Please read below about the current Administration is proposing for the National Writing Project.  Contact your representatives to express your feelings.  This is frightening.

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Priscilla L. Griffith
Ruth G. Hardman Chair in Education
Director of the Oklahoma Writing Project
The University of Oklahoma/The Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education
338 Cate Center Drive, Room 190
Norman, Ok 73019
TEL 405-325-3534
FAX 405-325-7841
[log in to unmask]
http://education.ou.edu/hardman/
http://owp.ou.edu

________________________________________
From: National Writing Project [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 7:00 PM
To: Griffith, Priscilla L.
Subject: NWP Special Bulletin: Send a message to Congress today!

- NWP Site Bulletin -

Dear NWP Site Leaders:

Congress needs to hear from you! The Administration has proposed that funding for NWP be consolidated with that of five other literacy programs under a new competitive program aimed at improving literacy instruction. In order to secure the funding offered under this program, state education agencies would compete for funds, alone or in partnership with outside entities (such as a writing project site or an institution of higher education). Successful states would use the funds as they think best in pursuit of the goals of this block grant program. At the very least, this would mean zero direct funding for the National Writing Project network, and no funding possible for any local site in a state that chose not to compete or was unsuccessful in competing for this funding. It is very important that all of us work closely with our congressional offices to explain how NWP, a highly successful national infrastructure, is put at risk by this funding strategy.

Last year you told us that legislators asked to be contacted earlier in the year with requests for support. The NWP "Dear Colleague" letters will begin circulating soon in the House and Senate, but we are asking you to contact your legislators as soon as possible to ask for their support for the NWP. Although it means starting this work earlier, and potentially contacting legislative aides again later to ask for signatures on the Dear Colleague letters, this early outreach is extremely important given the proposed budget.

Direct funding for the NWP is imperative! When you speak to legislators about the importance of a federal investment in NWP, please consider the following talking points and how they impact your work.

Funding for NWP supports:

1. The national goal of helping students graduate prepared for college and career-ready;
2. Tens of thousands of teachers prepared to serve as a professional development resource to their colleagues and local schools;
3. A national improvement infrastructure with proven practices that support the success of local writing project sites in providing high-quality professional development to local schools;
4. National programs and initiatives that extend and strengthen the work of local sites, and that support site leaders in enhancing their work and sharing knowledge across the network.

NWP accomplishes all of this because it is a highly developed and effective national infrastructure that includes broad reach, local usability and responsiveness, and reliable quality. Without direct funding, this infrastructure is in jeopardy. As all of you know, the NWP network enables successful teachers in diverse communities across the country to collaborate with and learn from one another to improve student achievement.

In-person meetings with legislators and legislative aides are one of the most effective ways to educate Congress about the key role that writing project sites play in improving the teaching of writing and improving student learning. Please join us at the NWP Spring Meeting on March 24-25 in Washington, DC, and plan to meet with your representatives in Congress. To register for the NWP Spring Meeting, visit: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/10sm/home.csp.

Please email [log in to unmask] if you have questions or if there is any information that we can provide to assist with your outreach to congressional offices. You may also want to encourage parents, principals, and others who know about your site's work to contact their legislators. As always, please let us know when you make your calls and tell us what response you get. We will keep you up to date as we learn more about the timing of the NWP Dear Colleague letters and funding for FY 2011.

Thank you in advance for your dedication to this work!

Best regards,

Sharon J. Washington
Executive Director