Five Steps for New Directors

New directors, whether they are directors of new sites or directors of existing sites, can find the information, support, and colleagueship they need through the NWP network. If you are a new director, or working with a new director, start with these five steps:

Step 1: Create an NWPi profile

Site directors and other site leaders receive resources and interact with the NWP website in special ways based on their NWPi profile. All NWP directors must have an NWPi profile and should ensure that the information in it is accurate. If you do not have an NWPi profile, you can create one here. If you do have an NWPi profile but need to update your information, sign in to access your information and settings.

Step 2: Communicate with the national office

The National Writing Project wants to maintain active communication with site leaders.

Communications from the national office, specifically for directors and other site leaders, are provided through the Site Bulletin. The Site Bulletin is a biweekly email bulletin with links to information published on this website. It announces deadlines, opportunities, and events, and links to NWP information systems. An archive of past bulletins is available on the website. All new directors should ensure they are receiving this bulletin, sent roughly the 1st and 15th of every month. If you are not receiving this bulletin, please make sure your email address is correct in your NWPi profile and set your spam filters to allow messages from the NWP domain.

The NWP national office welcomes your communications and questions by email or phone. Writing project sites can contact siteresources@nwp.org or call Miriam Neidhardt at 503-719-7974. Sites anticipating a change in director are encouraged to contact the NWP office in advance of the transition to ensure that the new director's information is incorporated into ongoing NWP communications vehicles.

Step 3: Plan to attend the Annual Meeting

Held in November, in conjunction with the Annual Convention of the National Council of Teachers of English, the Annual Meeting is NWP's largest event. It offers an extensive program of site development workshops and sessions tailored to the interests of site leaders. Numerous sessions focus on the special needs and interests of new directors, and some require advance registration.

Step 4: Tap into NWP national programs

National programs provide excellent ways to learn new skills and practices and to meet writing project directors from across the country. Many programs support participation by a team from a local site, giving new directors an opportunity to work with other leaders at their local site. For an overview of national programs visit the program homepage. Programs of particular interest for new directors include the New Site Leadership Institute for directors of sites up to three years old and the Directors Retreat, which welcomes applications from new directors of existing sites. A new director would attend along with an experienced co-director.

You will also find that site leaders in your state and region welcome contacts from new directors. Some states support state networks or host regional events of interest to new directors.

Step 5: Familiarize yourself with the resources on the NWP website

The NWP website contains a wealth of resources for directors at all stages of development. Some resources of particular interest to new directors are featured in the Support for New Directors section, and many other useful resources can be found throughout the entire site.