The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project (NWP) since 2008, strives to promote the mission of the NWP. Begun in 1973 as the Bay Area Writing Project at the University of California at Berkeley, the National Writing Project has grown into an inspirational network of projects reaching approximately 83,000 teachers a year. Today, the NWP comprises nearly 200 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are over 100 UWMWP Teacher Consultants working in classrooms across southeastern Wisconsin.
The mission of the National Writing Project 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—our own as well as that of our students, their families, and their communities. We recognize that our lives and practices are enriched when those with whom we interact represent diversities of race, gender, class, ethnicity, and language. Here is a video clip of Dr. Jeff Wilhelm, an internationally-known teacher and author on the National Writing Project.