The Enduring Quality and Value of the National Writing Project's Teacher Development Institutes:
Teachers' Assessments Of NWP Contributions to Their Classroom Practice and Development as Leaders

Authors

Laura Stokes, Ph.D. With assistance from Judy Hirabayashi, Allison Murray, Laurie Senauke, and Inverness Research Inc.

Purpose

The National Commission on Writing names the National Writing Project (NWP) as a national resource for best practices in the teaching of writing (2006). The NWP operates at a national scale, with 200 local professional development sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Annually, NWP sites offer 7,000-8,000 programs that serve 80,000-100,000 teachers.

It is the NWP's Invitational Summer Institutes (ISIs) that generate the teacher leadership that enables local NWP sites and the nationwide network to provide inservice programs in local districts and schools. Annual surveys of ISI participants conducted over many years demonstrate the enduring quality and value of the institutes for teachers and the positive impacts on their practice. Our 2008 report, Teachers' Assessment of Professional Development Quality, Value, and Benefits: Results from Seven Annual Surveys of Participants in National Writing Project Summer Institutes, presents longitudinal analysis of annual survey results from seven cohorts of institute participants from 2000-2006, a total of 22,287 teachers.

This report presents results from the 2009 Summer Institute survey and Spring 2010 follow-up survey. The over 3,000 participants in the 2009 summer institutes represent over 2,500 schools in 1,300 school districts—that is, 9% of all school districts in the nation—as well as over 120 colleges and universities. The results reflect NWP participants' perspectives on the quality and value of NWP institutes and follow-up programs, as well as the impact of those programs on their classroom practices and development as leaders.

Intended Audience

The National Writing Project, Federal, State, and Local Policy Makers, Funders, Educators, Teachers, Reform Leaders, and general public.

Disclaimer

Any and all errors are claimed by the authors of this document, Inverness Research, Inc.

Disclaimer

Any and all errors are claimed by the authors of this document, Inverness Research, Inc.

Date published

November 2011

Distribution Policy

Inverness Research Inc. grants permission to print and distribute copies.

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