MSU institute inviting teachers to make 'write' connection

Contact: Sammy McDavid

STARKVILLE, Miss.--June 1 is the registration deadline for a Mississippi State conference later that month focusing on methods to improve K-12 class outcomes.

Sponsored by the university's Mississippi Writing-Thinking Institute, a training program titled "The Write Connection: Methods for Improving Student Achievement" takes place June 16 and 17. The various sessions will be held at the Hunter Henry and Louis Wise centers.

A unit of the College of Education, the MSU institute is part of a collaborative effort among seven National Writing Project offices located on the state's public university campuses.

Founded in 1974 at the University of California, Berkeley, with partial support from the U.S. Department of Education, the NWP is a nonprofit organization working to promote effective instruction of writing and, by extension, critical thinking.

Mary Ann Smith, a senior administrator with the NWP's Berkeley headquarters, will be featured speaker for the weekend gathering.

"We are inviting Mississippi teachers to join us for an in-depth exploration of innovative ways to incorporate writing into the teaching of all academic disciplines," said MSU institute coordinator Linda Irby. "Over the two days, they will be learning from each other, as well as from experts in the kindergarten through university levels of instruction."

The conference fee is $35 for NWP teacher-consultants and fellows; $50 for all others.

For additional information on the June conference schedule or registration, contact Irby at (662) 325-7777 or lri7@colled.msstate.edu.