This authoritative volume synthesizes current knowledge on writing development in children and adolescents and the processes underlying successful learning and teaching. The most comprehensive work of its kind, the volume encompasses both cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. Leading investigators present salient theoretical models; describe cutting-edge research methodologies and analytic tools; summarize available data on the effectiveness of major instructional approaches; and identify key directions for future research. Emphasizing the importance of supporting all students' writing development, the book includes a special section on cultural diversity, gender, special education, and bilingual learners.

Charles A. MacArthur, PhD, is Professor of Special Education in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. His major research interests include understanding writing development and difficulties, designing instruction for struggling writers, applying technology to support reading and writing, and understanding learning processes in inclusive classrooms. He is currently principal investigator of a federally funded research project investigating instruction in decoding and spelling for adult basic education students. He is editor of the [i]Journal of Special Education[/i].

Steve Graham, EdD, is the Curry Ingram Professor in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. His research has focused on identifying the factors that contribute to writing development and writing difficulties, developing and validating effective instructional procedures for struggling writers, and using technology to enhance writing performance. He is the former editor of [i]Contemporary Educational Psychology[/i] and the current editor of [i]Exceptional Children[/i]. He is also the author, with Karen R. Harris, of [i]Writing Better[/i] and [i]Making the Writing Process Work[/i], and the coeditor, with H. Lee Swanson and Karen R. Harris, of the [i]Handbook of Learning Disabilities[/i].

Jill Fitzgerald, PhD, is Associate Dean and Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of North Carolina/n-/Chapel Hill, where she has taught since 1979. Her primary research interests include literacy issues for multilingual learners and early literacy development in relation to literacy instruction reform efforts. She has received the American Educational Research Association's Outstanding Review of Research Award and (with George Noblit) the International Reading Association's Dina Feitelson Award for Research. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the [i]Journal of Educational Psychology[/i], [i]Reading Research Quarterly[/i], and [i]Contemporary Educational Psychology[/i].