Illinois Writing Project

Illinois Writing Project
National-Louis University
122 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603-6119

The overarching goal of IWP is to help people of all ages become more skillful and enthusiastic readers, writers and users of language. We believe literacy, along with being a school subject and economic requirement, is also a key top individual development. Our programs are founded on recent theory and research about teaching reading and writing, so teachers may explore may promising best-practice ideas and then choose among those that will most enrich their own teaching. Schools using this approach have experienced improved IGAP standardized language arts test scores.

A DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE
The Illinois Writing Project offers in-depth staff development on composition, reading and other elements of language arts for teachers of all grade levels across the curriculum, and has reached thousands of teachers with its intensive, experiential inservice workshops. The project was originally developed under Federal grants and funds from the Illinois Humanities Council, and is supported by the National Writing Project. Three statistical research studies confirmed that writing performance by students of Project-trained teachers was superior to that of students in classrooms where teachers had not received training. The first of these studies was reviewed and validated by the Illinois State Board of Education. Over recent years, IWP has expanded offerings into all aspects of literacy, and programs are funded primarily through direct adoption by schools, colleges, and other agencies. Weve conducted hundreds of full-scale inservice programs throughout Chicago, its suburbs, and other Northern Illinois communities, and across the midwest.

EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS
IWP programs invite teachers to experience new strategies, to review relevant research and bestpractice concepts, and then to design their own classroom applications. IWP programs are true workshops, which means participants actively engage the subject matter, led by a knowledgeable teacher-consultant and following a mutually developed agenda. Each of these courses (most of which involve 30 hours of instruction) may be given in mixed K-College groups, or may be adjusted to a narrower span of teaching assignments. Whatever the audience, each IWP course is an intensive workshop series that leads to practical classroom applications and renewed energy for teaching.

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COSTS AND ARRANGEMENTS
Ordinarily, IWP programs are sponsored by schools, districts, colleges, or other agencies as opportunities for voluntary groups of teachers. Costs are comparable to other intensive inservice programs and are customary amount the sites of the National Writing Project. Most IWP programs include 30 hours of instruction, at a charge of $3,000. for a group of up to 30 teachers. Shorter programs can be custom designed as necessary. Courses carry optional graduate credit through National-Louis University at specially reduced rates (usually paid by individuals). Scheduling is arranged in many ways:

On full days of released time
During after-school, evening, or weekend hours
Using school-day classroom consulting
Through in-district summer courses

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP
IWPs workshop facilitators comprise a corps of seasoned and highly skilled teacher-consultants. All are experienced public school teachers, have been trained in IWP leadership institutes and internships, and are credentialed to offer programs carrying graduate credit through National-Louis University. Directors Steve Zemelman and Harvey Daniels have together written the widely used Best practice: New Standards for teaching and Learning in Americas Schools (with Arthur Hyde; 2^nd edition, Heinemann, 1998), and A Community of Writers (Heinemann, 1988). Daniels writings also include Methods That Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms (with Marilyn Bizar; Stenhouse, 1998), and Literature circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom (Stenhouse, 1994). Together, Zemelman and Daniels as faculty at the Center for City Schools, National-Louis University, have worked to strengthen curriculum in the best Practice Network of K-8 schools in Chicago, and have helped found the Best Practice High School, a model, small public school in Chicago.

For information, or to schedule a workshop call:
Steve Zemelman 847-674-2318
Harvey Daniels 847-441-6635
NLU Office for both 312-621-9650 ext. 3106
Fax: 312-261-3350

PROGRAMS AVAILABLE

Teaching Writing
Teaching Reading
Reading-writing Connections
Running a Reading/Writing Workshop
Writing Across the Curriculum
Interdisciplinary/Integrated Curriculum
Using Literature Circles
Multicultural Learning
Authentic Literacy Assessment
Advanced Strategies in Teaching Writing
Summer Leadership Institute (3-week course)
In-classroom Consulting and Support