Overview
The IAWP was founded in the late 1970s as one of the first sites of the California Writing Project, the new statewide network that followed the model created by the Bay Area Writing Project based at the University of California, Berkeley. The Writing Project is founded upon the core principles of equity and opportunity for all learners across grade levels and disciplines.
We are part of a large network of sites in California and across the nation. All writing projects are anchored at colleges and universities, serving educators across disciplines and at all levels TK-university. We do this by providing professional learning opportunities, generating research, and developing resources that can help improve writing instruction and the learning experience of students in our service area.
From its inception until 1992, the IAWP office was administered through the UCR Extension. In that year, it moved to its new home in the UCR English Department, and in 2009 it joined the University Writing Program. The IAWP is currently directed by John Briggs (Director) and Agnes Mazur (Managing Director). Thanks to competent and dedicated directors and Teacher Consultants, the IAWP has continuously received federal and state grants to invest in the improvement of writing instruction for the educators of our service area. What we do today is the result of the contributions of teacher leaders: their experience, ideas, experiments, and energy.
Mission and Vision
The IAWP shares the mission and vision of the National Writing Project.
MissionThe National Writing Project focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning for all learners. |
VisionWriting in its many forms is the signature means of communication in the 21st century. The NWP envisions a future where every person is an accomplished writer, engaged learner, and active participant in a digital, interconnected world. |
Testimonials
"I found my experience with the IAWP ISI to be a very productive, worthwhile, and deeply satisfying way to exchange pedagogical ideas among professionals as well as research composition theories in a focused, friendly environment."
- Jerome Winter, Composition Teacher at University Writing Program, UC Riverside
"I attended the Summer Institute in 2010. This experience forever changed the way I look at teaching writing. It has also provided me with a support system of like-minded teachers who are actively searching for better ways to support their students. I would not be in the position I am in today without the Writing Project."
- Laura Smart, Instructional Coach (Grades K-6), Ontario-Montclair USD
"Becoming a member of the Inland Area Writing Project, first as a fellow in the Invitational Summer Institute and later participating in the Advanced Leadership Institute, has truly been a life-altering experience for me. I’ve finally found a group of teacher-writers who understand what it’s like to have the spirit of a writer and know the time constraints of a classroom teacher. Though our time together is always far too short, each time we meet we bare bits of our souls, sharing our writing with laughter and tears, growing closer as we research teaching methods and hone our mutual crafts. The IAWP is my family."
- Betsy Newmeyer, Classroom Teacher (Grades 1-5), Beaumont USD
"Best writing comes with best practice and the ISI program reaffirmed and strengthened my understanding of this by creating and supporting a community of inclusive professionals. As a teacher who respects writing as a craft, my time at ISI has opened up a kaleidoscope of strategies that inspires me and my students."
- William Stanford, English Department Chair and Classroom Teacher (Grades 9-12), Rubidoux USD
Affiliations
The IAWP is part of the California Writing Project, a state network of fifteen sites in California, eight housed on University of California campuses and seven on California State University campuses. The over 45-year-old California Writing Project is the founding state network of the California Subject Matter Project and the National Writing Project.