Research shows that success or struggle in writing affects performance in every other academic area. Challenges in adolescent writing disproportionately impact Black and Latinx students and those experiencing poverty.3 Writing helps students make meaning in ways that are deeply tied to culture, values, identity, voice, and advocacy.4 For youth who have been historically and systematically excluded, skill in writing critically benefits their families and communities.5
To ensure that historically and systematically excluded students’ strengths and needs are addressed and that all students are able to succeed and thrive, Inclusive Innovation offers an equity-first approach to R&D that radically centers and engages community and educator voices and expertise.
Over 18 months, two League of Innovative Schools districts and their communities participated in a national initiative to tackle pressing challenges in adolescent writing for students furthest from opportunity through equity-centered R&D.
Digital Promise worked with teams of innovative educators and community stakeholders in each region to understand their context-specific challenges in secondary writing and develop and implement prototype solutions.
Click on the links below to learn about the context and solutions created by the Socorro ISD and Sunnyside USD teams.
Sources
1 Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Writing 2011: National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grades 8 and 12.
2 Hart Research Associates. “Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?” Achieve, Inc. 2005 report. 2011 report.
Sarah Butrymowicz. “Most colleges enroll many students who aren’t prepared for higher education.” The Hechinger Report. January 30, 2017.
3 Nora Fleming. “NAEP Shows Most Students Lack Writing Proficiency.” Education Week. September 14, 2012.
4 California Writing Project. “ Because Writing Matters: Helping Your Children Become Skilled, Confident Writers in and Beyond School”
PBS NewsHour. “Study: Writing About Values Boosts Grades, Shrinks Achievement Gap.” April 17, 2009.
5 Steven Graham and Dolores Perin. “Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools.” Carnegie Corporation of New York. 2007
Center for Inclusive Innovation
