Make a Date to Educate...

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 9, No. 3
Date: 2004

Summary: Join your colleagues in Washington, D.C. in April 2005 for the NWP Spring Meeting, and help educate our elected officials...

With the National Writing Project seeking to expand its network in the coming years, educating our elected officials about the impact of writing project programs is as crucial as ever. Please join your colleagues in Washington, D.C., April 7–8, for the 2005 NWP Spring Meeting, to share your story about the writing project and experience the difference you can make in securing a future for the NWP.

The event kicks off on Wednesday evening, April 6, with an optional reception at the elegant Washington Court Hotel. The meeting officially begins the following morning—Thursday—as key NWP congressional supporters address our group at a gathering on Capitol Hill. Thursday afternoon is set aside for personal visits to the offices of your representatives and senators—your chance to inform them about the work you do with the writing project and how it benefits students. Thursday will end with a reception at one of the Smithsonian museums, giving participants a chance to share stories about their day with writing project colleagues.

The meeting continues on Friday, April 8, at the Washington Court Hotel, with a keynote address from Jeffrey Wilhelm, associate professor of English at Boise State University, Idaho, and founder of the Maine Writing Project. Wilhelm is the author of eleven books, including Action Strategies for Deepening Comprehension and "Reading Don't Fix No Chevys," coauthored with Michael Smith. A series of roundtable discussions on issues faced by writing project teacher-consultants and site leaders will follow Wilhelm's address.

Accommodations will be provided by the Washington Court Hotel, which is in walking distance to Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, and the National Mall. Participants should make their own hotel reservations by calling 800/321-3010 or 202/628-2100. Mention the National Writing Project to receive the discount rate of $193, single or double. Rooms must be reserved at least 30 days in advance. (Please call early, as space is limited.)

Registration for the spring meeting begins in December at www.nwp.org. All meeting communications will be done by email; you must register online to participate. For more information about the NWP Spring Meeting—or for updates as they are available—please see the website.