also shows that one in six primary pupils achieve higher KS2 test results than predicted.

The best ever Key Stage 3 results for science and maths for 14-year-olds were achieved by schools in 2006. However, English results for the same age group fell for the first time since 1999.

According to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), thousands of children are not interested in Shakespeare because schools are failing to bring his work to life. The RSC believes that the vision of Shakespeare is becoming skewed because of a lack of live performances, poor exam structure and weak teacher training.

According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, children are being turned off Shakespeare because of the boring way in which the playwright is being taught. Exams focus too heavily on memorising lines from plays without proper understanding.

According to academics and consultants, parents should not be too worried that not enough 7-year-olds reached the government standards for numeracy and literacy. Because standards rose so highly in the first years of assessment, the latest results do not mean standards have fallen.

The government is set to be embarrassed by the latest primary school results. The results are predicted to show that less than 85% of 11-year-olds have achieved Level 4 in national maths and English tests.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is formulating the Functional English qualification which will be introduced in 2009. The author questions the need for such a qualification, which focuses on grammar.

Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education, on ELL learners: 'We now have proof that high standards and accountability are paying off. Our national report card shows that scores are rising [...]

The National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) has produced a series of packs for KS3 and KS4 which put dramatic conventions at the centre of English teaching. The materials give drama a key role.

An analysis of the teaching of English in schools in the UK and the argument that speaking and listening skills are being neglected as a result of pressure to get students to a level where they can meet the requirements of the next exam they will face. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has published a report in which it calls for speaking and listening to be made a priority at all ages and notes that the pressure to achieve in exams is squeezing the creativity out of English lessons.

GCSE students have a better grasp of written English than they did 10 years ago, use a wider vocabulary, have a better grasp of grammar and make fewer basic errors in punctuation, according to research conducted by Cambridge University's assessment division. The research also revealed, however, that modern students are much more likely to use colloquial English.

In 2005, 79% of children reached Level 4 in English, with 75% achieving the level in Maths. However, only 70% reached Level 4 in both subjects.

English teachers are calling for literary theory to be taught at A-level. The reason for the call is that current courses and exams are not preparing pupils for university studies.

Children do not need to know the rules of English grammar, according to a government-funded study by academics at York University. No evidence was found that teaching traditional grammar helped children to learn to write and the study said ministers should review the national curriculum to take the findings into account.

The Office for Standards in Education claims that school are unlikely to reach the government's target for English key stage 3. The chief inspector claims that although progress has been made in raising teaching standards at key stage 3, there has been a failure to provide sufficient support for low-achievers, to ensure a smooth transition from primary to secondary schools, and to promote literacy and numeracy across the whole curriculum.

National test results that apparently showed a marked improvement in the English achievements of 11-year-olds between 1996 and 2000 came about largely because the standard of the reading test was reduced, according to the results of a three-year study commissioned by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The study found that while the proportion of students achieving expected levels of competency rose to 75% in 2000, vs 575 in 1996, the correct figure for 2000 should have been 65%.

Stephen Twigg, minister responsible for primary education, is preparing for the UK government to announce how many 11-year olds achieved the expected grades in maths and English. The results are due to be unveiled in the week of 18 August 2003. Twigg hopes the National Union of Teachers (NUT) will pull away from a threat to boycott the tests. He insists that the government has conducted significant reform of the key stage 1 and stage 2 tests.

The poet-in-residence at the University of Central England expresses his growing dissatisfaction with the knowledge levels of students enrolling for English courses at university. Despite English students being expected to study Shakespeare for at least one module, most have only read the plays given to them for GCSE and A-level such as Othello and Romeo and Juliet. He is also critical of their lack of knowledge about the Bible, despite religion being an integral part of medieval literature.