New favorite PD title

As it is with everything, the latest becomes the favorite, but rarely have I found an author who so eloquently channels the words I think but haven't spoken or written. The book is Thomas Newkirk's Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For. The six principles include balancing reading and writing instruction, making a place for expressive writing, welcoming pop culture, embracing and sharing the pleasure of reading and writing, simplifying the curriculum, and acknowledging the difficulties of successful teaching. The first couple of chapters outline the history of literacy education and educational testing which have led us to the current morass.