National Writing Project

In addition to developing a leadership cadre of local teachers (called "teacher-consultants") through invitational summer institutes, NWP sites design and deliver customized in-service programs for local schools, districts, and higher education institutions, and they provide a diverse array of continuing education and research opportunities for teachers at all levels.

National research studies[3] have confirmed significant gains in writing performance among students of teachers who have participated in NWP programs.

The core principles at the foundation of NWP's national program model are: NWP began in 1974 in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, where, James Gray and his colleagues established a university-based program for K–16 teachers called the Bay Area Writing Project (BAWP).

The structure of these writing programs formed the basis of NWP's "teachers-teaching-teachers" model of professional development.

In 1991 NWP was authorized as a federal education program, allowing the network to expand to previously under-served areas.