Grammar makes a comeback.

Driven by standardized testing requirements and poor student performance in reading and writing, educators are turning to an old standard to remedy the problem--grammar lessons. The U.S. Department of Education acknowledges the No Child Left Behind law emphasizes testing, placing greater importance on grammar. The new SAT also includes multiple-choice questions on grammar.

The challenge lies in that an entire generation of teachers have not been trained in the subject. experts say. The teaching of grammar was de-emphasized in the mid-1980s, with claims it was autocratic and irrelevant to student performance. The National Council of Teachers of English passed a resolution in 1985 saying that parsing sentences and other grammar exercises divorced from real-life application don't help students become better readers or writers.

Now. educators are finding that students struggle with expressing themselves. Ruth Townsend Story, co-author of a soon to be published book Grammar Lessons You'd Love to Teach. says without good grammar, many students struggle with critical thinking about a difficult text. In her work with high school students, Story has seen many good readers lose the meaning of complex sentences. A command of grammar could remedy that, she says. The way to teach grammar is by making it fun and relevant to students' daily lives, she says. "You can learn all about parts of speech, but if you never apply it in real-life situations or real-life simulations, it doesn't mean anything," says Story.

Using Instant Messaging and e-mail by most students is also contributing to the demise of grammar, Story says. The strategy to combat this problem is to teach students about the differences between colloquial speech and standard English, Story says.

Some educators are not sold on grammar as a cure-all for literacy and writing difficulties. Guy Stella. the assistant superintendent of schools for elementary education in Stratford, Conn., says grammar is best taught by using good literature. "The more connections we make the better. With good literature you have all the elements of language," Stella says. "Good grammar develops from good language. We don't parse anything ... It is more important than ever before to develop the craft of authorship at a young age."