An Evaluator's Perspective on the Importance of Federal Support of the National Writing Project
(Slide presentation and Handout)

Authors

Mark St. John, Laura Stokes, Inverness Research Inc.

Purpose

This is a presentation that Inverness Research prepared for the National Writing Project's April 2008 Spring Meeting in Washington D.C. Inverness Research is an independent evaluation firm that has studied the NWP for 14 years.

The presentation explains, from an evaluator's perspective, why and how the National Writing Project represents an important federal investment in the improvement of the nation's education system.

The presentation makes this main point: There is a strong logic, and a high degree of leverage, to the investment in the National Writing Project. It backs up the following arguments with evaluation data:

• The NWP is the largest and longest-standing professional development program in U.S. history.
• The NWP is not just another "project." It is a national infrastructure of linked sites, each of which is a school-university partnership.
• Federal funding of the NWP is not just another annual "expenditure." It is an investment that is cost- efficient and generates ever-expanding capacity to serve teachers.
• The federal investment in the NWP infrastructure leads to large-scale improvements in writing for students.
• Federal funding remains critical to the NWP's future work. Federal funding enables the infrastructure to function. A discontinuity in federal funding could put the entire infrastructure, built over 30 years, at risk.

There are two companion files: a slide presentation and a single-page handout. These are both PDF documents. See links below.

Intended Audience

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

Disclaimer

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

Date published

April 2008

Distribution Policy

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

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Download Slides (pp. 29) | Download Handout (p. 1)