Impact

The Nebraska Writing Project (NeWP) is part of the National Writing Project (NWP). The NWP develops innovative programming with an emphasis on emerging technologies in writing and learning, attention to civic engagement, and a steadfast belief in the potential of great teachers to become educational leaders.

Evidence of Outcomes

Involvement in the Nebraska Writing Project by trained teacher consultants/researchers creates stronger classroom practice, improves student achievement in writing, and imbues an appreciation of the individual teacher’s personal ability to write and model writing for students. The National Writing Project professional development model, which centers teachers as writers and leaders, has been validated in over 200 studies.

 

For example, the Nebraska Writing Project was one of the sites included in one of the largest random-controlled study on student argument writing in the nation, which assessed the impact of a NWP professional development program called C3WP (College, Career, Community Writer's Program).  The results showed statistically-significant results that were visible in student writing when assessed by blind reviewers, as shown in the chart. 

To date, thousands of teachers have become more effective writing instructors though NWP programs, leading to a more robust education for  students all over the United States.

In addition, participants in NeWP programs were interviewed and asked about the impact of the programs on their personal and professional development. Highlights include:

  • Over 90% of interviewees agreed that NeWP immediately affected how they teach writing
  • Over 90% of interviewees agreed that they continued to use NeWP ideas, practices, and strategies in their teaching
  • 72% of interviewees agreed that their participation in NeWP contributed to the advancement of their careers
  • 60% of interviewees established and maintained a network of other professional educators based on their experience(s) with NeWP
  • Over 76% of interviewees returned to future NeWP institutes or activities after their first experience
  • 80% of interviewees continued personally or professionally writing after their NeWP experience, and nearly 30% submitted their work for professional publication/had their work professionally published. 34% self-published their work, and another 37% facilitated the publication of others' work, including that of their students
Students in C3WP Districts
The Impact of C3WP Program On Student Writing vs Control

Statewide Reach

In addition, our programs reach hundreds of youth and community members across Nebraska each year, from floating students down the Niobrara River in our award-winning "Write the River" partnership with Niobara Scenic River National Park, to mentoring students to write for the local newspaper as part of our Rural Youth Civic Journalism camp in McCook Nebraska, to hosting Saturday writing workshops for veterans as part of our Warrior Writers program in partnership with Humanities Nebraska, to engaging students in more complex stories of the Homestead Act through the "There's No Such Thing as Free Land" project with Homestead National Monument, and more.  

program map

Program Highlights: 

  • Write the River - Award-winning program to float students down the Niobrara River for writing activities 

  • Writing Camps - 5 different camps for various ages and focus areas, e.g. elementary, secondary, family literacy, and journalism 

  • WriteOn! Norfolk - Writing event series open to the community in Norfolk 

  • Gretna Institute - 45-hour professional development program on writing pedagogy with Gretna Public Schools 

  • Advanced Institute - 3-credit grad class on teaching in a divisive culture 

  • Accessibility Workshops - Workshop series to equip teachers to make multimodal content accessible 

  • Warrior Writers - Weekly writing workshops for active duty military and vets, in Lincoln and Omaha (With Humanities Nebraska)

  • Media Literacy Initiative - Research + teaching initiative in partnership with national team to promote democracy through media literacy 

  • Write Out - 2-week celebration of writing and making, inspired by the great outdoors. 2024 Theme: Poetry for the Planet

  • Teacher Appreciation - Outreach events to teachers in Lincoln an McCook, Nebraska, including poetry readings by state poet and teacher-themed pub trivia 

Write the River Picture

Connections to Schools

Through NeWP , UNL has a presence in secondary schools across the state. This year, this included: 

140+ 

     teachers who participated in NeWP Programing 

10+ 

     programs that directly reached secondary students