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I like to refer to myself as a “professional reader” when I tell people that I am an English Major. What I commonly leave out of the equation is the amount of writing that accompanies, if not equals, the copious amount of reading that awaits me every semester. Writing, like many other skills, is perfected through practice. Writing is critical in the schooling of a student because it is a skill transferrable throughout the disciplines; a skill that is integral to success in several fields, it is not just limited to English.

The National Writing Project (NWP) works as an organization to enhance teacher quality and commitment regarding the reintegration of writing into the curriculum of low-income schools. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, the executive director of NWP, recently discussed the unfortunate reality that when schools are dubbed as “failing” or “struggling” writing is quickly dismissed from the curriculum to make room for test prep to improve test scores. As made evident through personal experience, being able to answer multiple-choice questions doesn’t transfer directly to success in college and beyond. Eidman-Aadalh and the other panelists made the need to reintegrate writing into the curriculum of these schools imperative, as well as make teachers competent instructors in the field of writing.

Reintegrating writing into the curriculum is one thing, but without effective and quality teachers who can teach students to write well, success will not be obtained. This is where the NWP comes into play, as well as the several devoted individuals across the country who work in tandem with NWP to help teachers optimize their teaching skills and make low-income students gain success through effective writing. Hearing the panelists discuss nationwide initiatives that have helped teachers become more effective at teaching low-income students how to write well and therefore excel across the disciplines not only speaks to the power of writing as a tool of success, but how collaboration, not competition, produces excellent results in schools and students.

I am proud to refer to myself as an individual who is informed about what is going on in the K-12 education world, which has been enhanced by my summer at The Center for Education Reform and the events I have attended. This event is no exception in that I learned how school nomenclature affects the curriculum; failing schools can be forced into a test-centered approach, while successful schools have more freedom in their curriculum. After this event, I have become aware of the collaboration across schools and teachers that encourage and foster success within students; emphasizing the value of a teacher in schools and how integral they are in the outcomes of students.

Elizabeth Kennard, CER Intern