About Us

The Red River Valley Writing Project (RRVWP)is a site of the National Writing Project (NWP), a professional development program devoted to teaching writing. The National Writing Project has been federally funded since 1990. The goal of the national project is to improve student writing abilities by improving the teaching and learning of writing in the nation's schools, provide professional development programs for classroom teachers and expand the professional roles of teachers.

The University of California at Berkeley as the Bay Area Writing Project was the charter site more than a quarter century ago. The National Writing Project operates on a teachers teaching teachers model. Federal funds are matched by local funds. The funds pay stipends, support the summer institute, and help to establish a network of teachers who facilitate professional development opportunities (inservice) during the school year.

As a site of the National Writing Project, Red River Valley Writing Project (RRVWP) hosts an invitational summer institute. The institute offers you a place to read, discuss, and share ideas about teaching writing -- plus time to write. During the institute hosted by the The Red River Valley Writing Project, area teachers gather on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks to share their best practice with each other and to explore the teaching of writing by writing. Through this interaction a community of teachers/writers is developed -- a community which can help to promote and be part of professional development opportunities for the teachers' colleagues in regional schools.

The Red River Valley Writing Project (RRVWP) is one of over 160 sites serving teachers from all geographical regions, at all grade levels, across all content areas. As site of the National Writing Project, the RRVWP receives federal grant funds which are then matched by funds from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the University of North Dakota College of Arts and Sciences, and the University of North Dakota Department of Teaching & Learning within the College of Education and Human Develpment. The goals of this project are to create a network of teachers who can share their success in teaching writing, to develop a community of teachers who are also writers, to encourage professional growth in the teaching of writing, and to improve the writing of students across the curriculum at all levels.

Teachers are enouraged to become part of this community by participating in our summer institutes and through sponsored professional development opportunities throughout the year. We believe that the best way to improve the quality of writing in our schools, kindergarten to college, is for teachers to teach each other, sharing their best classroom practices and exploring the teaching of writing through study and writing.

Prinicipals are encouraged to contact the RRVWP and find our how we can support their professional development goals for their schools.