The National Writing Project, Teachers' Writing Lives, and Student Achievement in Writing

Abstract

This survey research on National Writing Project (NWP) teachers and comparison teachers (N = 35) in a southeastern state found that the NWP teachers wrote more than the comparison teachers did and that the participating teachers' writing was associated with students' achievement in writing. The pattern of the impact of writing life on achievement was different among the NWP teachers than it was among the comparison teachers: NWP teachers who wrote had students whose achievement in writing increased significantly, whereas comparison teachers and NWP teachers who wrote less did not. This finding of an interaction effect between NWP affiliation and teachers' writing life in association with student achievement suggests that the writing by teachers central to NWP professional development may combine with the two other core elements of the NWP's programs across its 198 sites (demonstrations of practices for teaching writing and professional reading and study) to improve student achievement in writing. In light of the nature of modeling and feedback during NWP summer institute and extension programs, these findings have implications for preservice teacher education and in-service programs serving elementary as well as secondary teachers and across the school subjects.