The National Writing Project—180 Sites . . . & Growing
by Joan Baum, Ph.D.

Speaking of standards—a standard for teaching writing seems to be emerging in the crowded field of national, regional and local professional development programs, if longevity, numbers of participants and funding resources set criteria. The National Writing Project (NWP), a 30-year endeavor to promote, disseminate and evaluate best practices, with special attention to local area needs, is finally becoming the visible mover and shaker it deserves to be because of its mission and record of accomplishment. Working quietly but consistently over the years, this remarkable venture—the largest in-service, cost-effective training project of its kind in the country—has, since 1994, under its focused, energetic, charming and politically savvy executive director, Dr. Richard Sterling, been garnering support from government and foundations to advance its goal of putting writing “at the center of school reform,” K through high school. The recent report from the National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges which found that “The Neglected R” is being addressed by the separate states with such uneven diversity as to make desirable policies difficult to administer and implement only encourages Richard Sterling to expand and communicate NWP initiatives—but don’t look to the dynamic director who values careful research to allow speed to overwhelm efficiency.

Of course, many established education organizations and associations claim to be in the forefront of writing reform, and Sterling generously applauds their work, but what makes NWP stand out, he believes, is its integrated networking system—a judiciously conceived, tested, revised and evaluated structure that encourages democratic participation and appeals to a sense of entrepreneurship by providing communities with a cadre of trained teachers who can be hired to train others in district schools. The NPW process is like a relay race, where a torch ignited by a lead runner is passed down the line. Some lines run through urban districts, others rural, and all lines connect with sites that are increasingly aware of the needs of English language learners. At the heart of the NWP idea is the small-group summer institute where participants present theories, models, research, classroom practices and evaluation instruments for discussion and analysis—how to teach writing in classrooms where 6 or 7 first languages other than English are spoken, for example. Recently, Sterling points out, an interactive component has been added to NWP to prompt electronic conversations among the teachers with common interests and concerns.

With its time-tested institute model of pairs of writing experts—a college teacher collaborating with a teacher from K-12—training teachers to become trainers themselves, NPW seems particularly suited to guide and help

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