Students who do not have opportunities to control their lives in school may find it more difficult to control their lives outside of school. Ultimately, ownership isn't about learning, but about living. Creating a more just and democratic society depends on citizens who are willing and able to examine and, if necessary, to challenge the conditions of their lives and the lives of their fellow citizens.

—from the Introduction

The concept of student ownership has provoked considerable debate in current language arts theory and practice. Clearly ownership cannot mean that teachers withdraw their support for students, but how do teachers strike a balance without threatening students' personal investment? And how do individual and cultural differences figure into this equation?

To answer these and other questions about ownership, Curt Dudley-Marling and Dennis Searle have asked outstanding teachers and scholars to share their own thoughts and experiences. The result is a remarkable collection of essays on a range of views. Some of the contributors reflect on practice, illustrating how they support student intentions without abdicating their responsibility to "teach." Others offer a more theoretical perspective, arguing that ownership is a more subtle and complex notion than previously imagined.