Teachers Represent UMaine Writing Project in Washington, D.C.

Contact: Heather Pullen, 581-2443

ORONO — Two teacher-consultants for the Maine Writing Project at the University of Maine recently represented the program at the spring meeting of the National Writing Project in Washington, D.C. last month.

Ken Martin, distance learning director at the Washington County Consortium for School Improvement at the University of Maine, Machias, and Lincoln MacIsaac, an English teacher at Scarborough High School, also met with the legislative assistant for education to each of Maine’s Congressional representatives. They presented research-based information on the impact of the National Writing Project (NWP) on state efforts to improve student writing. Martin and MacIsaac also met with U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud and U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe.

During the conference, other teacher consultants from around the country met with their respective congressional leaders to advocate for continued funding for the National Writing Project. This year, the NWP is seeking $30 million in federal funding; the NWP provides funding for individual state writing projects.

While with Michaud, Collins and Snowe, Martin and MacIsaac shared personal stories about how the writing project has helped their teaching and their students.

MacIsaac emphasized how Maine and NWP involvement provides a rich resource base and network of colleagues ready to help meet student needs and classroom challenges. Martin, a former Narraguagus High School teacher, described how the original investment of federal dollars supporting the NWP’s Rural Voices Radio programming bore fruit repeatedly, including the creation of local versions of Rural Voices in their and others’ local classrooms.

Martin and MacIsaac were joined by Tanya Baker, a former teacher at Bangor and Brewer high schools and former co-director of the Maine Writing Project, and the National Writing Project’s executive director, Sharon Washington, to present an NWP award of appreciation to Snowe, recognizing her leadership in support of national writing project efforts. Baker recently was appointed associate director of national programs for the NWP.

The Maine Writing Project was established within the UMaine College of Education and Human Development in 1998 as an affiliate of the National Writing Project. It is dedicated to the improvement of the teaching and learning of writing across the curriculum at all grade levels.

Each year, the project invites approximately 25 outstanding educators — kindergarten through post-secondary in all curriculum areas — to attend its rigorous summer institute. Participants are selected on the basis of their success as teachers and for their promise as instructional leaders.

The writing project in Maine boasts 265 certified NWP teacher-consultants across the state and offers nearly 100 programs each year for teachers, students and community members, according to Rich Kent, professor of literacy and the Maine Writing Project director.