Speak Up on Capitol Hill

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 10, No. 1
Date: 2005

Summary: The NWP Spring Meeting in April 2005 features an address by key congressional supporters, teacher visits to the offices of their senators and representatives, a keynote address by author and site director Jeffrey Wilhelm, and roundtable discussions on issues that teacher-consultants and site directors face...

Take your spring break in Washington, D.C., this year and join your colleagues, April 7–8, in making the National Writing Project heard in the halls of Congress.

Thurday's events begin on Capitol Hill with a morning address to our group by those key congressional supporters. In the afternoon, NWP participants will visit the offices of their senators and representatives to inform them about the writing project's successful work with students and to underscore the need for continued support of that work. The day concludes with a reception for NWP colleagues at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

On Friday, April 8, the meeting features a keynote address from Jeffrey Wilhelm, founder of the Maine Writing Project and director of the new Boise State University Writing Project, Idaho. Following Wilhelm's address will be a series of roundtable discussions on issues that teacher-consultants and site directors face.

The registration deadline for the spring meeting is March 25, 2005. Participants must register online. Accommodations for the meeting will be at the Washington Court Hotel, and participants must reserve their rooms at least 30 days in advance. To make reservations, call the hotel at 800/321-3010 or 202/628-2100. (Mention the National Writing Project to get the discount rate of $193 a night.) Check the website for more schedule information and for tips on appointments with legislators.