Last week, Lafayette Parish School System partnered with UL and the National Writing Project of
Acadiana (NWP-A) to provide a stipend for its teachers to attend a professional development
Summer Institute (SI). The NWP-A leadership team, consisting of H. Michelle Kreamer, Toby
Daspit, and Megan Breaux, worked with Randy Bernard and Tracy Aucoin of LPSS to create an SI
that would lead participants in a series of writing exercises designed to encourage discovery,
analysis, and reflection with a focus on educational breakthroughs.
The theme of this summer’s institute was "Breakthroughs: Sharing stories of transformative
learning to reach educational breakthroughs.” SI participants composed individual breakthrough
stories, creative and reflective works, and collaborated to create a mini-lesson using creative
writing strategies to support academic writing in the classroom. In addition to a showcase
where all participants shared writing from the week, NWP-A will produce an anthology
compiling participants' writing and collaborative works created during the SI.
Kreamer, NWP-A Director, stated, “I wanted to provide quality professional development
through the National Writing Project, allowing for reflection and reinvigoration and
compensating teachers for their time. LPSS made this possible by funding the $500 stipend each
teacher received for completing the summer institute.” She explains that securing a grant is the
ultimate goal to sustain the project and expand it to reach more teachers from various subject
areas, relieving the financial burden from LPSS.
The success of this project would not have been possible without the generous support from
across Acadiana. Love Our Schools, Whole Foods, First Horizon Bank, Raising Canes Pinhook,
and Gibson Law Partners all contributed, providing lunch and breakfast donations. This
community support is a testament to the project's value and its potential to reach more
teachers. The program will continue to work with ELA coaches throughout the year, enhancing
opportunities for all English teachers in the district.
