New Jersey Teachers Connect in Unique Summer Institutes
New Brunswick, New Jersey, June 10, 2013 — Like their students, New Jersey teachers look forward to their summer vacation. But this summer, many teachers will be taking time to advance their learning. Teachers at The National Writing Project@Rutgers will be joining more than 3,000 educators across the country to participate in invitational and advanced summer institutes through the National Writing Project (NWP), a unique opportunity that expands educators’ knowledge and understanding of how to best teach writing in the digital age. NWP@Rutgers will be welcoming a new cohort of Fellows to the Summer Institute (SI), where participants craft research-based, teacher-friendly demonstrations that they ultimately present to districts throughout the state. Additionally, NWP@Rutgers will be hosting the Open Institute —a mini SI— the English Language Learner (ELL) Institute, and the Institute for Professional Writing. In the Institute for Professional Writing, teachers are guided towards the publication of their own evocative and scholarly work.
NWP@Rutgers is currently accepting applications for summer programming, including the Summer Institute, Open Institute, English Language Learner Institute, and Institute for Professional Writing. Go to http://nwprutgers.org/ to apply.
Serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and co-directed by local university faculty and classroom teachers, the NWP network offers teachers the opportunity to study the latest research on teaching writing and share knowledge, expertise, and effective classroom practices with one another.
NWP participants become part of a growing national network of teacher-leaders and “educator innovators.” They collaborate in person and online to benefit from the knowledge and experience of other educators and partners such as The Mozilla Foundation. Made possible through theJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Summer of Making and Connecting, the Educator Innovator initiative encourages a broad range of people to engage in creative and connected learning—to make something, to learn a new skill in a new way, and to experience their own creativity and capacity in fields as diverse as the arts and engineering.
"These teachers are eager to help their students become better writers and learners,” said Dr. Sharon J. Washington, NWP Executive Director. “Following the summer learning opportunities, they will also be better equipped to support their colleagues as they prepare students to write in all disciplines to meet college- and career-ready standards."
National research studies have shown that professional development programs designed and delivered by NWP sites have a positive effect on the writing achievement of students across grade levels, schools, and contexts. To learn more, visit http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3208.
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The National Writing Project (NWP)is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation's schools and in other settings. NWP provides high-quality professional development programs to teachers in a variety of disciplines and at all levels, from early childhood through university. Through its nearly 200 university-based sites serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the National Writing Project develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners. For more information, visit www.nwp.org.