What we do
The National Writing Project focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning for all learners.
In 2015, 185 Writing Project sites, based in universities nationwide, supported
3,000 new teacher leaders who joined a network that worked with
80,000 colleagues in classrooms and
2,000 adult leaders in museums, libraries, national parks, youth programs, and more
to strengthen thinking and writing among more than 1.4M students (pre-K through college).
NWP supports great teacher leaders and creates connections and collaborations that are vital for the teaching profession.
How we do it
In 2015, Writing Projects in all 50 states revitalized teachers and built their leadership skills through the core work of summer institutes, on-site coaching, and local networks. More targeted programs achieved such aims as reaching teachers in rural communities and exploring the intersections of sciences and literacy.
How we do it
Supporting Teacher Leaders
Our core work identifies and supports great teacher leaders. Summer Institutes mix it up, bringing together experienced teachers of different disciplines and expanding the local cadre of teachers able to support their peers in pursuing educational excellence. Every year inspired teachers then lead additional programs such as Intersections, supporting teachers in creating places where science and literacy meet, whether in classrooms, museums or summer camps.
“NWP did for me what I hopefully do for my students: Allow me to say with confidence, ‘I am a writer!’” — Daniel Laird, teacher leader, Red Cedar Writing Project, Michigan State University
NWP’s online networks, research, and national outreach continue to support educators’ enormous creativity.
NWP has become a valued resource for educators everywhere. In 2015, 24,000 downloads from NWP Radio and 99,000 minutes of video viewed sparked new conversations in classrooms.
Our news and resources reached 2.6M people on Twitter and
714,000 people on Facebook.
“Something I've learned from NWP: teacher leaders = network of change makers.” — Jessica Early, Director, Central Arizona Writing Project, Arizona State University
I had been contentedly teaching for nine years, but I had a yearning to become a great educator. The Writing Project had to be the right path.
Critical junctions, where travelers experience the interplay of risk and reward, the known and unknown, define journeys. The Lewis and Clark expedition has always captivated me for that reason. On June 2, 1805, in central Montana, the expedition encountered a river confluence where the roiling milky waters of the Marias River commingled with the more rapid and clear waters of the upper Missouri River. The captains had a substantial decision to make: continue north up the familiar trail of milky water, or embark south into a different type of river.
I found myself at a similar junction in 2013. I had been contentedly teaching for nine years, but I had a yearning to become a great educator. Two colleagues of mine, teacher consultants with the Boise State Writing Project (BSWP), encouraged me to venture in an unfamiliar direction by applying for the BSWP Invitational Summer Institute (ISI).
At the Marias River confluence, Lewis and Clark hedged a calculated bet. They understood that the clear swift water and rounded cobbles of the south fork were indicators of a mountain river, which would lead them closer to their goal. I recognized in my colleagues, Ramey and Serena, valuable shared characteristics: student-centric decision-making, highly effective teaching strategies, collaborative approaches to planning, and careful and considerate ways of listening and responding to others. The Writing Project had to be the right path.
How we do it
College-Ready Writers Program
Through the NWP's College-Ready Writers Program, for example, teacher leaders worked with language arts teachers in rural districts to hone students' skills in written argument. An independent evaluation found that the research-based CRWP had a positive, statistically significant effect on students’ writing, which demonstrated greater proficiency in the quality of reasoning and use of evidence.
Over two years, the College-Ready Writers Program engaged approximately 400 teachers, grades 7–10 
in teaching approximately 25,000 students 
in 44 high-need, rural school districts 
in 10 states. 
Students in CRWP district Outscored students in control districts on four attributes of writing.
“This evaluation of teacher professional development is one of the largest and most rigorous to find evidence of an impact on student academic outcomes.” — Gallagher, H.A., Woodworth, K.R., and Arshan, N.A. (2015). Impact of the National Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program on Teachers and Students. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
I have watched many facets of my teaching craft transform.
I descend from a long line of educators, and I was determined to not become a teacher.
After graduating, however, I pursued alternate route certification and found myself entering a middle school classroom in a rural school, where 99% of the students received free or reduced-price school lunch.
I love literature and engaging my students in class discussions, but I had few strategies and approaches for teaching writing at the beginning of my career. After three years, I attended the University of Mississippi Writing Project Summer Institute and joined a professional network of teachers. Our Writing Project site director asked me to join the leadership team that was forming for the CRWP. As part of this work, I have watched many facets of my teaching craft transform.
The CRWP has equipped me with the confidence to select informational text sets of relevance to supplement the literature that is common in high school classrooms. For example, my students read, viewed, and analyzed informational text about the teenage brain, then applied that newly acquired knowledge to argue how much of a role it played in the timeless text, Romeo and Juliet.
Where we work
More than 180 university-based sites connect teachers nationwide to networks, resources, and research.
Support for NWP is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, private foundations, corporations, universities, K-12 schools, local community programs, and individuals.