Persuasively written and thoroughly researched, Radical Departures addresses some big questions on how writing has been taught in U.S. schools. This book covers topics like: The position of Composition in the academy and its growth as a discipline The current political climate, with its calls for standardized testing and accountability The uneasy relationships between faculty in English and English education departments The (lack of) cooperation between postsecondary compositionists and P-12 language arts teachers. These issues and others are thoughtfully covered as Chris W. Gallagher traces the ways in which "progressive politics" of one kind or another have played an integral role in how writing has been taught and studied in U.S. secondary and postsecondary schools.