Our Writing and Learning Connect Us: Diana Hammond

Publication: NWP 2007 Annual Report
Date: 2007

Summary: Meet Diana Hammond from Oakville High School, St. Louis, Missouri. She is a part of the Gateway Writing Project and Local Site Research Initiative.

Diana Hammond

"I soaked up everything I learned," says Diana Hammond about her initial encounter with the Gateway Writing Project in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a first-year teacher at the time and experiencing some of the challenges that accompany those early days in the classroom. "I was following the textbooks so closely that the students were bored, and I didn't always know what to do each day."

When the writing project began a professional development program at Oakville High School, Diana did not hesitate. She also joined the group of participating teachers who agreed to study the progress of their students by conducting pre and post writing assessments as part of NWP's Local Site Research Initiative (LSRI). Collectively, the students of writing project teachers outperformed students in a closelymatched comparison school in which teachers had yet to experience writing project professional development. "I felt responsible, committed, and invested in my students' achievement," says Diana.

I came away from the summer institute with confidence, new ideas, and a strong support system.

Diana became hooked on research. Her weeks in the institute the following summer brought her in touch with articles written by teacher and university researchers. "I came away from the summer institute with confidence, new ideas, and a strong support system," she explains. Now she engages students with projects, portfolios, and multimedia exhibits that incorporate literature. The Local Site Research Initiative supports research projects at sites across the country, examining the effects of writing project professional development programs on teacher practices and student writing achievement. Student achievement results from these studies have been overwhelmingly positive.

"Gateway Writing Project has definitely caught on," says Diana. The year after the LSRI research study, more teachers applied for the program than could be accommodated. To date, four additional colleagues from her school have attended the summer institute. Many others, including science, social studies, and special education teachers, have participated in the project's school-based professional development. "We are a perfect match," says Diana, "teachers and the writing project!"