Kean University Writing Project

Kean University Writing Project joined NCTE and NWP for the National Day of Writing, setting up a gallery and hosting a series of events at Liberty Hall Museum and the Center for Academic Success that ranged from seminars to quiet writing to "open mic" and more, including critically acclaimed author Jayanti Tamm's presenting of her memoir "Cartwheels in a Sari."

Along with KUWP, Rahway High School also celebrated the National Day of Writing with its own gallery. Check out the Photos page to see them writing.

Four members of Kean's Writing Project staff attended the Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English for the NWP Annual Meeting and Workshop Series. Dr. Linda Best, Project Director; Dr. Charles Nelson, Technology Liaison; Dr. Gail Verdi, Teacher-Consultant; and Miss Erica Holan, Assistant to Dr. Best, traveled to San Antonio for this purpose.  Their activities at the event included attendance at the Annual Meeting, where Kean's affiliation with NWP was formally announced, and participation in a series of exceptional workshops on all aspects of NWP site development—from technology initiatives to new teacher professional development, ELLs, site sustainability, project leadership, and inservice initiatives.  Kean's NWP staff development will continue with selected faculty/staff attendance at a number of future events:  the NWP Annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 2009, which will include congressional hearings; the Urban Sites Network Conference in Louisville, April 2009; and the Digital Media and Composition Institute in Columbus, Ohio, in June 2009.

NWP 2008 Research Brief: Writing Project Professional Development for Teachers Yields Gains in Student Writing Achievement

NWP has made available their NWP 2008 Research Brief, which shows how much NWP professional development helps teachers improve their practice and students improve their writing. You can download the entire report from their website. Below is the summary of the report:

"Summary: This Research Brief summarizes nine studies that examined the effects of NWP professional development programs on teacher practices and student writing achievement in schools and districts served by writing project sites. The results demonstrate positive effects on the writing achievement of students of writing project teachers across a range of grade levels, schools, and contexts."

Kean University Writing Project's first Summer Institute began at 9:00 am today! President Farahi came to welcome the participants.

At the end of January, we had our initial site visit from NWP to familiarize us with the nature of the Summer Institute, its expectations, and resources and services available. Visiting us were Patricia McGonegal, who is the director of the Writing Project at the University of Vermont (and also a Kean alumna), and Susan Biggs, the in-service coordinator and WP co-director at the Western Massachusetts Writing Project. What I remember most is the emphasis on teachers taking initiative and becoming leaders in the Summer Institute and in their schools and districts as they return and share what they've learned with other teachers.