Grant to help train teachers to improve student writing

UNM has received a $30,000 grant from the National Writing Project to improve student writing and learning. Funding will establish the High Desert Writing Project, an opportunity for Albuquerque-area teachers to participate in summer and school year programs focused on improving writing skills.

The High Desert Writing Project summer institute will be held from June 1 to June 30. Participating teachers will study successful classroom strategies to teach writing, read and discuss research, and improve their knowledge of writing by writing themselves.

Leading the writing project is Richard Meyer, professor of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies at the UNM College of Education. Meyer believes Albuquerque is an excellent site for the project because it includes the largest school district in the state and has a diverse student population. The project will also serve teachers and students in nearby counties.

The National Writing Project, a federally funded professional development program with 189 sites, provided more than 6,000 programs for K-16 teachers across the country in the 2003-04 school year. The emphasis on writing, while not new to the National Writing Project, is particularly timely as both the SAT and ACT have added writing components to their college admission tests. The call for a “writing revolution” in the National Commission on Writing publication “The Neglected R” has also sparked renewed interest in writing.

Interested teachers may e-mail Rick Meyer at: rmeyer@unm.edu or call 505.277.6376. More information about the National Writing Project is available at: Writing Project.

Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu