UW-Madison partners launch Greater Madison Writing Project for Teachers

The National Writing Project — an initiative based on the idea of teachers teaching teachers to improve their writing instruction — is returning to Madison, kicking off in July with a four-week Summer Institute to prepare approximately 15 teacher-leaders, who, in turn, can assist other teachers.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science and School of Education are collaborating on the Greater Madison Writing Project (GMWP), the newest member of the National Writing Project (NWP) network — a professional development effort started in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974 by UW–Madison alumnus James Gray.

“The core of the National Writing Project’s philosophy is to honor the invaluable work teachers do,” says Melissa Tedrowe, associate director of UW–Madison’s Writing Center. “Local sites like ours draw on teachers’ knowledge, wisdom and experience to enhance writing instruction in all classrooms.”

Tedrowe is serving as director of the GMWP, working with co-directors Beth Torrison, a retired English teacher who taught 36 years at Madison East High School, and Mark Dziedzic, an outreach specialist with the School of Education.

The National Writing Project’s widely recognized and successful model for K-16 professional development helps teachers across grade levels and subject areas learn strategies to teach students to become accomplished writers and learners. The program also creates professional communities that help teachers keep their instruction fresh and vibrant.

“From the day I graduated from the institute I knew what an important experience it was,” says Beth Torrison, a graduate of the 1983 Wisconsin Writing Project Summer Institute. “All these years later I understand that it was transformative for me both professionally and personally. Every graduate I know says the same.”

The NWP model starts with an Invitational Summer Institute, followed by ongoing support for institute alumni and professional development for their schools. The Madison project is now seeking candidates for its first Summer Institute, to be held July 5-28, at Madison’s Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Application forms are available on the GMWP website, http://gmwp.wisc.edu/, and due Feb. 18.

Funding for the local initiative comes from the U.S. Department of Education, UW–Madison, and Susan Cellmer, a UW–Madison alumna who chairs the School of Education’s Board of Visitors. The funding includes fellowships to provide participants in the inaugural institute full tuition for six credits from UW–Madison, ongoing support the 2011-12 school year, funds to attend and present at regional, state, and national conferences, and opportunities to develop and deliver professional development.

The Summer Institute aims to immerse the participants — a cohort of outstanding teachers from kindergarten through college — in writing, reading, and teacher inquiry workshops to prepare them to be teacher-leaders. In this capacity, they can provide professional development within their school districts and present their research locally, regionally, and nationally.

“The professional development model of teachers at the center has been the cornerstone of NWP since its inception” says Dziedzic, who taught math in middle and elementary schools for eight years. “The authenticity of teachers teaching teachers is what has drawn more than 70,000 teachers to the project.”

Studies have shown that students of NWP-affiliated teachers write more skillfully than their peers across grade levels and school settings. Especially compelling, evidence suggests that NWP sites help narrow the achievement gap in writing between white students and students of color. Studies also show that approximately 98% of NWP alumni remain in education and more than 70% continue as classroom teachers throughout their careers.

The National Writing Project network consists of more than 200 sites, including four in Wisconsin — the Milwaukee Writing Project at Carroll University, the Fox Valley Writing Project at UW-Oshkosh, the UW-Milwaukee Writing Project, and the new Greater Madison Writing Project at UW–Madison.

The UW–Madison School of Education was home of the Wisconsin Writing Project, part of the NWP network, from 1978 to 1993. But that program was discontinued due to lack of funding. The availability of additional funding sources now makes it possible to restart the program.

For more information, visit the GMWP website, http://gmwp.wisc.edu/, or write the Greater Madison Writing Project, Suite 264 Teacher Education Building, 225 N. Mills Street, Madison, WI 53706-1795. Or contact any of the directors: Melissa Tedrowe, matedrowe@wisc.edu, (608) 265-7882; Mark Dziedzic, mdziedzic@wisc.edu, (608) 890-3278; Beth Torrison, btorrisongmwp@gmail.com, (608) 225-0161.