National Writing Project

FOCUSING THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR NATION'S EDUCATORS TO IMPROVE WRITING AND LEARNING.

NWP IS A NETWORK OF 169 UNIVERSITY-BASED SITES SERVING ALL 50 STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, PUERTO RICO, AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. CO-DIRECTED BY FACULTY FROM THE UNIVERSITY AND K-12 SCHOOLS, EACH NWP SITE DEVELOPS A LEADERSHIP CADRE OF LOCAL EDUCATORS THROUGH INTENSIVE INVITATIONAL AND ADVANCED INSTITUTES. TOGETHER WITH LOCAL PARTNERS, SITES DESIGN AND DELIVER CUSTOMIZED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN THE TEACHING OF WRITING IN SCHOOLS, DISTRICTS, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT WORKS TO SUPPORT AND EXPAND THE WORK OF LOCAL SITES. IN THE 2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR AND SUMMER, WITH FUNDING AND PROGRAM SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT, SITES RECRUITED OVER 2,100 NEW TEACHER LEADERS THROUGH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTES AND OTHER INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT; WORKED WITH 1,700 SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NETWORK; AND PROVIDED INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF 50+ HOURS TO NEARLY 1,500 SCHOOLS. SITES OFFERED OVER 50,000 HOURS OF FORMAL PROGRAMMING AND REACHED 6 MILLION STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM THROUGH WRITING PROJECT TEACHERS ACROSS THE NETWORK.OVER THE MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF ITS DEVELOPMENT, THE NWP HAS CREATED A SIGNATURE MODEL OF INQUIRY-DRIVEN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT INCLUDES EXAMINING BEST PRACTICES, ENGAGING IN THE DISCIPLINE UNDER STUDY, DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO MEET THE LITERACY NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, AND LEARNING FROM RESEARCH IN THE FIELD. THE STRONG NATIONAL NETWORK OF LOCAL WRITING PROJECT SITES SERVES AS A CONSTANT SUPPORT THAT EDUCATORS CAN DRAW UPON TO ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO INNOVATE AND LEAD IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS BENEFITING SCHOOLS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND THE YOUTH THEY SERVE.THIRTY YEARS OF NATIONAL RESEARCH AND EVALUATION STUDIES CONFIRM THAT NWP PROGRAMS SUPPORT TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND CONTRIBUTE TO GROWTH IN STUDENT WRITING ACHIEVEMENT AS MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS. WITHIN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS SRI INTERNATIONAL HAS CONDUCTED THREE RIGOROUS EVALUATIONS OF THE IMPACTS OF THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT'S COLLEGE, CAREER, AND COMMUNITY WRITERS PROGRAM (C3WP). ALL THREE STUDIES EMPLOYED RANDOM ASSIGNMENT AND WERE DESIGNED TO MEET THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S HIGHEST STANDARDS OF RESEARCH: WHAT WORKS CLEARINGHOUSE STANDARDS WITHOUT RESERVATIONS AND ESSA TIER 1 (STRONG EVIDENCE). IN ALL THREE STUDIES C3WP EXHIBITED A POSITIVE, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE FOUR ATTRIBUTES OF STUDENT ARGUMENT WRITING EXAMINED: CONTENT, STRUCTURE, STANCE, AND CONVENTIONS, AS MEASURED ACROSS NEARLY 15,000 STUDENT WRITINGS BY TRAINED SCORERS USING THE ANALYTIC WRITING CONTINUUM FOR SOURCE-BASED ARGUMENT. THESE POSITIVE RESULTS REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE THREE STUDIES AND SPANNED 228 DIVERSE SCHOOLS ACROSS 20 STATES, SHOWING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NWP PROGRAMMING ACROSS MANY REGIONS AND VARIED SETTINGS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.