“WriterCoach Connection has proven to be highly effective in generating increased writing achievement in Oakland classrooms. More Oakland schools are requesting WriterCoach Connection as word gets out about the results it produces. We need this program, and these volunteers, now more than ever.” —Tony Smith, Former Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District
This year more than 2,000 secondary school students in Alameda and West Contra Costa Counties are becoming critical thinkers and stronger, more confident writers with the help of community volunteers recruited, trained, and organized as writer coaches by WriterCoach Connection.
Since 2001, WriterCoach Connection has sent teams of trained community volunteers into secondary school English classrooms to work one on one with students on their writing assignments. During the 2015-16 school year, 639 volunteer coaches worked with and encouraged students in 70 East Bay classrooms. WriterCoach Connection is currently serving 10 secondary schools in West Contra Costa County, Berkeley and Albany school districts and we look forward to bringing our program back to Oakland schools for the 2017-2018 school year.
Our goal is to help students think critically and to express their ideas clearly and confidently in writing. To develop these skills, crucial to college and workplace success, most students need more support than their schools can provide. The National Commission on Writing advises, and other experts agree, that teachers and students need to devote more time to writing, and students need more feedback at every stage of the writing process. Our coaches help to bridge this gap between the instruction teachers provide and the personalized attention that students need. "It's like having 35 teachers in my classroom," one El Cerrito High School teacher marveled.
Our trained coaches work with each and every student in the classroom 8 to 14 times during the school year, each session lasting 30 to 45 minutes. These individualized coaching sessions benefit every student, providing the differentiated instruction that remains an elusive goal in most public schools. Coaches are trained to challenge and encourage students so that they can express their thoughts and ideas in writing with confidence and pride. The inclusiveness of the program is especially beneficial for at-risk students because it eliminates the stigma associated with remedial tutoring and ensures that struggling writers who might otherwise fall through the cracks receive the help they need and too often do not seek on their own.
Last year, in response to stated needs by educators and students, coaches in our College and Career Readiness program module began working in classroom settings and after-school programs on senior personal statements, early assessment test preparation. and other crucial college readiness projects.
Since 2001, WriterCoach Connection has sent teams of trained community volunteers into secondary school English classrooms to work one on one with students on their writing assignments. During the 2015-16 school year, 639 volunteer coaches worked with and encouraged students in 70 East Bay classrooms. WriterCoach Connection is currently serving 10 secondary schools in West Contra Costa County, Berkeley and Albany school districts and we look forward to bringing our program back to Oakland schools for the 2017-2018 school year.
Our goal is to help students think critically and to express their ideas clearly and confidently in writing. To develop these skills, crucial to college and workplace success, most students need more support than their schools can provide. The National Commission on Writing advises, and other experts agree, that teachers and students need to devote more time to writing, and students need more feedback at every stage of the writing process. Our coaches help to bridge this gap between the instruction teachers provide and the personalized attention that students need. "It's like having 35 teachers in my classroom," one El Cerrito High School teacher marveled.
Our trained coaches work with each and every student in the classroom 8 to 14 times during the school year, each session lasting 30 to 45 minutes. These individualized coaching sessions benefit every student, providing the differentiated instruction that remains an elusive goal in most public schools. Coaches are trained to challenge and encourage students so that they can express their thoughts and ideas in writing with confidence and pride. The inclusiveness of the program is especially beneficial for at-risk students because it eliminates the stigma associated with remedial tutoring and ensures that struggling writers who might otherwise fall through the cracks receive the help they need and too often do not seek on their own.
Last year, in response to stated needs by educators and students, coaches in our College and Career Readiness program module began working in classroom settings and after-school programs on senior personal statements, early assessment test preparation. and other crucial college readiness projects.
Why WriterCoach Connection Matters
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This video was made possible by support from Monika and David Eisenbud and the Simons Foundation.
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Media Academy Video
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Learn how students and teachers respond to WCC's writer coaching
in this short video produced by students at Fremont High School's
Media Academy in Oakland.
in this short video produced by students at Fremont High School's
Media Academy in Oakland.
