Taking as a starting point the most enduring insights to emerge from acclaimed researcher Arthur Applebee's scholarship, this volume brings together leading experts to fully examine his work for its explanatory power and its potential to shape current and future research agendas. Focused on the ways in which students learn, schools teach, and assessors evaluate the forms and uses of language needed to flourish and grow, Applebee's work reconceptualized how educators view language development and use in relation to schooling. Organized around three themes--Considering Curriculum as Conversation; Writing as a Tool for Learning; Talking it Out: Class Discussion and Literary Understanding--the 14 fascinating chapters in this book extend and challenge Applebee's insights.