The Writing Project is affiliated with the Department of English and Foreign Language. The Mississippi Valley State University Writing Project is an organization dedicated to improving the teaching to writing through a variety of programs, both on the University campus and in the Delta area. Working from a firm belief in the power of classroom-tested knowledge, the Writing Project chooses as consultants successful practicing secondary teachers who have participated in the Summer Invitational Institute on the Valley campus. The participants are drawn from all levels of instruction and all subject areas.
The MVSU Writing Project offers professional development opportunites for teachers in all disciplines, K-college, in Mississippi's Delta region. Affiliated with the National Writing Project at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute, MVSU/WP offers summer credit activities in a highly selective invitational summer institute, generally for six hours of graduate credit. MVSU/WP also serves as a consulting agency to Delta school districts, offering staff development programs in all aspects of writing instruction, including Writing Across the Cirriculum.
Writing Project Related Sites
National Writing Project - The mission of the National Writing Project (NWP) is to improve the teaching of writing and improve learning in the nation's schools. Through its professional development model, the National Writing Project recognizes the primary importance of teacher knowledge, expertise, and leadership.
The National Writing Project believes that access to high quality educational experiences is a basic right of all learners and a cornerstone of equity. Through its extensive network of teachers, the National Writing Project seeks to promote exemplary instruction of writing in every classroom in America.
The National Writing Project values diversity of the students, their families and their communities. It recognizes that lives and practices are enriched when those with whom we interact represent diversities of race, gender, class, ethnicity, and language.
Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute - Since its inception in 1985, the mission of the Institute has been to transform education for students and teachers in Mississippi. The Institute subcontracts with university sites to provide various programs to school districts and provides direct programming from the Institute office for statewide initiatives.
Through MWTI, the NWP offers what Mississippi teachers need most to help their students:
- High quality professional development that blends best practices and research
- Programs that last for weeks, well beyond a single afternoon or faculty meeting
- Outstanding classroom teachers who serve as teachers of their colleagues (and often their administrators)