The Southern Arizona Writing Project (SAWP) works in collaboration with the University of Arizona Department of English and the College of Humanities, and K-16 writing teachers of southern Arizona
Our Mission
The Southern Arizona Writing Project (SAWP) is an approved affiliate of the National Writing Project, and an authorized program of the No Child Left Behind Act. As an affiliate of the National Writing Project we join a network of over 200 sites across the country and around the world seeking to improve the teaching of writing from kindergarten through university. SAWP represents a five-county area spanning the entire Arizona-Mexico border, making it a unique site in this network.
SAWP believes in the power of writing. For this reason, we are committed to improving the teaching of writing and critical thinking in schools and communities. Since our inception in 1978, over five hundred Arizona teachers have attended the SAWP Summer Institute—an exciting and energizing workshop during which teachers engage in research and professional development pertaining to writing instruction. Teacher Consultants who graduate from our institute conduct teacher workshops statewide, infusing the knowledge and excitement gained in the Institute, and multiplying the effect of the “teachers teaching teachers” model of the National Writing Project.
The goals of SAWP are as follows:
- To improve student writing and learning in K-16 classrooms
- To transmit a passion for the art of writing
- To extend the uses of writing in all disciplines
- To strengthen collaboration between K-12 schools and higher education
- To identify and support exemplary teachers and develop teacher leaders
- To celebrate and enhance the teaching profession
- To support teachers as writers themselves
Click below to view a 20-minute YouTube video on SAWP:
