Entrenched Pedagogy: A History of Stasis in the English Language Arts Curriculum in United States Secondary Schools

When critiquing the development of the English language arts curriculum in United States secondary schools, Hartwell (1985, 127) is correct in arguing that ‘much current research is not informed by an awareness of the past’. Entrenched pedagogical beliefs about language and learning have dominated English instruction for the past three centuries. This domination occurs because of our inability to grasp the historicity of our discipline, allowing the English language arts (ELA) curriculum to undergo little change since the inception of English studies in public schools through the Committee of Ten report in 1894. Charting the history of English language arts, this essay will demonstrate that the ELA curriculum is essentially static. What many educators call innovation is really reinvention. In an effort to address the many problems facing English Language Arts (ELA) in the twenty-first century, educators and researchers met in May 2006 to identify possible strategies for ELA reform. In this spirit, the editors of English Education devoted their entire July 2006 edition to reporting the results of the May Conference on English Education Summit. The timing of the conference and report could not have been better, as a 2006 International Reading Association study revealed alarming trends in students’ reading habits. While 65% of kids from ages five to eight deem reading for fun an important activity, only 40% of kids from ages 15 to 17 think so. Furthermore, 14% of kids from ages five to eight call themselves ‘low frequency readers’, while an alarming 65% of kids aged 15–17 identify themselves as such (‘Keeping kids reading’ 2006). These trends are alarming because they undermine the primary goal of ELA courses, the creation of a literate society. Bushman and Haas contend that the inverse of ELA objectives has occurred: ‘Contemporary adult society is a non-reading society, and some studies suggest that people tend to read less as they grow older’ (2006). The consequences of a burgeoning aliterate society may be felt when over ‘3,000 students with limited literacy skills drop out of high school every day’ (NCTE 2006). Furthermore, while contemporary society demands a high degree of reading ability, only 13% of adults are capable of ‘performing complex literacy tasks’, forcing American businesses to look overseas for qualified workers (NCTE 2006, 4). In the classroom, teachers are forced to overcome the devastating outcomes of aliteracy: incompetence and antipathy. Students who lack a sense of competence disengage themselves from the learning process, afraid or unwilling to overcome their inadequacies. Students who cannot connect literature to their everyday experience become antagonistic towards reading and writing and also disengage themselves because they cannot see the value of their reading. As they inevitably fall behind,