WASHINGTON — This Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 7 p.m., Howard University will be relaunching the D.C. Area Writing Project (DCAWP), an initiative that has been on hiatus since 2017. As a chapter of the National Writing Project, the goals of the program are to provide professional development and support for teachers of writing.

The project will serve K-12 institutions in the D.C. area. The project will focus on serving the specific needs expressed by area educators and administrators. Altheria Caldera, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of DCAWP notes, “Most school district personnel that I've spoken with over the last several months have expressed a need for teachers to have professional learning a well as how to better serve students of color and how to integrate writing instruction across the curriculum and not just in a reading or language arts course.”

Caldera comes to Howard from the Dallas-Fort Worth area after a successful career as a university professor and education advocate. Last year, she participated in a nine-month fellowship in which she was involved in state-level education policy. Her work focused on opposing anti-critical race theory legislation and educating the public of the dangers of such policies.

“Language and literacy are important tools, and I want students of color to know how to use those tools effectively. And this can only happen when they are taught by confident, competent teachers,” says Caldera.

The project’s first program will be a weeklong Summer institute designed to help teachers learn how to practice their writing instruction in ways that are equitable to students of color.

The relaunch celebration will take place simultaneously in person, at the Howard University School of Education, and online. To attend, registration is required. Please register here.

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media Contact: Brittany Bailer; brittany.bailer@howard.edu