New Report Finds that Writing Can Be Powerful Driver for Improving Reading Skills

Steve Graham and Michael Hebert author meta-analysis of effects of writing on reading performance.

Washington, DC -- Although reading and writing have become essential skills for almost every job, the majority of students do not read or write well enough to meet grade-level demands. A new report from Carnegie Corporation of New York, and published by the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), finds that while the two skills are closely connected, writing is an often overlooked tool for improving reading skills and content learning. Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading identifies three core instructional practices that have been shown to be effective in improving student reading.

"As the recent findings from The Nation's Report Card in reading demonstrate, nearly 70 percent of the nation's eighth graders fail to read at a proficient level," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance and former governor of West Virginia. "Poor reading and writing skills not only threaten the well-being of individual Americans, but the country as a whole. Ensuring that adolescents become skilled readers and writers is not merely an option for America -- it is an absolute necessity. As Writing to Read demonstrates, instruction in writing not only improves how well students write, but it also enhances students' ability to read a text accurately, fluently, and comprehensively."

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Dr. Douglas Reeves in August conducted a webinar on this topic, making some of the following key points:

• The best professional development is targeted, has follow-up coaching, offers low-risk application, and translates theory into practice.

Professional development with The Write Tools follows Dr. Reeves' recommendation, as our workshops are full of specific, research-based strategies. Teachers get hands-on practice during the workshop and are prepared to implement the strategies immediately. The Write Tools also offers follow-up demo lessons and coaching.

Go for deep implementation to avoid "initiative fatigue." 

The Write Tools provides that deep implementation regardless of what writing program you have in place. We are not another initiative. We provide the tools to implement initiatives already in place, and we provide the personal support to ensure their success.

Schools need 90% of the faculty participating. It results in 3-5 times higher gains than those with only 10% participation. 

The Write Tools motto is common language, common strategies, common vision, combined with consistent systematic explicit instruction, leads to success. We recommend our training for all subject areas.

Dr. Reeves compares teachers to professional athletes and musicians in terms of practice sessions. Athletes and musicians practice hundreds of hours for every hour of performance. Teachers need a safe place to implement new strategies or technologies.

The Write Tools offers this essential practice through our hands-on workshops and follow-up coaching sessions. Our workshops are designed to give the teachers strategies to implement, and then we return to their schools with follow-up coaching and genre-specific training.