Research and Reflections on Building a High School Writing Center

Throughout the past year, I had the opportunity to work alongside two truly brilliant educators to research, reflect, and write about one of the projects I’m most proud to be part of: bringing a university-supported writing center into our high school. This program is a collaborative effort between classroom teachers, university faculty, and preservice teachers, all centered around one simple belief – every student deserves an authentic audience and meaningful support as a writer.

The article shares how the program came to life, what we learned along the way, and why partnerships like these can make such a difference for both high school students and future teachers. In the introduction, we explain, “This case study matters because it outlines the importance of school-university partnerships, while it also offers insight into how school-university partnerships can evolve over time to better support preservice teacher development, secondary writing instruction, and cross-institutional collaboration.” Building community through writing has always been at the heart of my instruction, and this research is a reminder that some of the best learning happens when classrooms extend beyond their own four walls.

If you’re interested in creating a writing center, partnering with a local university, or simply curious about what this kind of collaboration can look like, I hope you’ll give it a read. You can find the full article here: ‘It’s a Win-Win Situation’— Cultivating University & School Partnerships.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.