Bethune-Cookman University News January 6, 2010 Bethune Cookman University to Host New Daytona Beach National Writing Project Site Bethune Cookman University has received a $30,000 grant from the National Writing Project to establish the Daytona Beach National Writing Project. Local teachers and university faculty will be invited to participate in summer and school year programs focused on improving student writing and learning. The National Writing Project is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing and to provide high quality professional development programs to teachers in all disciplines and at all levels. NWP develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers and professors to help students become successful writers and learners. On November 1, 2011, the NWP awarded grant funding for the proposed Daytona Beach National Writing Project site. Only two of the fourteen grant proposals were awarded this year, and the Daytona Beach NWP was "approved unanimously” according to Tom Fox, Associate Director of Site Development. Fox said that the NWP was impressed with the excellence of the grant, the expressed desire to bring improved writing instruction to educators in the area, and the enthusiastic "in-kind” support given by Bethune Cookman University which will be the site for this new project. The Arts and Humanities Division will sponsor the program with Dr. Nancy Long as site director and Mrs. Mary Corliss as Assistant Director. The initial grant of $30,000 will be for 2011 and for the following years $46000 will be awarded. The NWP provides intensive training for the directors as well as a mentor for the site. The initial goal of the Daytona Beach NWP will be the Summer Institute, an invitational workshop in July 2011, which will provide intensive research, exploration, and development of the best practices in writing and writing instruction. Participants will study successful classroom strategies for teaching writing, read and discuss research and improve their knowledge of writing by writing themselves. Attendees from the University and local K-12 schools can earn graduate credit from The Bethune-Cookman University School of Graduate and Professional Studies as well as become accredited as a "Teacher Consultant.” The objective of the National Writing Project Summer Institute is "teachers teaching teachers.” Graduates of the institute go back into their own divisions or schools to share their learning with peers. Like a "domino effect,” best writing practices and motivational techniques are imparted to other teachers to implement in their classrooms. More information about the National Writing Project is available at www.nwp.org. Dr. Nancy Zrinyi Long, Director Daytona Beach National Writing Project longn@cookman.edu 386-299-4974 SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org www.hbculibraries.org 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children.