About the Long Island Writing Project

"Teachers Teaching Teachers."

The Long Island Writing Project (LIWP) works to improve the teaching of writing and reading across grade level and discipline. As one of 200 sites of the National Writing Project, we are part of the premiere research-based, teacher-led professional development organization in the country. We believe that good education starts with effective teachers, and our workshops build on the knowledge and expertise that teachers already bring to the classroom. We believe that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, country or language of origin, sexual orientation, or resources of their school district, deserve an education that welcomes them into a community of readers, writers and learners and enables them to develop to their full capacity.

Who we are: 
The National Writing Project is a federally-funded national organization headquartered at University of California, Berkeley. It began in 1976 and currently has over 200 sites nationwide, including eight in New York State. The Long Island Writing Project, a site of the NWP, was founded in 1993 and is based at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. We have an ongoing partnership with the graduate education department of our neighboring institution, Hofstra University. Our director and some of our leadership are based at NCC, but much of the Project direction comes from outstanding teacher-consultants based in area schools.

Who We Reach:
The Long Island Writing Project works with area teachers, K-college, who teach in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Queens and Brooklyn. Since our inception, we have worked with over 1000 teachers through our summer courses, conferences and district-based work. Some districts for which we have designed and implemented programs include Baldwin, Bethpage, Freeport, Hauppauge, Massapequa, Roosevelt, Sewanhaka, Valley Stream and Wyandanch, Island Park, Hicksville, Lawrence, and Uniondale. We are a certified provider of in-service for teachers under ESEA (NCLB).


What We Do:
The Long Island Writing Project (LIWP), like the rest of the sites in the network, works to improve the teaching of writing and reading across grade level and discipline. We have a “teachers teaching teachers” model; in our seminars, participants share effective techniques through a hands-on, workshop format. LIWP course facilitators are familiar with a large range of effective classroom approaches and conversant with the theory behind sound pedagogy. We work with teachers in a variety of formats – through a 90-hour intensive summer seminar; through shorter courses tailored to specific teacher interests, such as Assessment or English Language Learners; through Writing Retreats; through Teacher Interest Groups and through in-service workshops and seminars designed for specific districts.

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