You are probably right about the research, Bill.  That is going to be an
uphill battle--if anyone steps up to fight it.  I think, however, that the
first step is for us to develop the teachable, useful grammar.  There are
two states I know of that haven't waited for the research.  Missouri and
Colorado have mandated the return of grammar to the curriculum, at least to
the teacher education curriculum.  (Are there other states doing this?)  If
we can concentrate on getting useful things going in these states, good
researchers--not just from research universities, but elementary and
secondary teachers from large school districts--will come forward to study
and report.  My daughter, an elementary teacher and a budding researcher,
will be teaching in Missouri starting next year.  I have already tagged her
to do some classroom research at the primary level with the grammar I have
developed.  It is largely for my own use in improving my course, but, if we
could get the entire building to buy into the research, something
publishable might emerge.

Jeff Glauner
Park University

> Grammar was bounced out of the curriculum because of abundant research
> showing that the study of grammar had no useful effect on writing skills.
> To put grammar back into the curriculum will require not only developing a
> more accurate, teachable and learnable system of simplified grammar but
> also conducting research showing that the new grammar does something
useful
> for students. The research will have to be quantitative and of sufficient
> validity to be published in refereed journals.
>
> In my opinion, nothing less will do the trick. It's too bad that we don't
> seem to have ATEG members from research universities who might have the
> time, money, and necessity for doing the needed research.
>
> Even in the unlikely eventuality that these conditions could be met,
> grammar would still have to fight its way into the curriculum against a
> tide of new material being added because of the new standards and tests.
>
> Bill
>
> William J. McCleary
> 3247 Bronson Hill Road
> Livonia, NY 14487
> 716-346-6859