We are firmly committed to the belief that teachers are the key to educational change and that real change in classroom practice happens over time.
The Missouri Writing Projects Network (MWPN) is comprised of five sites that work to increase student learning by improving teaching and learning in all subjects and at all levels throughout the state.
We believe that access to high-quality educational experiences is a basic right of all learners. We work in partnership with institutions, organizations, and communities to develop and sustain leadership for educational improvement. Throughout our work, we value and seek diversity—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.
All MWPN sites base their programs on the following National Writing Project Assumptions:
Writing is pivotal to learning, to academic achievement, and to job success.
Writing instruction begins in kindergarten and continues through university.
Universities and schools in collaboration provide powerful programs for teachers.
Effective teachers make the best teachers of other teachers.
Teachers are the key to reform in education.
Professional development begins when teachers enter teaching and continues throughout their careers.
Writing is fundamental to learning all subjects.
A Successful Model Customized for Local Needs
MWPN sites share a national program model, adhering to a set of shared principles and practices for teachers’ professional learning and offering programs that are common across the network. In addition to developing a leadership cadre of local teachers (called “teacher-consultants”) through Institutes, MWPN 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 National Writing Project programs. Contact us for high-quality professional development, that gives teachers the resources and experiences to improve student learning.
