English Journal, a flagship publication from NCTE, is currently under the outstanding editorship of Julie and David Gorlewski—who have followed the stellar work of the previous editor, Ken Lindblom.

I want to urge special attention to the current issue: English Journal, Vol. 103, No. 2, November 2013—Choices and Voices: Teaching English in a Democratic Society.

As well, I must highlight some of the articles:

Children Giving Clues, Susan Ohanian

Abstract: Frustrated with the restrictive nature of the Common Core Standards, the author calls on teachers to resist a system that denies them and their students access to what teaching and learning should be about.

Access to Books and Time to Read versus the Common Core State Standards and Tests, Stephen Krashen

Abstract: The author argues that access to books and time to read play a vital role in literacy development and explains why standardized tests are detrimental to students’ literacy development.

Evaluating the Democratic Merit of Young Adult Literature: Lessons from Two Versions of Wes Moore’s Memoir, Amanda Haertling Thein, Mark A. Sulzer, and Renita Schmidt

Abstract: The authors compare a memoir intended for adults with another on the same subject meant for a teen readership and argue that didactic YA literature grounded in a developmental stage model of adolescence is undemocratic.

Speaking Truth to Power: Our American Future: Creating Critical Citizens in a Democratic Nation, Amanda Pepper

Abstract: This column seeks to explore the experiences and possibilities that arise when educators speak Truth to power.