The Tidewater Writing Project is a satellite of the Virginia Writing Project and a part of the larger network of the National Writing Project.
The National Writing Project is the premier effort to improve writing in America. Through its professional development model, NWP builds the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help their students become successful writers and learners. Studies of student achievement, both local and national, show positive results.
The mission of the Tidewater Writing Project is to improve student writing and learning in Chesapeake, Franklin, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Southampton County, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. We believe that our teacher consultants' knowledge, expertise, and leadership are central to developing and sharing writing for 21st Century learners. We recognize that high quality educational experiences are fundamental to social equity and place high value on diversity. We promote exemplary instruction of writing through current research, collaborative, and collective experiences across disciplines.
Located in the Darden College of Education & Professional Studies at Old Dominion University, the project has the following general aims:
- To attract teachers of all subject areas K-12, who are interested in improving student writing in their schools;
- To enable those teachers to come together for several weeks in the summer to explore research on the teaching of writing, various approaches to writing instruction, and alternative models for evaluating writing;
- To assist teachers in improving their own writing;
- To develop a corps of teacher consultants in the writing project who can work with other teachers toward improving student writing in all school subjects.