Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English

Committee Chair

Joseph Jones

Committee Member

Katherine Fredlund

Committee Member

William Duffy

Abstract

The origin story of the National Writing Project (NWP) is attributed to James Gray, who, in 1974, developed the foundations of a program that would eventually become a national network of teacher-leaders. Networks, however, require multiple theories of action to move forward into the future. They cannot survive on one person’s vision alone. To meet the needs of K16 educators in an ever-changing education landscape, the initial vision needed broadening, models of work, multiple points of entry, and a constant focus of keeping teachers at the center of the work. Because of the work of many, the network continues 50 years later, the longest running school reform movement in the country. I argue, however, that the work of women teachers who took on national leadership roles contributed their own theories of action that furthered the mission and vision of the NWP. This dissertation is an attempt to capture the stories of four women in NWP leadership whose actions collectively provided a framework that not only built on Gray’s vision but also created a structure that enabled the network to respond to changes in education policies and mandates. Their leadership qualities became part of the NWP social practices: collaboration, shared leadership, advocacy, and listening. At the core of their work is a deep understanding of practice as they privileged the need for classroom-based inquiry in communities of practice. These four women provided spaces and models of work for local site leaders through their leadership in programs, the inclusion of teacher voices in publications, and advocacy for teachers and students. To gain a deeper understanding of the history and impact of the individual’s contributions on the national network, I employed the methodologies of counterstory, dialogic interviews, and autoethnography for this research. My goal was to capture the theories of action, to dig deeper and find out more about who they were as educators, as writers, about their own histories. To understand the power of the NWP, we must explore the stories of those women leaders who shaped the trajectory of the network.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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