National Writing Project

The National Writing Project believes that access to high-quality educational experiences is a basic right of all learners.

NWP works in partnership with institutions, organizations and communities to develop and sustain leadership for educational improvement. Throughout our work, we value and seek varied voices—our own as well as that of our students and their communities—and recognize that practice is strengthened when we incorporate multiple ways of knowing that are informed by culture and experience.

A Network of University-Based Sites

Co-directed by faculty from the local university and from K–12 schools, nearly 175+ local sites serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sites work in partnership with area school districts to offer high-quality professional development programs for educators. NWP continues to add new sites each year, with the goal of placing a writing project site within reach of every teacher in America. The network now includes two associated international sites.

A Successful Model Customized for Local Needs

NWP sites share a national program model, adhering to a set of shared principles and practices for teachers’ professional development, and offering programs that are common across the network. In addition to developing a leadership cadre of local teachers (called “teacher-consultants”) through Institutes, NWP sites design and deliver customized in-service programs for local schools, districts, and higher education institutions, and they provide a wide array of continuing education and research opportunities for teachers at all levels.

National research studies have confirmed significant gains in writing performance among students of teachers who have participated in NWP programs.