Designing and implementing a writing program in a public school system

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not The Basic Communication Skills Program, a consultant developed and staff determined writing program, still had an impact on all program participants two years after its completion. The secondary aim of the study was to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the consultant developed and staff determined approach. The approach involved a consultant training teams of principals and teachers from sixteen elementary schools in the writing and writing instructional processes. The teams then determined a program for their staffs.There were four components of the study: team teacher surveys, principal surveys, interviews of school teams and professional consultants' surveys on inservice methods. Responses on surveys were tallied, percentages calculated, and interviewees responses categorized to verify assumptionsFindings1. More than half of the team teachers frequently or sometimes continued to use the writing program's ideas in their classrooms.2. Approximately half of the teachers affected by the team used the program ideas frequently or sometimes in their classrooms in the judgment of the team members.3. Sixty-three percent of the team teachers responded that their staff could not have developed a writing program without the assistance of a consultant, and eighty-six percent of the principals agreed.4. Professional consultants did not agree with team teachers and principals on the necessity of a consultant in helping a school to develop a writing program.Conclusions1. The use of a consultant to inform teachers and principals before they design their writing programs is beneficial.2. The consultant developed and staff determined approach can have a continuing impact on school teams and nearly half of their staffs.3. More than a team of a principal and two teachers from a school needs to participate in training sessions conducted by a consultant in order to have a continuing impact on the entire staff.