We are always happy to see WCC's work in the press. Enjoy the articles and multimedia we've collected, and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to write one of your own.

In the August 23, 2011 edition of the El Cerrito Patch, journalist and teacher Betty Buginas reports on the first WCC program in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, at El Cerrito High School, and on plans to expand the program to Portola Junior High. Her article offers the perspective of a veteran writer coach, a student, a parent, and a school district official—a comprehensive view of WCC in West County!  Read the article > 

Education reporter Shelly Meron describes the remarkable impact of WCC at El Cerrito High School in a December 30, 2010 article in the Contra Costa Times. Click on the link below to read the article.

The December 2010 issue of Oaktown Teen Times, a publication produced by students at Oakland high schools, features a story about WriterCoach Connection coming to Mandela High School for 2010-11. Mandela is the second Oakland site for WCC, following the program's successful launch at Media Academy in 2008-09. Click the icon below to access the December issue of Oaktown Teen Times, with the WCC article on page 3.

In a special ceremony on April 14, 2010, the Berkeley Unified School District recognized CAFL for ten years of WriterCoach Connection service to Berkeley schools. View video coverage of the event.

In the September 2009 issue of the East Bay Monthly, Tim Kingston describes the impact of WriterCoach Connection at Oakland's Media Academy, one student at a time, and the impact on himself, as a WCC volunteer.

Here is a sampling of what’s being said in the print media about WriterCoach Connection:

“The coaches are careful to uphold one of the organization’s philosophies—to meet students where they are. Unlike classroom teachers, who might scold a student who hasn’t done his work, the coaches…stay positive. The tenth grade English teacher said she believes the individual attention from someone outside the classroom may be changing her students’ attitudes toward writing.”
—Jocelyn Wiener, East Bay Express, January 7, 2009

“When I signed up to work with WriterCoach Connection…I wanted kids to understand that writing can make a difference in the world by challenging social and economic equality. Instead, I am getting back more than I could ever have imagined—a series of small miracles.”
--Freelance writer and WCC volunteer Tim Kingston, The Monthly, September 2009

“Last year, the program’s first at Media (Academy in Oakland), students showed significant improvement in writing, measured by scored essays. Just as important, the students’ attitude toward writing improved as well.”
--Oakland Post, September 2-8, 2009

“I went through the training and worked as a coach for a year, and I found it a powerful way to help students at all levels discover they had something to say and figure out how to say it. I also used these strategies to help my own teenagers."
--Linda Strean, Managing Editor, Great Schools newsletter, November 2007

“Teachers are outspoken about the project’s positive impact on student achievement, and students affirm that coaching helps them master essential literacy skills….Coaches develop a strong attachment to the program, citing the immediate and tangible results of their efforts.”
--The Berkeley Voice, October 13, 2006

“[WriterCoach Connection] is a brilliant way of providing students with intensive coaching in writing. Every student—this is not a remedial program—receives eight coaching sessions during an academic year. The coaches are trained to help those who are stumped by every assignment, as well as gifted kids who hand in college-level essays... School districts should try to replicate this program. The results are truly impressive. Young people, who think they have nothing to say, discover their voice and learn to persuade with words—a skill they’ll need throughout their lives.”
--Ruth Rosen, Columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, 2003