Legacy Study

Through its collective work and that of the many individuals whose professional lives have been touched by it, the NWP has extended its influence throughout the education profession in deep and profound ways. Using a mixed methods approach, the Legacy Study examines the professional experiences and contributions of those who participated in local writing project sites over the period 1974–1994. The Legacy Study represents a systematic effort to assess and document the National Writing Project's investment in teachers as educational leaders.

Included in the study are the results of a widely distributed survey that documents the career paths of thousands of education leaders. The survey also probes the manner in which participation in writing project work has influenced educators' approaches to professional activities and responsibilities. To date, 2,105 individuals who participated in summer institutes from 1974 to 1994 have completed this professional history survey.

Legacy 2

As a follow-up to the survey, 110 respondents, selected randomly from all those who expressed willingness to be interviewed, participated in two-hour semistructured interviews. The interviews examined their current work, their own reflections on their professional history, their involvement with the writing project, its influence on them as leaders and writers, and their influence and contributions to other individuals and to the field.

Legacy 3

Two additional phases of data collection and analysis are under way. The NWP is conducting case study research that examines the influence and reach of those who have participated in the writing project by focusing on ten individuals who participated in the first two phases of the Legacy research. These ten are collaborating with the research team to identify additional informants, events, and documents that will help illuminate their own work and the influence of the writing project.

In addition, as a follow-up to the first phase of the Legacy Study, the NWP is inviting teacher-consultants who participated in a summer institute between 1995 and 2006 to complete a professional history survey.

Results

• The National Writing Project Legacy Study
• "Building and Sustaining Capacity: Teacher Leadership and Instructional Improvement in the NWP"

Questions

For more information about the study, please contact teacherleadership@nwp.org.