The Tar River Writing Project is endorsed by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to offer professional development for K-12 teachers in North Carolina.  Schools may use Title I, Title II, and NCLB funds to pay for TRWP professional development events.

School Based Professional Development: Inservice

TRWP offers one and two day professional development activities for schools. These events are developed in conjunction with schools and districts and meet specific issues related to writing and writing instruction.  For example, schools might request a one-day workshop on “Teaching Revision” or “Strategies for Improving Research Papers.” 

School Based Professional Development: Embedded Institute

TRWP offers more involved professional development events in the form of Embedded Institutes.  These institutes, like the Inservice workshops, take place at area K-12 schools and are usually involve more than 3 meetings between institute facilitators and teachers. Embedded Institutes are designed for specific schools; if you are interested in an Embedded Institute for your school or district, please contact Jennifer Sharpe-Salter (j.sharpe.salter@gmail.com) to discuss possible projects.

The Graduation Project Institute

TRWP will host a professional development institute on the Graduation Project. This institute is open to teachers, administrators, curriculum leaders, NC Graduation Project coordinators, and university faculty.

Writer’s Group

A group of TRWP participants meets once a month at the Tipsy Teapot in downtown Greenville. This group is open to all educator with a passion for writing. For more information about the Writer’s Group, please contact Jane Gardner (janegardner@ncisp.net).

Teacher Research Institute

TRWP offers Teacher Consultants the opportunity to participate in the year long Teacher Research Institute. Teacher Consultants participating in the Teacher Research Institute will be working collaboratively on different projects that directly relate to their own classrooms.

Leadership for Equity, Excellence, Achievement, and Partnerships (LEEAP)

TRWP’s LEEAP group, co-led by teacher consultants Stephanie West-Puckett and Danielle Ange, focuses on equity issues while developing and facilitating an open institute pilot program, including a digital presence, that challenges teachers in our region to explore equity in their own classrooms through inquiry and teacher research.  Through this project, we are seeking to promote teacher inquiry as a valuable component of professional development, recruit new teachers and develop leadership in our TCs, and develop and disseminate a region-specific, teacher-initiated body of knowledge of teaching to diversity in NC Schools. For more information on LEEAP, please contact Stephanie West-Puckett (westpucketts@ecu.edu).