Events

NWP Spring Meeting

You can help keep education a national priority.

April 11–12, 2002

Phoenix Park Hotel 800-824-5419 or 202-638-6900
Washington, District of Columbia
Host site: District of Columbia Area Writing Project

The NWP Spring meeting is held in early April in Washington, D.C., every year. Site leaders and teachers from across the country spend the first day on Capitol Hill, convening in the morning to hear from key legislative supporters in the House and Senate. The afternoon is reserved for personal visits to members of Congress to educate them about the work for the writing project in their own states and districts. The second day includes a general session in the morning, followed by a choice of workshops on topics related to teaching writing and running a writing project site.

NWP Spring Meeting 2002 Archive Below is an archive edition of the NWP Spring Meeting 2002 announcement, with links to the agenda and additional resources. NWP Spring Meeting 2002 Photographs. Link to an online version of "Using Research to Build Effective School Reading Programs" by David Pearson. NWP Spring Meeting Tops Its Own Mark, The Voice, May-June 2002. Going to Washington: One Site Director's Experience, by Doris Cella, The Voice, January-February 2003.

Join us for the NWP Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Despite NWP's recent reauthorization and increased federal appropriation, it is very important that writing project directors, co-directors, and teacher-consultants come to Washington, D.C., April 11-12, for this year's NWP Spring Meeting.

The Bush administration recently eliminated funding for NWP and other "low-priority" education programs in the president's fiscal year 2003 budget. While NWP has been left out of the president's budget in previous years and maintained federal funding, the administration's actions underscore the need to educate our elected officials on the impact the writing project is having in classrooms nationwide.

We have a number of exciting events planned this year, including a kickoff meeting on Capitol Hill, personal visits to the offices of your senators and representatives, a private tour and reception in the Smithsonian, and guests P. David Pearson and Joe Check, who will speak on the theme of Creating Successful Schools Against the Odds. We hope you'll be able to join us, April 11-12, in Washington, D.C. 
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Overview
Thursday, April 11, 2002— Capitol Hill

Spend Thursday morning in the beautiful Mansfield Room on the Senate side of the Capitol, where you'll hear from NWP's key supporters in the House and Senate, such as Senator Thad Cochran, pictured at left. Make personal visits to your senators and representatives that afternoon.
Bring the day to an exciting end with a celebratory reception at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Friday, April 12, 2002— Creating Successful Schools Against the Odds

Begin the day at the Phoenix Park Hotel with P. David Pearson, pictured at left, former co-director of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement, now dean of the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education. Pearson will speak about programs that have helped schools beat the odds and discuss school level and classroom level characteristics that account for exceptional growth in student achievement in literacy. Joe Check, pictured at right, director of the Boston Writing Project, will lead an afternoon discussion that explores the difference between exemplary programs and exemplary contexts, stressing the important role writing projects can play in creating and sustaining the latter.

Saturday, April 13, 2002
Participants are invited to go on a private tour of "A More Perfect Union," an exhibition on Japanese-American internment camps,  at the Smithsonian American History Museum. Franklin Odo, Director, Program for Asian Pacific American Studies,  will discuss the exhibit and its development and provide classroom materials for participants. UPDATE: The private tour of this exhibition is now full and we can no longer accept signups. "A More Perfect Union" may still be viewed, however, during the Smithsonian's regular hours, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., seven days a week. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.

Resources for Educators

Supplementary educational resources about two of the exhibitions NWP Spring Meeting participants can visit while they are in Washington, D.C., have been gathered on our website: Resources for Educators: Japanese-American Internment, and Resources for Educators: Langston Hughes.

Hotel Reservations

Update: Rooms are no longer available at the Phoenix Park Hotel, but please don't let that discourage you from coming to D.C. A number of Washington hotels still have vacancy for April 11-12, including the Holiday Inn on Capitol Hill (202-638-1616). We have also arranged for discounted hotel rooms through Accommodations Unlimited (800-201-4005). If you give Accommodations Unlimited a call and tell them you're with the National Writing Project, they'll find you a hotel room in any part of Washington, D.C. at a reduced rate.

Agenda

Thursday's events will take place on Capitol Hill. Friday's events will take place at the Phoenix Park Hotel, 520 North Capitol Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. (202-638-6900). Link to the NWP Spring Meeting Agenda for more details about each day's events.

Evening Events

Participants spending Friday night in D.C., can link here for information on events happening in and around Washington, including performances at the Kennedy Center. For more listings, including attractions, dining, and nightlife, visit the Washington Post Visitor's Guide.

Questions

For more information, contact NWP staff at springmeeting@nwp.org.

Articles

NWP Spring Meeting: Help Keep Education a National Priority (2002)
Join your colleagues April 11-12 in Washington, D.C., for this year's NWP Spring Meeting.

NWP Spring Meeting Tops Its Own Mark (2002)
See photos and learn more about NWP's largest, most successful Washington, D.C., meeting ever.