A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York
Along with reading comprehension, writing skill is a predictor of academic success and a basic requirement for participation in civic life and in the global economy. Yet every year in the United States large numbers of adolescents graduate from high school unable to write at the basic levels required by colleges and employers. Writing Next is the companion publication to the Alliance for Excellent Education’s 2004 report, Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle School and High School Literacy.
Commissioned by Carnegie Corporation of New York, written by Steve Graham of Vanderbilt University and Dolores Perin of Teachers College, Columbia University, and published by the Alliance, this report discusses eleven specific teaching techniques that research suggests will help improve the writing abilities of the country’s 4th- to 12th-grade students.
The event provided attendees an opportunity to discuss the importance of writing for success in college, work and life, as well as the report’s relevance to practice and support for further research.
I. Introduction of the Report 
Audio (MP3)*
Welcome
Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
Andrés Henríquez, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York
II. Presentation of Writing Next
Dolores Perin, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
Steve Graham, Currey Ingram Professor of Special Education and Literacy, Peabody College of Education, Vanderbilt University
III. Question & Answer
IV. Panel Discussion: Implications for Policy, Practice, & Research Audio (MP3)*
Sandy Kress, Partner, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld, LLP (Moderator)
Anthony Carnevale, Senior Fellow, National Center on Education and the Economy
Ron Williams, President, Prince George’s County Community College
Ed Hardin, Senior Content Specialist, College Board
Paul LeMahieu, Director of Research and Evaluation, National Writing Project
James McPartland, Professor of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University
V. Question & Answer
Access Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools page to view and download complete report (pdf file).
* To download MP3 files, right-click over "MP3" link in Internet Explorer and select "Save Target As...". Other browsers (Firefox, Netscape, etc...) have similar functionality. To listen only, simply left-click on "MP3" link