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ABOUT 826
826 is the largest youth writing network in the country. It was founded
in 2002 in San Francisco by educator Nínive Calegari and author Dave
Eggers. 826 National serves as the hub of the movement to amplify student
voices and champions the belief that strong writing skills are essential for
academic and lifelong success. The 826 Network now serves more than
450,000 students ages 6 to 18 in under-resourced communities each year
online via 826 Digital and through chapters in nine cities: Boston, Chicago,
Detroit/Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, San
Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We work toward a
country in which the power and the joy of writing is accessible to every
student in every classroom. Together, we believe writing is the key to
cultivating a new generation of creative and diverse thinkers who will define
a better, brighter, and more compassionate future.
To learn more about how you can get involved with 826’s movement for
writing and creativity, please visit the 826 National website at
826national.org.
Authors: Cynthia Chiong, Ph.D. & Gabriela Oliveira
Design: Felix Talkin
INTRODUCTION
Writing is an essential skill for anyone at any stage of life and in any context.
Strong writing skills don’t just benefit students: they’re also a critical
component of a strong workforce. Yet, so many individuals are not taught to
write well—not as students, not as professionals in the workplace—and this
is especially true for those who come from underfunded and underserved
communities. Less explicitly talked about are the cognitive and emotional
benefits of writing; it is a tool for critical thinking, self-growth, and social
& emotional processing. These are among the reasons why we need to talk
about writing education.
The U.S. writing education system is uninspiring, lacking, and boring.
These are just a few of the unfavorable words used by teachers across the
country to describe the current state of writing education. If this sounds
familiar, it may be because these are almost the exact words used by experts,
authors, researchers, and educators from our 2020 report The Truth About
Writing Education in America: Let’s Write, Make Things Right. There, we
presented the benefits of and challenges to writing education, as well as
recommendations for how to move our field forward together.
We now follow up with a survey of hundreds of teachers, adding an on-the-
ground perspective to what we learned in our initial report. Our goal with
this ongoing series is to bring writing education to the forefront of public,
policy, and funding conversations and to carry those conversations forward
by continuing to track our progress year after year. What has improved in
the past two years, or even in the past ten years? Unfortunately, not much.
The teachers who responded to our survey graded the writing education
system a D-. Here’s why.
1 Casner-Lotto, Jill, and Linda Barrington. “Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives
on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce”.
Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and
Society for Human Resource Management; National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools
and Colleges. Writing: A Ticket to Work . . . Or a Ticket Out. College Board, Sept 2004.
We help students understand
that writing is a life skill, not
just a school skill.
1
WORDS TEACHER RESPONDENTS USED TO DESCRIBE
THE CURRENT STATE OF WRITING EDUCATION
2
TEN KEY FINDINGS
ON TIME
1. While the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommends that 1st
graders should spend a minimum of 60 minutes writing per day, only
4% of teachers in 2022 and 3% in 2021 report that their students meet
this threshold.
2. Teachers report a significant drop in time spent teaching writing from
2021 to 2022: In 2021, 39% of teachers reported spending more than 30
minutes a day teaching writing; in 2022, only 18% reported the same.
ON CURRICULA
3. Although we know from research that writing creatively benefits
students, the bulk of writing assignments are basic explanatory tasks.
Students are routinely writing to convey (69%) or explain (67%)
information but are less often producing poetry (20%) or creative
writing (44%).
4. Comprehensive, standards-aligned, and well-adopted writing
curriculum does not exist. Only 3% of teachers report solely using
curricula provided by their school or district for writing instruction.
5. Only about half of teachers feel their schools prioritize writing
instruction (55%) and that they have access to quality, standards-
aligned curricula (65%).
6. The state of writing education in low-income areas is even more dire
than in high-income areas. Teachers from schools in low- income
areas feel less trained to teach writing and have less access to
standards-aligned writing curricula than those from schools in
high-income areas, and, in turn, spend more time planning their
writing instruction.
ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD)
7. Teachers are participating in writing PD, but most do not have oppor-
tunities to meet regularly to share and discuss writing instruction with
other educators.
8. Social media is becoming a core resource for teachers, with 38% of
teachers using social media to find PD opportunities.
ON CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
9. Based on the identified challenges to writing education, teachers give
the current state of writing education in the U.S. a D-.
10. There is a disconnect between what teachers believe is important to do
in the classroom and what they are able to do. While 84% of teachers
believe it is important to celebrate student writing, only 24% report
doing so.
Not enough time is so
far ahead of the other
challenges. Bold it.
D-
Grade teachers give the current
state of writing education
4%
of teachers report that their students
write for the minimum recommended
amount of time each day
SURVEY SAMPLE
RECRUITMENT
In 2021, we sent the survey directly to 2,500 3rd-to-12th grade English
Language Arts (ELA) teachers randomly selected through MDR, an educa-
tion marketing company. It was also shared in the 826 Digital newsletter and
on 826 Network’s social media channels across the country. This resulted
in 114 responses. In 2022, we conducted a larger recruitment effort. The
survey was shared directly with 14,390 subscribers of 826 Digital as well as
5,000 randomly selected 3rd-to-12th grade ELA teacher contacts through
MDR. It was also shared with teacher training/PD programs, in the 826
Digital newsletter, and on social media channels from the 826 Network. This
resulted in 232 responses.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the typical teacher is a
White woman in her 40s with over 5 years of teaching experience.2
The majority of our survey respondents from both years are elementa-
ry-to-high school ELA classroom educators who identify as female, White,
and from public schools, reflective of the general educator population. Our
sample differs from the average educator in three ways: they are older (32%
of the 2022 sample are older than 50 years), are more experienced (67% have
been teaching for more than 10 years), and have completed more coursework
(71% have a master’s degree, and 70% have completed specific writing
instruction coursework). They teach in varied types of location (urban, rural,
suburban) as well as in varied areas of income status. They skew toward
teaching older grades, which is reflective of writing education. Please refer
to Appendix A for a detailed breakdown of demographics.
826 CONNECTION
While we did reach out to 5,000 randomly selected teacher contacts, we
acknowledge that our sample of teachers includes many teachers already
connected to 826 in some way—teachers who likely already value writing
education. Surprisingly, only 36% of respondents indicated that they
actively use 826 Digital, whereas 34% indicated that they had not heard of
826 Digital, and 30% indicated that they had heard of us but have not used
our resources. The only significant differences between those who actively
use 826 Digital and those who do not were that those who actively use 826
Digital believe in the benefits of writing more strongly. These teachers also
believe more strongly in the benefits of publishing student writing, and
therefore publish student writing more often (see Appendix B for details).
Otherwise, respondents connected to 826 answered similarly to those who
are not in terms of their beliefs and practices.
2 Taie, S., and R. Goldring. Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Teachers
in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look. (NCES
2020- 142rev).U.S. Department of Education, Apr. 2020, https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.
asp?pubid=2020142. Accessed July 2022.
4
3 Graham, Steve, et al.. Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers: A Practice Guide. U.S.
Department of Education, 2021.
4 Picou, Aigner. Are Schools Making Writing a Priority? New Study Shows Students Are Not Spending
Enough Time Writing. Learning Agency Lab, 2021, https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/wp-
content/uploads/2021/08/Are_Schools_Making_Writing_a_Priority_TLAB.pdf.
TIME
At the very base level, we wanted to understand how much time students and
teachers were spending on writing. In our initial report, writing education
experts identified lack of time and the deprioritizing of writing as perhaps
the biggest challenge to writing education. IES recommends that a kinder-
gartener writes a minimum of 30 minutes a day and by 1st grade, a minimum
of 60 minutes.3 While the recommendations by IES are just for elementary
school, the assumption is that students in older grades should spend more
time writing and building on skills learned in younger grades. We asked
teachers the amount of time their students spend writing per day and how
much time they spend teaching writing, planning their instruction, and
grading and evaluating writing.
FINDING 1
While the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommends that 1st
graders should spend a minimum of 60 minutes writing per day, only
4% of teachers in 2022 and 3% in 2021 report that their students meet
this threshold.
MINUTES STUDENTS SPEND WRITING PER DAY
The process takes a lot of
time, and we have FAR too
much curriculum to teach.
Given that we surveyed teachers of grade 3 and higher and that the majority
of the respondents teach middle and high school, the expectation is that
students should be writing more than 60 minutes a day. If that seems like
a high bar, even if the bar is lowered to 30 minutes a day, which is what is
recommended for a kindergartener, the stats still are not great. In both 2021
and 2022, only 31% of teachers reported that their students spend at least
30 minutes or more writing per day. This is identical to the 31% percent of
high schoolers who reported writing 30 minutes or more per day in a 2011
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) survey.4
This means that nothing has changed in over ten years: students are
still not spending enough time writing in the classroom.
Never enough time!
31%
of teachers report that their students
write 30 minutes or more a day.
5
FINDING 2
Teachers report a significant drop in time spent teaching writing from
2021 to 2022: In 2021, 39% of teachers reported spending more than 30
minutes a day teaching writing; in 2022, only 18% reported the same.
While the demographics of respondents from 2021 to 2022 were compa-
rable, there was one big difference: Almost all (91%) teachers surveyed in
2021 taught virtually, and almost all (89%) teachers surveyed in 2022 had
returned to in-person teaching, with 9% in hybrid classrooms. As teachers
adjusted and readjusted nearly every aspect of their classroom to meet the
challenges of the pandemic, the data here clearly shows that one element
they adjusted was writing instruction.
MINUTES SPENT TEACHING WRITING PER DAY
Districts are so desperate
to mitigate ‘learning
loss’ that they are using
online platforms that are
not engaging students
in meaningful social
interactions with stories or
creative writing prompts.
Coming out of the pandemic,
students have very little
stamina to read or produce
writing over a long period
of time.
In 2021, when the pandemic had affected students’ lives and learning for
over a year, teachers recognized the importance of writing for their students.
One teacher said, “I actually think our writing instruction this year has
become a little more demanding,” and another, “I have felt the freedom to
give my students a lot more choice in how they choose to express themselves
through writing.” It was essential for teachers to understand how their
students were feeling, and writing was an essential way to capture it.
However, with classrooms returning to in-person in 2022, teachers were
faced with new challenges. In addition to feeling the pressure of making up
for the “learning loss” of 2021, many teachers also noted that their students
lacked “stamina” and had “pandemic fatigue,” affecting their instruction as
a whole. So while the time students spent writing in the classroom remained
about the same, the time teachers spent teaching writing significantly
decreased. This suggests that if students are not spending time learning
how to write, the writing that they are doing may not be as meaningful
and effective.
There was no difference found for the time teachers spent lesson planning
and grading writing across the two years. Planning and grading time varied,
from less than 30 minutes to a few hours. However, teachers’ planning and
grading time was affected by the socioeconomic level of the schools teachers
taught at and the resources they felt they had, which we will expand on
further in the curricula section with Finding 6.
*Statistically significant difference from 2021 to 2022; ANOVA (F = 21.2, p<.000)
6
HOW OFTEN TEACHERS ASK STUDENTS TO WRITE
CURRICULA
WHAT DOES WRITING INSTRUCTION
LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM?
In this section, we asked teachers to paint a picture of what writing instruc-
tion looks like in their classrooms. We wanted to know what type of writing
their students were doing, how often, and in what format. We also asked
about the type of support and resources teachers receive and how prepared
they feel to teach writing.
FINDING 3
Although we know from research that writing creatively benefits
students, the bulk of writing assignments are basic explanatory tasks.
Students are routinely writing to convey (69%) or explain (67%) infor-
mation but are less often producing poetry (20%) or creative writing
(44%).
Time spent teaching writing was the only factor where there was a signifi-
cant difference between the 2021 and 2022 responses. Responses between
the two years for the rest of the survey were very similar, and thus we focus
the rest of this report on just responses from 2022.
Despite living in a time when writing creatively or journaling to express
oneself and reflect is critical for mental health,5 the bulk of writing assign-
ments center around explaining and conveying information. While being
able to effectively explain information is important, students may only be
doing so at a basic level, within the structure of the five-paragraph essay.
Although this structure does provide a guide for students, researchers and
educators have argued that it is also limiting and is geared toward passing
standardized tests.6 Further, only 26% of students are writing on a weekly
basis about an experience, 20% writing creatively, and only 3% writing
poetry. These other forms of writing can be more engaging to students and
are more conducive to self-expression and reflection. Even though teachers
recognize that it is important for their students to express and reflect, the
opportunities for students to do so are limited.
I am in the minority in my
department in regard to
openness to stepping away
from the five-paragraph
essay. Teachers are hooked
on its predictability and ease
of instruction and evaluation.
I feel pressured to not deviate.
The idea that the five-
paragraph essay is the
gold standard for writing
is detrimental to the whole
writing curriculum,
leaving out opportunities
for other, more relevant
ways of expression.
5 Stessman, Emma. “Journaling Could Help Boost Your Mental Health —Here’sHow to Get Started.”
Today, 31 May 2022, https://www.today.com/shop/how-journal-mental-health-benefits-t255576.
6 Campbell, Kimberly Hill. “Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay.” Educational Leadership, vol. 71, no. 7,
Apr. 2014, pp. 60–65, https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/beyond-the-five-paragraph-essay.
7
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO OFFER CHOICE ABOUT WRITING TOPIC
OR VARIETY IN WRITING FORMATS
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS BELIEVE THE LISTED WRITING
FORMATS ARE IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS
The majority of teachers do give students a choice in what they write and
what platform/format they write with, but only 29% and 15%, respectively,
do so to a strong degree. Again, while teachers recognize the importance of
giving students choice about what and how they write, they may not be able
to do so to the degree that they would like.
Teachers feel that traditional methods of writing, such as typing and on
paper, are still important. In regard to social media, 44% feel this method is
not important at all, though the majority (56%) do feel it is important to some
degree. There has been debate in recent years on how to and whether we
should incorporate social media into writing.7 Students write using social
media outside the classroom all the time but often in abbreviated ways. It
will be interesting to see how these percentages change in the future and
if social media is leveraged as a writing platform in the classroom. Finally,
while 68% of teachers do believe that journaling is somewhat or very import-
ant, this seems low given the pressures students are facing in and outside
of the classroom.
7 Hashim, Harwarti, et al. “Social Media and Its Impact on Students’ Writing Skills.” International
Journal of Engineering & Technology, vol. 7, no. 17, pp.102–06, https://www.sciencepubco.com/index.
php/ijet/article/view/21624.
Journals and the projects
with written reflections are
the only assignments I’ve
seen consistently completed
throughout this tough year.
My kids get mad when I
decide to skip journals
that week . . .
Students think writing
is boring and do not like
to write.
8
SOURCES OF WRITING CURRICULUM TEACHERS USE
FINDING 4
Comprehensive, standards-aligned, and well-adopted writing
curriculum does not exist. Only 3% of teachers report solely using
curricula provided by their school or district for writing instruction.
Teachers were asked what, if any, curriculum their school provides, and also
what other resources they use.
FINDING 5
Only about half of teachers feel their schools prioritize writing
instruction (55%) and that they have access to quality, standards-
aligned curricula (65%).
Only 3% of teachers report solely using a writing curriculum provided by
their school or district. 21% report having curriculum materials available
from their school or district but that they need to supplement that material.
More than half of teachers (53%) report having to create their own curricu-
lum. It is no surprise then, that this leads to our next finding . . .
The time it takes to assess
writing is the greatest
hurdle!
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WITH ACCESS TO QUALITY, STANDARDS-
ALIGNED CURRICULA; PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO WORK AT
SCHOOLS THAT PRIORITIZE WRITING INSTRUCTION
3%
of teachers report solely using
writing curriculum provided
by their school or district.
9
However, the findings are not all bad. There are some resources teachers do
feel they have adequate access to. The majority do feel they have access to
diverse texts (84%) and useful assessments (71%). These were both areas
that the panel in our initial 2020 report identified as areas of need. The
responses from teachers suggest that progress has been made and many
are receiving sufficient access to diverse texts and assessments. When it
comes to assessing writing, the challenge may not be access, but time. Many
mentioned not having the time to adequately assess student writing and
provide meaningful feedback.
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO REPORT ACCESS TO DIVERSE
TEXTS AND USEFUL WRITING ASSESSMENTS
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS FEEL CONFIDENT IN EACH OF
THE LISTED WRITING EDUCATION CATEGORIES
Not feeling like a writer
myself makes it that much
harder to teach. I feel like a
fraud and like the students
can see right through me.
Lastly, while the majority of teachers feel very confident in their own writing
skills, only 44% feel very confident to teach writing, with only 33% feeling
very strongly that they have the training they need to teach writing.
Continuing on these results is Finding 6 . . .
33%
of teachers feel strongly that they have
the training they need to teach writing.
10
FINDING 6
The state of writing education in lower-income areas is even more
dire than in higher-income areas. Teachers from schools in lower-
income areas feel less trained to teach writing and have less access to
standards-aligned writing curricula than those from schools in higher-
income areas, and, in turn, spend more time planning their writing
instruction.
Equal access to quality writing education is a longstanding challenge in the
United States. In 2011, NAEP reported that the majority of students are not
writing at grade level proficiency, with broad disparities by race/ethnicity,
gender, and school location (urban vs. rural). Most notably, while 75% of 12th
grade students are not writing at grade level proficiency, almost all (90%) of
Black and Hispanic students are not.8
The disparity is due in part to teacher training and resources. When
comparing teachers who work in low-socioeconomic status (SES) schools
(where more than 50% of students are from low-income families as defined
by the free/reduced lunch program) and those who work in high-SES schools
(where less than 50% of students are from low-income families), we found
the following statistically significant differences:
1. Teachers in low-SES schools report that their students spend more
time writing than teachers in high-SES schools. This additional time
though is likely spent on basic explanatory writing assignments, as
seen in Finding 3.
8 National Center for Education Statistics. The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2011. (NCES 2012–470).
U.S. Department of Education, 2012.
MINUTES PER DAY STUDENTS SPEND WRITING
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 9.503, p<.002)
90%
of Black and Hispanic
students are not writing at
grade level proficiency.
11
2. However, teachers in low-SES schools feel that access to quality,
standards-aligned curricula is a bigger challenge than teachers in
high-SES schools. This suggests that the additional time students
spend writing in low-SES schools may be with basic curriculum like the
five-paragraph essay structure.
3. Further, teachers in the lowest-SES schools (where more than 75%
of students are from low-income families) do not feel they have the
training they need to teach writing compared to teachers from the
highest-SES schools (where less than 25% of students are from low-
income families).
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO FEEL THAT ACCESS TO QUALITY,
STANDARDS-ALIGNED CURRICULA IS A CHALLENGE
4. Finally, teachers in low-SES schools also spend more time planning
their writing instruction than teachers in high-SES schools. This
makes sense if teachers in these schools do not feel they have the
resources or training to teach writing and therefore need to spend
more time planning.
ACCESS TO ADEQUATE WRITING EDUCATION TRAINING FOR TEACHERS
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 5.510, p<.020)
*Statistically significant difference between highest and lowest SES; (post-hoc Tukey’s p<.008)
Low-income areas, less trained
High income areas, more trained
12
AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT PLANNING WRITING
INSTRUCTION PER WEEK BY TEACHERS
I Google things randomly in
a panic in between classes.
BOTTOM LINE
We unquestionably need comprehensive writing curricula so that
1. teachers can spend time teaching rather than creating their
own materials;
2. teachers feel supported in teaching writing in the way that they
know they should be teaching: by providing students with more
opportunities to express themselves, reflect, and to choose what
they write and how, beyond the five-paragraph essay;
3. teachers feel trained and confident to teach writing; and
4. we can continue to bridge the socioeconomic gap reflected in the
teaching of writing.
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 6.146, p<.014)
13
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (PD)
Knowing that teacher training in writing education has been and remains
a challenge, we wanted to dig deeper into PD, especially during the past two
years of the pandemic.9
FINDING 7
Teachers are participating in PD opportunities, but most do not
have opportunities to meet regularly to share and discuss
writing instruction.
9 Troia, Gary A., and Steve Graham. “Common Core Writing and Language Standards and Aligned
State Assessments: A National Survey of Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes.” Reading and Writing, vol. 29,
no. 9, Nov. 2016, pp. 1719–43.
We are at a loss on how to
improve writing instruction:
the vast majority of teachers
do not understand the
need for, nor the ability to
implement, high-quality
writing instruction, and
educational leaders do
not know what needs to be
specifically done other than
offer packaged curricula.
WAYS TEACHERS HAVE COVERED THE COST OF WRITING
EDUCATION PD IN THE PAST TWO YEARS
HOW RECENTLY TEACHERS HAVE RECEIVED WRITING-SPECIFIC PD
The majority of teachers (74%) are required by their administration to
participate in PD opportunities. Most of these opportunities are either
free or paid for by the school. Still, about a third of teachers pay for PD
on their own.
14
I think about teaching
writing all the time, but my
colleagues don’t. I work at a
school where the leadership
has little vision . . . and
almost everything is getting
dumbed down. I’m a lone
little hold-out, trying to
teach meaningful, authentic,
creative, rigorous writing.
HOURS OF WRITING-SPECIFIC PD TEACHERS HAVE
RECEIVED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS
WAYS TEACHERS ENGAGE IN WRITING INSTRUCTION
SUPPORT WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES
The majority of teachers (73%) have received PD specific to writing instruc-
tion within the last 5 years, but only 16% report having received writing
instruction PD when they were training to be an educator. While the pan-
demic may have led to a dip in PD in recent years, with a quarter of teachers
reporting that they have received 0 hours of PD, it does seem that, as a whole,
PD opportunities are available and supported by schools.
An important aspect of PD is having a community to support that learning.
While just under half (48%) indicated that they regularly meet to share
resources and discuss writing instruction and/or belong to an active
community of practice, most teachers (66%) indicate that they only share or
ask questions about writing education when it comes up. Of these, 12% also
indicated that they have little communication with their fellow teachers,
which suggests that while they can ask or share, it may happen rarely
for some.
15
FINDING 8
Social media is becoming a core resource for teachers, with 38% of
teachers using social media to find PD opportunities.
Teachers discover PD opportunities through many ways. Traditional
methods, such as sharing between colleagues and school/district and just
searching for it, are still prevalent. Social media is on the rise as a newer
source of information, with 38% of teachers indicating that they use some
form of it, whether on Facebook (23%), Twitter (17%), Instagram (17%), and
now TikTok (3%).
WAYS TEACHERS DISCOVER PD OPPORTUNITIES
In summary, while most teachers may not receive writing instruction
PD during their training stage, most do receive it as active teachers.
Schools and administrations support, if not require, PD and provide
opportunities for it. However, teachers do still search for specific oppor-
tunities on their own, and many would benefit from deeper connections
around writing instruction.
16
BENEFITS AND
CHALLENGES
As a follow-up to our initial report, we asked teachers about the benefits
and challenges we identified from our interviews with researchers, authors,
and educators. We wanted to see how reflective those findings are of what
teachers see in their classrooms.
FINDING 9
Based on the identified challenges to writing education, teachers give
the current state of writing education in the U.S. a D-.
Challenges: The majority of teachers agree that every one of the challenges
brought forth by our 2020 panel is somewhat or very much a challenge. Not
surprisingly, the top three challenges are lack of time and priority to teach
writing (with reading instruction taking priority), lack of student-centered
writing curricula, and lack of continued writing instruction PD. The one
challenge that stood out as a less severe challenge from teachers’ perspec-
tives was lack of diversity in texts.
Giving a nod to our teachers, we converted their responses to the challenges
into a letter grade. For each challenge, we combined the percentages of
those who selected “not at all,” “a little,” and “somewhat” to end up with the
percentage of teachers who did not think the challenge was serious. We then
mapped those percentages to a grade typically assigned to those percentages
in the classroom. Aside from the challenge of diversity in texts, all other
challenges received D’s and F’s. A significant portion of teachers feel these
are serious challenges. Overall, our current state of writing education
receives a D- from our teachers.
CHALLENGES
Lack of diversity in texts
Lack of use of different writing formats and platforms
Lack of meaningful writing assessment
Lack of effective peer review and/or feedback strategies
Lack of preservice teacher training
Priority of reading instruction over writing instruction
Lack of continued writing instruction PD
Lack of student-centered writing curricula
Lack of time and priority to teach writing
TEACHERS WHO DO NOT
FEEL IT IS A CHALLENGE
80.80%
66.90%
64.60%
63.30%
59.80%
58.90%
52.60%
52.10%
50.50%
LETTER GRADE
B-
D
D
D-
F
F
F
F
F
D-
Grade teachers give the current
state of writing education
17
TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU FEEL WRITING HELPS
STUDENTS TO IMPROVE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS
Benefits: In terms of benefits, almost every teacher agrees that writing
benefits students in every way listed, with barely any teachers indicating
“not at all.” The top benefits of writing were improving communication (89%
agree “a lot”), self-expression (83%), and critical thinking (80%). Two of the
bottom three skills—confidence (65%) and self-fulfillment/pride (64%)—are
skills we see most improved during our publication process, which leads to
Finding 10 . . .
AREA
Communication
Self-expression
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Reflection
Comprehension
Empowerment
Persistence
Organization/Goal-setting
Confidence
Self-fulfillment/Pride
Empathy
SOMEWHAT
10%
12%
16%
17%
17%
18%
24%
27%
26%
28%
29%
29%
A LOT
89%
83%
80%
79%
79%
77%
66%
66%
65%
65%
64%
61%
TOTAL AGREE
99%
96%
96%
96%
96%
96%
90%
93%
91%
93%
93%
90%
18
FINDING 10
There is a disconnect between what teachers believe is important to do
in the classroom and what they are able to do. While 84% of teachers
believe it is important to celebrate student writing, only 24% report
doing so.
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS PERCEIVE THE LISTED
AREAS AS IMPORTANT TO THEIR TEACHING
WAYS TEACHERS SHARE THEIR STUDENTS’ WRITING
While teachers recognize the importance of sharing their students’ work in
some way, most do not, other than having students simply share with peers.
The main reason cited was lack of time and resources.
19
The majority of teachers also recognize that publishing student work can
help increase their confidence (72%) and motivate students to write (66%).
However, if teachers aren’t publishing and celebrating student writing, then
they may not see these student benefits as strongly.
TEACHER ATTITUDES ABOUT THE BENEFITS
OF PUBLISHING STUDENT WRITING
In summary, we know the benefits of writing and that these benefits
are deep and can impact students’ lives well into their futures. Unfor-
tunately, with the challenges they face, teachers are largely unable to
provide writing instruction to the degree that students need in order
to truly reap those benefits. Our students know very well that a D- is
not passing. How can we expect better grades of our students when the
education we are providing them doesn’t meet expectations?
20
TAKE ACTION
Writing education prepares students not only for academic achievement but
also for the lifelong need to articulate their thoughts and communicate with
others. There are more benefits to writing than what at first meets the eye.
While we are learning to write, we also learn how to process complex ideas
from different sources, reflect and articulate on our emotions and thought
processes, advocate for ourselves and our communities, become more
compassionate to others, and much more. A writing education system that is
“lacking,” “nonexistent,” and receives a D- from teachers is simply not good
enough.
These results are not new to us or anyone in the writing education field. For
over ten years, since the last NAEP-administered writing assessment and
subsequent reports based on that data, we have known that students do not
spend enough time writing in the classroom. We have known that there are
no well-adopted, standards-aligned writing curricula. We have known
that teachers do not feel trained in writing instruction. And yet, not much
has changed.
To move the writing education field forward, we need to take action
now. We need to
1. increase dedicated time for students to write, whether in the
classroom or out, and especially to those in areas that need it most;
2. develop standards-aligned curricula specifically for writing;
3. support teachers to feel confident not just in their own writing
but also in their writing instruction by providing PD resources, a
learning community, and inspiration for writing lessons; and
4. continue advocacy work to inform the field, the general public,
policymakers, and funders about the challenges to and benefits of
writing education.
While not new, these results do confirm that our mission at 826 is needed
and help inform our strategies as we carry our work forward. In this past
year, 826 reached an estimated 15,000 teachers and 450,000 students
through our chapters and 826 Digital. While we are proud of these numbers,
we recognize that this is just a fraction of teachers and students in the U.S.
We cannot do this work in a silo, and we can only move the field forward
meaningfully together. Take action with us:
• Share this report with your teachers, administrators, and policy makers.
• If you are in the field of writing education, consider the four action steps
above and how they fit into your role to support teachers and students.
• Come join 826 as a volunteer, a supporter, an educator, and/or a writer.
Consider this our call to rally. Picture the bullhorn, hear our students’
voices, feel their pride as they share their powerful and brilliant writing.
Honor their words by taking action. Reading this report is not enough. What
will you do?
21
CONSIDER
THIS OUR
CALL TO RALLY.
HONOR THEIR
WORDS BY
TAKING ACTION.
JOIN 826 AS A
VOLUNTEER,
SUPPORTER,
EDUCATOR,
OR WRITER.
SHARE THIS REPORT
WITH YOUR TEACHERS,
ADMINISTRATORS, AND
POLICY MAKERS.
22
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
TEACHING FORMAT
Mostly in-person
Mostly virtual
Hybrid
GENDER
Female
Male
Non-binary/Third Gender
RACE/ETHNICITY
White
Black/African-American
Hispanic/Latina/o/x
Asian/Asian-American
Middle Eastern or North African
American Indian/
Native American or Alaska Native
Two or More Races
AGE
<25
25-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
>50
ROLE
Classroom Educator
SUBJECT
Writing
ELA
Math
Science
Social Studies/History
Art/Music
Other
2021
4%
91%
NA
80%
17%
3%
71%
4%
5%
4%
1%
3%
7%
4%
20%
20%
13%
13%
9%
21%
92%
60%
80%
22%
21%
26%
11%
16%
2022
89%
2%
9%
86%
12%
2%
78%
3%
4%
3%
9%
3%
2%
2%
7%
11%
15%
16%
16%
32%
94%
50%
88%
15%
14%
24%
6%
15%
23
GRADE LEVEL
Elementary
Middle
High School
SCHOOL TYPE
Public
Private
Magnet
Charter
Parochial
SCHOOL LOCATION
Urban
Rural
Suburban
SES
0-25%
25-50%
50-75%
75-100%
YEARS TEACHING
Less than 1 year
1-3 years
3-6 years
7-10 years
more than 10 years
2021
24%
40%
45%
81%
11%
2%
5%
1%
46%
21%
33%
25%
25%
16%
29%
4%
12%
22%
20%
41%
2022
26%
35%
53%
82%
8%
8%
1%
1%
39%
22%
38%
26%
21%
20%
33%
1%
6%
9%
17%
67%
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
24
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
EDUCATION LEVEL
HS or GED
Associate’s Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
Master’s Degree
Doctorate
COURSEWORK
Writing Education
Reading Education
Other language arts-related subject
Elementary or secondary education
2021
3%
1%
30%
63%
4%
75%
67%
49%
72%
2022
0%
0%
23%
71%
6%
71%
33%
51%
74%
25
APPENDIX B: SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN RESPONDENTS WHO ARE 826
EDUCATORS VERSUS THOSE WHO ARE NOT
BENEFITS OF WRITING
Self-expression
Creativity
Communication
Reflection
Empathy
Confidence
Persistence
Critical thinking
Comprehension
Empowerment
CHALLENGE
Lack diversity in texts
BENEFITS OF PUBLISHING
STUDENT WRITING
Share writing
Celebrate
Publish writing
Motivate
Representation
Mentor texts
HOW DO YOU SHARE
STUDENT WRITING?
Print book
Book release
Share outside
NOT ACTIVE
826 EDUCATOR:
MEAN
3.73
3.69
3.83
3.72
3.41
3.52
3.52
3.74
3.68
3.47
2.54
3.3
3.27
3.09
2.73
3.37
2.74
SD
0.611
0.589
0.409
0.521
0.717
0.654
0.664
0.51
0.571
0.758
0.955
0.793
0.862
0.903
1.055
0.829
1.122
P-VALUE
<.000
<.000
<.000
0.017
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.005
<.000
<.000
0.01
0.001
<.000
0.008
P-VALUE
0.001
<.000
0.004
F
15.36
30.298
37.449
5.773
12.822
18.761
18.476
15.435
12.565
15.998
8.202
21.754
12.9
6.769
11.082
17.502
7.052
CHI-SQUARE
10.09
13.794
8.19
26
826national.org
BENEFITS OF WRITING
Self-expression
Creativity
Communication
Reflection
Empathy
Confidence
Persistence
Critical thinking
Comprehension
Empowerment
CHALLENGE
Lack diversity in texts
BENEFITS OF PUBLISHING
STUDENT WRITING
Share writing
Celebrate
Publish writing
Motivate
Representation
Mentor texts
HOW DO YOU SHARE
STUDENT WRITING?
Print book
Book release
Share outside
P-VALUE
<.000
<.000
<.000
0.017
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.005
<.000
<.000
0.01
0.001
<.000
0.008
SD
0.393
0.339
0.187
0.519
0.601
0.502
0.496
0.375
0.47
0.578
0.84
0.521
0.624
0.688
0.878
0.561
0.987
P-VALUE
0.001
<.000
0.004
F
15.36
30.298
37.449
5.773
12.822
18.761
18.476
15.435
12.565
15.998
8.202
21.754
12.9
6.769
11.082
17.502
7.052
ACTIVE 826
EDUCATOR:
MEAN
3.88
3.87
3.96
3.82
3.69
3.72
3.73
3.87
3.82
3.69
2.91
3.67
3.58
3.35
3.06
3.6
3.04
CHI-SQUARE
10.09
13.794
8.19
27
826 is the largest youth writing network in the country. It was founded
in 2002 in San Francisco by educator Nínive Calegari and author Dave
Eggers. 826 National serves as the hub of the movement to amplify student
voices and champions the belief that strong writing skills are essential for
academic and lifelong success. The 826 Network now serves more than
450,000 students ages 6 to 18 in under-resourced communities each year
online via 826 Digital and through chapters in nine cities: Boston, Chicago,
Detroit/Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, San
Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We work toward a
country in which the power and the joy of writing is accessible to every
student in every classroom. Together, we believe writing is the key to
cultivating a new generation of creative and diverse thinkers who will define
a better, brighter, and more compassionate future.
To learn more about how you can get involved with 826’s movement for
writing and creativity, please visit the 826 National website at
826national.org.
Authors: Cynthia Chiong, Ph.D. & Gabriela Oliveira
Design: Felix Talkin
INTRODUCTION
Writing is an essential skill for anyone at any stage of life and in any context.
Strong writing skills don’t just benefit students: they’re also a critical
component of a strong workforce. Yet, so many individuals are not taught to
write well—not as students, not as professionals in the workplace—and this
is especially true for those who come from underfunded and underserved
communities. Less explicitly talked about are the cognitive and emotional
benefits of writing; it is a tool for critical thinking, self-growth, and social
& emotional processing. These are among the reasons why we need to talk
about writing education.
The U.S. writing education system is uninspiring, lacking, and boring.
These are just a few of the unfavorable words used by teachers across the
country to describe the current state of writing education. If this sounds
familiar, it may be because these are almost the exact words used by experts,
authors, researchers, and educators from our 2020 report The Truth About
Writing Education in America: Let’s Write, Make Things Right. There, we
presented the benefits of and challenges to writing education, as well as
recommendations for how to move our field forward together.
We now follow up with a survey of hundreds of teachers, adding an on-the-
ground perspective to what we learned in our initial report. Our goal with
this ongoing series is to bring writing education to the forefront of public,
policy, and funding conversations and to carry those conversations forward
by continuing to track our progress year after year. What has improved in
the past two years, or even in the past ten years? Unfortunately, not much.
The teachers who responded to our survey graded the writing education
system a D-. Here’s why.
1 Casner-Lotto, Jill, and Linda Barrington. “Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’ Perspectives
on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce”.
Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and
Society for Human Resource Management; National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools
and Colleges. Writing: A Ticket to Work . . . Or a Ticket Out. College Board, Sept 2004.
We help students understand
that writing is a life skill, not
just a school skill.
1
WORDS TEACHER RESPONDENTS USED TO DESCRIBE
THE CURRENT STATE OF WRITING EDUCATION
2
TEN KEY FINDINGS
ON TIME
1. While the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommends that 1st
graders should spend a minimum of 60 minutes writing per day, only
4% of teachers in 2022 and 3% in 2021 report that their students meet
this threshold.
2. Teachers report a significant drop in time spent teaching writing from
2021 to 2022: In 2021, 39% of teachers reported spending more than 30
minutes a day teaching writing; in 2022, only 18% reported the same.
ON CURRICULA
3. Although we know from research that writing creatively benefits
students, the bulk of writing assignments are basic explanatory tasks.
Students are routinely writing to convey (69%) or explain (67%)
information but are less often producing poetry (20%) or creative
writing (44%).
4. Comprehensive, standards-aligned, and well-adopted writing
curriculum does not exist. Only 3% of teachers report solely using
curricula provided by their school or district for writing instruction.
5. Only about half of teachers feel their schools prioritize writing
instruction (55%) and that they have access to quality, standards-
aligned curricula (65%).
6. The state of writing education in low-income areas is even more dire
than in high-income areas. Teachers from schools in low- income
areas feel less trained to teach writing and have less access to
standards-aligned writing curricula than those from schools in
high-income areas, and, in turn, spend more time planning their
writing instruction.
ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD)
7. Teachers are participating in writing PD, but most do not have oppor-
tunities to meet regularly to share and discuss writing instruction with
other educators.
8. Social media is becoming a core resource for teachers, with 38% of
teachers using social media to find PD opportunities.
ON CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS
9. Based on the identified challenges to writing education, teachers give
the current state of writing education in the U.S. a D-.
10. There is a disconnect between what teachers believe is important to do
in the classroom and what they are able to do. While 84% of teachers
believe it is important to celebrate student writing, only 24% report
doing so.
Not enough time is so
far ahead of the other
challenges. Bold it.
D-
Grade teachers give the current
state of writing education
4%
of teachers report that their students
write for the minimum recommended
amount of time each day
SURVEY SAMPLE
RECRUITMENT
In 2021, we sent the survey directly to 2,500 3rd-to-12th grade English
Language Arts (ELA) teachers randomly selected through MDR, an educa-
tion marketing company. It was also shared in the 826 Digital newsletter and
on 826 Network’s social media channels across the country. This resulted
in 114 responses. In 2022, we conducted a larger recruitment effort. The
survey was shared directly with 14,390 subscribers of 826 Digital as well as
5,000 randomly selected 3rd-to-12th grade ELA teacher contacts through
MDR. It was also shared with teacher training/PD programs, in the 826
Digital newsletter, and on social media channels from the 826 Network. This
resulted in 232 responses.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the typical teacher is a
White woman in her 40s with over 5 years of teaching experience.2
The majority of our survey respondents from both years are elementa-
ry-to-high school ELA classroom educators who identify as female, White,
and from public schools, reflective of the general educator population. Our
sample differs from the average educator in three ways: they are older (32%
of the 2022 sample are older than 50 years), are more experienced (67% have
been teaching for more than 10 years), and have completed more coursework
(71% have a master’s degree, and 70% have completed specific writing
instruction coursework). They teach in varied types of location (urban, rural,
suburban) as well as in varied areas of income status. They skew toward
teaching older grades, which is reflective of writing education. Please refer
to Appendix A for a detailed breakdown of demographics.
826 CONNECTION
While we did reach out to 5,000 randomly selected teacher contacts, we
acknowledge that our sample of teachers includes many teachers already
connected to 826 in some way—teachers who likely already value writing
education. Surprisingly, only 36% of respondents indicated that they
actively use 826 Digital, whereas 34% indicated that they had not heard of
826 Digital, and 30% indicated that they had heard of us but have not used
our resources. The only significant differences between those who actively
use 826 Digital and those who do not were that those who actively use 826
Digital believe in the benefits of writing more strongly. These teachers also
believe more strongly in the benefits of publishing student writing, and
therefore publish student writing more often (see Appendix B for details).
Otherwise, respondents connected to 826 answered similarly to those who
are not in terms of their beliefs and practices.
2 Taie, S., and R. Goldring. Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary School Teachers
in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look. (NCES
2020- 142rev).U.S. Department of Education, Apr. 2020, https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.
asp?pubid=2020142. Accessed July 2022.
4
3 Graham, Steve, et al.. Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers: A Practice Guide. U.S.
Department of Education, 2021.
4 Picou, Aigner. Are Schools Making Writing a Priority? New Study Shows Students Are Not Spending
Enough Time Writing. Learning Agency Lab, 2021, https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/wp-
content/uploads/2021/08/Are_Schools_Making_Writing_a_Priority_TLAB.pdf.
TIME
At the very base level, we wanted to understand how much time students and
teachers were spending on writing. In our initial report, writing education
experts identified lack of time and the deprioritizing of writing as perhaps
the biggest challenge to writing education. IES recommends that a kinder-
gartener writes a minimum of 30 minutes a day and by 1st grade, a minimum
of 60 minutes.3 While the recommendations by IES are just for elementary
school, the assumption is that students in older grades should spend more
time writing and building on skills learned in younger grades. We asked
teachers the amount of time their students spend writing per day and how
much time they spend teaching writing, planning their instruction, and
grading and evaluating writing.
FINDING 1
While the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommends that 1st
graders should spend a minimum of 60 minutes writing per day, only
4% of teachers in 2022 and 3% in 2021 report that their students meet
this threshold.
MINUTES STUDENTS SPEND WRITING PER DAY
The process takes a lot of
time, and we have FAR too
much curriculum to teach.
Given that we surveyed teachers of grade 3 and higher and that the majority
of the respondents teach middle and high school, the expectation is that
students should be writing more than 60 minutes a day. If that seems like
a high bar, even if the bar is lowered to 30 minutes a day, which is what is
recommended for a kindergartener, the stats still are not great. In both 2021
and 2022, only 31% of teachers reported that their students spend at least
30 minutes or more writing per day. This is identical to the 31% percent of
high schoolers who reported writing 30 minutes or more per day in a 2011
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) survey.4
This means that nothing has changed in over ten years: students are
still not spending enough time writing in the classroom.
Never enough time!
31%
of teachers report that their students
write 30 minutes or more a day.
5
FINDING 2
Teachers report a significant drop in time spent teaching writing from
2021 to 2022: In 2021, 39% of teachers reported spending more than 30
minutes a day teaching writing; in 2022, only 18% reported the same.
While the demographics of respondents from 2021 to 2022 were compa-
rable, there was one big difference: Almost all (91%) teachers surveyed in
2021 taught virtually, and almost all (89%) teachers surveyed in 2022 had
returned to in-person teaching, with 9% in hybrid classrooms. As teachers
adjusted and readjusted nearly every aspect of their classroom to meet the
challenges of the pandemic, the data here clearly shows that one element
they adjusted was writing instruction.
MINUTES SPENT TEACHING WRITING PER DAY
Districts are so desperate
to mitigate ‘learning
loss’ that they are using
online platforms that are
not engaging students
in meaningful social
interactions with stories or
creative writing prompts.
Coming out of the pandemic,
students have very little
stamina to read or produce
writing over a long period
of time.
In 2021, when the pandemic had affected students’ lives and learning for
over a year, teachers recognized the importance of writing for their students.
One teacher said, “I actually think our writing instruction this year has
become a little more demanding,” and another, “I have felt the freedom to
give my students a lot more choice in how they choose to express themselves
through writing.” It was essential for teachers to understand how their
students were feeling, and writing was an essential way to capture it.
However, with classrooms returning to in-person in 2022, teachers were
faced with new challenges. In addition to feeling the pressure of making up
for the “learning loss” of 2021, many teachers also noted that their students
lacked “stamina” and had “pandemic fatigue,” affecting their instruction as
a whole. So while the time students spent writing in the classroom remained
about the same, the time teachers spent teaching writing significantly
decreased. This suggests that if students are not spending time learning
how to write, the writing that they are doing may not be as meaningful
and effective.
There was no difference found for the time teachers spent lesson planning
and grading writing across the two years. Planning and grading time varied,
from less than 30 minutes to a few hours. However, teachers’ planning and
grading time was affected by the socioeconomic level of the schools teachers
taught at and the resources they felt they had, which we will expand on
further in the curricula section with Finding 6.
*Statistically significant difference from 2021 to 2022; ANOVA (F = 21.2, p<.000)
6
HOW OFTEN TEACHERS ASK STUDENTS TO WRITE
CURRICULA
WHAT DOES WRITING INSTRUCTION
LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM?
In this section, we asked teachers to paint a picture of what writing instruc-
tion looks like in their classrooms. We wanted to know what type of writing
their students were doing, how often, and in what format. We also asked
about the type of support and resources teachers receive and how prepared
they feel to teach writing.
FINDING 3
Although we know from research that writing creatively benefits
students, the bulk of writing assignments are basic explanatory tasks.
Students are routinely writing to convey (69%) or explain (67%) infor-
mation but are less often producing poetry (20%) or creative writing
(44%).
Time spent teaching writing was the only factor where there was a signifi-
cant difference between the 2021 and 2022 responses. Responses between
the two years for the rest of the survey were very similar, and thus we focus
the rest of this report on just responses from 2022.
Despite living in a time when writing creatively or journaling to express
oneself and reflect is critical for mental health,5 the bulk of writing assign-
ments center around explaining and conveying information. While being
able to effectively explain information is important, students may only be
doing so at a basic level, within the structure of the five-paragraph essay.
Although this structure does provide a guide for students, researchers and
educators have argued that it is also limiting and is geared toward passing
standardized tests.6 Further, only 26% of students are writing on a weekly
basis about an experience, 20% writing creatively, and only 3% writing
poetry. These other forms of writing can be more engaging to students and
are more conducive to self-expression and reflection. Even though teachers
recognize that it is important for their students to express and reflect, the
opportunities for students to do so are limited.
I am in the minority in my
department in regard to
openness to stepping away
from the five-paragraph
essay. Teachers are hooked
on its predictability and ease
of instruction and evaluation.
I feel pressured to not deviate.
The idea that the five-
paragraph essay is the
gold standard for writing
is detrimental to the whole
writing curriculum,
leaving out opportunities
for other, more relevant
ways of expression.
5 Stessman, Emma. “Journaling Could Help Boost Your Mental Health —Here’sHow to Get Started.”
Today, 31 May 2022, https://www.today.com/shop/how-journal-mental-health-benefits-t255576.
6 Campbell, Kimberly Hill. “Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay.” Educational Leadership, vol. 71, no. 7,
Apr. 2014, pp. 60–65, https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/beyond-the-five-paragraph-essay.
7
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO OFFER CHOICE ABOUT WRITING TOPIC
OR VARIETY IN WRITING FORMATS
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS BELIEVE THE LISTED WRITING
FORMATS ARE IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS
The majority of teachers do give students a choice in what they write and
what platform/format they write with, but only 29% and 15%, respectively,
do so to a strong degree. Again, while teachers recognize the importance of
giving students choice about what and how they write, they may not be able
to do so to the degree that they would like.
Teachers feel that traditional methods of writing, such as typing and on
paper, are still important. In regard to social media, 44% feel this method is
not important at all, though the majority (56%) do feel it is important to some
degree. There has been debate in recent years on how to and whether we
should incorporate social media into writing.7 Students write using social
media outside the classroom all the time but often in abbreviated ways. It
will be interesting to see how these percentages change in the future and
if social media is leveraged as a writing platform in the classroom. Finally,
while 68% of teachers do believe that journaling is somewhat or very import-
ant, this seems low given the pressures students are facing in and outside
of the classroom.
7 Hashim, Harwarti, et al. “Social Media and Its Impact on Students’ Writing Skills.” International
Journal of Engineering & Technology, vol. 7, no. 17, pp.102–06, https://www.sciencepubco.com/index.
php/ijet/article/view/21624.
Journals and the projects
with written reflections are
the only assignments I’ve
seen consistently completed
throughout this tough year.
My kids get mad when I
decide to skip journals
that week . . .
Students think writing
is boring and do not like
to write.
8
SOURCES OF WRITING CURRICULUM TEACHERS USE
FINDING 4
Comprehensive, standards-aligned, and well-adopted writing
curriculum does not exist. Only 3% of teachers report solely using
curricula provided by their school or district for writing instruction.
Teachers were asked what, if any, curriculum their school provides, and also
what other resources they use.
FINDING 5
Only about half of teachers feel their schools prioritize writing
instruction (55%) and that they have access to quality, standards-
aligned curricula (65%).
Only 3% of teachers report solely using a writing curriculum provided by
their school or district. 21% report having curriculum materials available
from their school or district but that they need to supplement that material.
More than half of teachers (53%) report having to create their own curricu-
lum. It is no surprise then, that this leads to our next finding . . .
The time it takes to assess
writing is the greatest
hurdle!
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WITH ACCESS TO QUALITY, STANDARDS-
ALIGNED CURRICULA; PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO WORK AT
SCHOOLS THAT PRIORITIZE WRITING INSTRUCTION
3%
of teachers report solely using
writing curriculum provided
by their school or district.
9
However, the findings are not all bad. There are some resources teachers do
feel they have adequate access to. The majority do feel they have access to
diverse texts (84%) and useful assessments (71%). These were both areas
that the panel in our initial 2020 report identified as areas of need. The
responses from teachers suggest that progress has been made and many
are receiving sufficient access to diverse texts and assessments. When it
comes to assessing writing, the challenge may not be access, but time. Many
mentioned not having the time to adequately assess student writing and
provide meaningful feedback.
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO REPORT ACCESS TO DIVERSE
TEXTS AND USEFUL WRITING ASSESSMENTS
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS FEEL CONFIDENT IN EACH OF
THE LISTED WRITING EDUCATION CATEGORIES
Not feeling like a writer
myself makes it that much
harder to teach. I feel like a
fraud and like the students
can see right through me.
Lastly, while the majority of teachers feel very confident in their own writing
skills, only 44% feel very confident to teach writing, with only 33% feeling
very strongly that they have the training they need to teach writing.
Continuing on these results is Finding 6 . . .
33%
of teachers feel strongly that they have
the training they need to teach writing.
10
FINDING 6
The state of writing education in lower-income areas is even more
dire than in higher-income areas. Teachers from schools in lower-
income areas feel less trained to teach writing and have less access to
standards-aligned writing curricula than those from schools in higher-
income areas, and, in turn, spend more time planning their writing
instruction.
Equal access to quality writing education is a longstanding challenge in the
United States. In 2011, NAEP reported that the majority of students are not
writing at grade level proficiency, with broad disparities by race/ethnicity,
gender, and school location (urban vs. rural). Most notably, while 75% of 12th
grade students are not writing at grade level proficiency, almost all (90%) of
Black and Hispanic students are not.8
The disparity is due in part to teacher training and resources. When
comparing teachers who work in low-socioeconomic status (SES) schools
(where more than 50% of students are from low-income families as defined
by the free/reduced lunch program) and those who work in high-SES schools
(where less than 50% of students are from low-income families), we found
the following statistically significant differences:
1. Teachers in low-SES schools report that their students spend more
time writing than teachers in high-SES schools. This additional time
though is likely spent on basic explanatory writing assignments, as
seen in Finding 3.
8 National Center for Education Statistics. The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2011. (NCES 2012–470).
U.S. Department of Education, 2012.
MINUTES PER DAY STUDENTS SPEND WRITING
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 9.503, p<.002)
90%
of Black and Hispanic
students are not writing at
grade level proficiency.
11
2. However, teachers in low-SES schools feel that access to quality,
standards-aligned curricula is a bigger challenge than teachers in
high-SES schools. This suggests that the additional time students
spend writing in low-SES schools may be with basic curriculum like the
five-paragraph essay structure.
3. Further, teachers in the lowest-SES schools (where more than 75%
of students are from low-income families) do not feel they have the
training they need to teach writing compared to teachers from the
highest-SES schools (where less than 25% of students are from low-
income families).
PERCENT OF TEACHERS WHO FEEL THAT ACCESS TO QUALITY,
STANDARDS-ALIGNED CURRICULA IS A CHALLENGE
4. Finally, teachers in low-SES schools also spend more time planning
their writing instruction than teachers in high-SES schools. This
makes sense if teachers in these schools do not feel they have the
resources or training to teach writing and therefore need to spend
more time planning.
ACCESS TO ADEQUATE WRITING EDUCATION TRAINING FOR TEACHERS
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 5.510, p<.020)
*Statistically significant difference between highest and lowest SES; (post-hoc Tukey’s p<.008)
Low-income areas, less trained
High income areas, more trained
12
AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT PLANNING WRITING
INSTRUCTION PER WEEK BY TEACHERS
I Google things randomly in
a panic in between classes.
BOTTOM LINE
We unquestionably need comprehensive writing curricula so that
1. teachers can spend time teaching rather than creating their
own materials;
2. teachers feel supported in teaching writing in the way that they
know they should be teaching: by providing students with more
opportunities to express themselves, reflect, and to choose what
they write and how, beyond the five-paragraph essay;
3. teachers feel trained and confident to teach writing; and
4. we can continue to bridge the socioeconomic gap reflected in the
teaching of writing.
*Statistically significant difference between high and low SES; t-test (F = 6.146, p<.014)
13
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (PD)
Knowing that teacher training in writing education has been and remains
a challenge, we wanted to dig deeper into PD, especially during the past two
years of the pandemic.9
FINDING 7
Teachers are participating in PD opportunities, but most do not
have opportunities to meet regularly to share and discuss
writing instruction.
9 Troia, Gary A., and Steve Graham. “Common Core Writing and Language Standards and Aligned
State Assessments: A National Survey of Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes.” Reading and Writing, vol. 29,
no. 9, Nov. 2016, pp. 1719–43.
We are at a loss on how to
improve writing instruction:
the vast majority of teachers
do not understand the
need for, nor the ability to
implement, high-quality
writing instruction, and
educational leaders do
not know what needs to be
specifically done other than
offer packaged curricula.
WAYS TEACHERS HAVE COVERED THE COST OF WRITING
EDUCATION PD IN THE PAST TWO YEARS
HOW RECENTLY TEACHERS HAVE RECEIVED WRITING-SPECIFIC PD
The majority of teachers (74%) are required by their administration to
participate in PD opportunities. Most of these opportunities are either
free or paid for by the school. Still, about a third of teachers pay for PD
on their own.
14
I think about teaching
writing all the time, but my
colleagues don’t. I work at a
school where the leadership
has little vision . . . and
almost everything is getting
dumbed down. I’m a lone
little hold-out, trying to
teach meaningful, authentic,
creative, rigorous writing.
HOURS OF WRITING-SPECIFIC PD TEACHERS HAVE
RECEIVED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS
WAYS TEACHERS ENGAGE IN WRITING INSTRUCTION
SUPPORT WITH THEIR COLLEAGUES
The majority of teachers (73%) have received PD specific to writing instruc-
tion within the last 5 years, but only 16% report having received writing
instruction PD when they were training to be an educator. While the pan-
demic may have led to a dip in PD in recent years, with a quarter of teachers
reporting that they have received 0 hours of PD, it does seem that, as a whole,
PD opportunities are available and supported by schools.
An important aspect of PD is having a community to support that learning.
While just under half (48%) indicated that they regularly meet to share
resources and discuss writing instruction and/or belong to an active
community of practice, most teachers (66%) indicate that they only share or
ask questions about writing education when it comes up. Of these, 12% also
indicated that they have little communication with their fellow teachers,
which suggests that while they can ask or share, it may happen rarely
for some.
15
FINDING 8
Social media is becoming a core resource for teachers, with 38% of
teachers using social media to find PD opportunities.
Teachers discover PD opportunities through many ways. Traditional
methods, such as sharing between colleagues and school/district and just
searching for it, are still prevalent. Social media is on the rise as a newer
source of information, with 38% of teachers indicating that they use some
form of it, whether on Facebook (23%), Twitter (17%), Instagram (17%), and
now TikTok (3%).
WAYS TEACHERS DISCOVER PD OPPORTUNITIES
In summary, while most teachers may not receive writing instruction
PD during their training stage, most do receive it as active teachers.
Schools and administrations support, if not require, PD and provide
opportunities for it. However, teachers do still search for specific oppor-
tunities on their own, and many would benefit from deeper connections
around writing instruction.
16
BENEFITS AND
CHALLENGES
As a follow-up to our initial report, we asked teachers about the benefits
and challenges we identified from our interviews with researchers, authors,
and educators. We wanted to see how reflective those findings are of what
teachers see in their classrooms.
FINDING 9
Based on the identified challenges to writing education, teachers give
the current state of writing education in the U.S. a D-.
Challenges: The majority of teachers agree that every one of the challenges
brought forth by our 2020 panel is somewhat or very much a challenge. Not
surprisingly, the top three challenges are lack of time and priority to teach
writing (with reading instruction taking priority), lack of student-centered
writing curricula, and lack of continued writing instruction PD. The one
challenge that stood out as a less severe challenge from teachers’ perspec-
tives was lack of diversity in texts.
Giving a nod to our teachers, we converted their responses to the challenges
into a letter grade. For each challenge, we combined the percentages of
those who selected “not at all,” “a little,” and “somewhat” to end up with the
percentage of teachers who did not think the challenge was serious. We then
mapped those percentages to a grade typically assigned to those percentages
in the classroom. Aside from the challenge of diversity in texts, all other
challenges received D’s and F’s. A significant portion of teachers feel these
are serious challenges. Overall, our current state of writing education
receives a D- from our teachers.
CHALLENGES
Lack of diversity in texts
Lack of use of different writing formats and platforms
Lack of meaningful writing assessment
Lack of effective peer review and/or feedback strategies
Lack of preservice teacher training
Priority of reading instruction over writing instruction
Lack of continued writing instruction PD
Lack of student-centered writing curricula
Lack of time and priority to teach writing
TEACHERS WHO DO NOT
FEEL IT IS A CHALLENGE
80.80%
66.90%
64.60%
63.30%
59.80%
58.90%
52.60%
52.10%
50.50%
LETTER GRADE
B-
D
D
D-
F
F
F
F
F
D-
Grade teachers give the current
state of writing education
17
TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU FEEL WRITING HELPS
STUDENTS TO IMPROVE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS
Benefits: In terms of benefits, almost every teacher agrees that writing
benefits students in every way listed, with barely any teachers indicating
“not at all.” The top benefits of writing were improving communication (89%
agree “a lot”), self-expression (83%), and critical thinking (80%). Two of the
bottom three skills—confidence (65%) and self-fulfillment/pride (64%)—are
skills we see most improved during our publication process, which leads to
Finding 10 . . .
AREA
Communication
Self-expression
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Reflection
Comprehension
Empowerment
Persistence
Organization/Goal-setting
Confidence
Self-fulfillment/Pride
Empathy
SOMEWHAT
10%
12%
16%
17%
17%
18%
24%
27%
26%
28%
29%
29%
A LOT
89%
83%
80%
79%
79%
77%
66%
66%
65%
65%
64%
61%
TOTAL AGREE
99%
96%
96%
96%
96%
96%
90%
93%
91%
93%
93%
90%
18
FINDING 10
There is a disconnect between what teachers believe is important to do
in the classroom and what they are able to do. While 84% of teachers
believe it is important to celebrate student writing, only 24% report
doing so.
DEGREE TO WHICH TEACHERS PERCEIVE THE LISTED
AREAS AS IMPORTANT TO THEIR TEACHING
WAYS TEACHERS SHARE THEIR STUDENTS’ WRITING
While teachers recognize the importance of sharing their students’ work in
some way, most do not, other than having students simply share with peers.
The main reason cited was lack of time and resources.
19
The majority of teachers also recognize that publishing student work can
help increase their confidence (72%) and motivate students to write (66%).
However, if teachers aren’t publishing and celebrating student writing, then
they may not see these student benefits as strongly.
TEACHER ATTITUDES ABOUT THE BENEFITS
OF PUBLISHING STUDENT WRITING
In summary, we know the benefits of writing and that these benefits
are deep and can impact students’ lives well into their futures. Unfor-
tunately, with the challenges they face, teachers are largely unable to
provide writing instruction to the degree that students need in order
to truly reap those benefits. Our students know very well that a D- is
not passing. How can we expect better grades of our students when the
education we are providing them doesn’t meet expectations?
20
TAKE ACTION
Writing education prepares students not only for academic achievement but
also for the lifelong need to articulate their thoughts and communicate with
others. There are more benefits to writing than what at first meets the eye.
While we are learning to write, we also learn how to process complex ideas
from different sources, reflect and articulate on our emotions and thought
processes, advocate for ourselves and our communities, become more
compassionate to others, and much more. A writing education system that is
“lacking,” “nonexistent,” and receives a D- from teachers is simply not good
enough.
These results are not new to us or anyone in the writing education field. For
over ten years, since the last NAEP-administered writing assessment and
subsequent reports based on that data, we have known that students do not
spend enough time writing in the classroom. We have known that there are
no well-adopted, standards-aligned writing curricula. We have known
that teachers do not feel trained in writing instruction. And yet, not much
has changed.
To move the writing education field forward, we need to take action
now. We need to
1. increase dedicated time for students to write, whether in the
classroom or out, and especially to those in areas that need it most;
2. develop standards-aligned curricula specifically for writing;
3. support teachers to feel confident not just in their own writing
but also in their writing instruction by providing PD resources, a
learning community, and inspiration for writing lessons; and
4. continue advocacy work to inform the field, the general public,
policymakers, and funders about the challenges to and benefits of
writing education.
While not new, these results do confirm that our mission at 826 is needed
and help inform our strategies as we carry our work forward. In this past
year, 826 reached an estimated 15,000 teachers and 450,000 students
through our chapters and 826 Digital. While we are proud of these numbers,
we recognize that this is just a fraction of teachers and students in the U.S.
We cannot do this work in a silo, and we can only move the field forward
meaningfully together. Take action with us:
• Share this report with your teachers, administrators, and policy makers.
• If you are in the field of writing education, consider the four action steps
above and how they fit into your role to support teachers and students.
• Come join 826 as a volunteer, a supporter, an educator, and/or a writer.
Consider this our call to rally. Picture the bullhorn, hear our students’
voices, feel their pride as they share their powerful and brilliant writing.
Honor their words by taking action. Reading this report is not enough. What
will you do?
21
CONSIDER
THIS OUR
CALL TO RALLY.
HONOR THEIR
WORDS BY
TAKING ACTION.
JOIN 826 AS A
VOLUNTEER,
SUPPORTER,
EDUCATOR,
OR WRITER.
SHARE THIS REPORT
WITH YOUR TEACHERS,
ADMINISTRATORS, AND
POLICY MAKERS.
22
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
TEACHING FORMAT
Mostly in-person
Mostly virtual
Hybrid
GENDER
Female
Male
Non-binary/Third Gender
RACE/ETHNICITY
White
Black/African-American
Hispanic/Latina/o/x
Asian/Asian-American
Middle Eastern or North African
American Indian/
Native American or Alaska Native
Two or More Races
AGE
<25
25-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
>50
ROLE
Classroom Educator
SUBJECT
Writing
ELA
Math
Science
Social Studies/History
Art/Music
Other
2021
4%
91%
NA
80%
17%
3%
71%
4%
5%
4%
1%
3%
7%
4%
20%
20%
13%
13%
9%
21%
92%
60%
80%
22%
21%
26%
11%
16%
2022
89%
2%
9%
86%
12%
2%
78%
3%
4%
3%
9%
3%
2%
2%
7%
11%
15%
16%
16%
32%
94%
50%
88%
15%
14%
24%
6%
15%
23
GRADE LEVEL
Elementary
Middle
High School
SCHOOL TYPE
Public
Private
Magnet
Charter
Parochial
SCHOOL LOCATION
Urban
Rural
Suburban
SES
0-25%
25-50%
50-75%
75-100%
YEARS TEACHING
Less than 1 year
1-3 years
3-6 years
7-10 years
more than 10 years
2021
24%
40%
45%
81%
11%
2%
5%
1%
46%
21%
33%
25%
25%
16%
29%
4%
12%
22%
20%
41%
2022
26%
35%
53%
82%
8%
8%
1%
1%
39%
22%
38%
26%
21%
20%
33%
1%
6%
9%
17%
67%
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
24
APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
EDUCATION LEVEL
HS or GED
Associate’s Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
Master’s Degree
Doctorate
COURSEWORK
Writing Education
Reading Education
Other language arts-related subject
Elementary or secondary education
2021
3%
1%
30%
63%
4%
75%
67%
49%
72%
2022
0%
0%
23%
71%
6%
71%
33%
51%
74%
25
APPENDIX B: SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN RESPONDENTS WHO ARE 826
EDUCATORS VERSUS THOSE WHO ARE NOT
BENEFITS OF WRITING
Self-expression
Creativity
Communication
Reflection
Empathy
Confidence
Persistence
Critical thinking
Comprehension
Empowerment
CHALLENGE
Lack diversity in texts
BENEFITS OF PUBLISHING
STUDENT WRITING
Share writing
Celebrate
Publish writing
Motivate
Representation
Mentor texts
HOW DO YOU SHARE
STUDENT WRITING?
Print book
Book release
Share outside
NOT ACTIVE
826 EDUCATOR:
MEAN
3.73
3.69
3.83
3.72
3.41
3.52
3.52
3.74
3.68
3.47
2.54
3.3
3.27
3.09
2.73
3.37
2.74
SD
0.611
0.589
0.409
0.521
0.717
0.654
0.664
0.51
0.571
0.758
0.955
0.793
0.862
0.903
1.055
0.829
1.122
P-VALUE
<.000
<.000
<.000
0.017
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.005
<.000
<.000
0.01
0.001
<.000
0.008
P-VALUE
0.001
<.000
0.004
F
15.36
30.298
37.449
5.773
12.822
18.761
18.476
15.435
12.565
15.998
8.202
21.754
12.9
6.769
11.082
17.502
7.052
CHI-SQUARE
10.09
13.794
8.19
26
826national.org
BENEFITS OF WRITING
Self-expression
Creativity
Communication
Reflection
Empathy
Confidence
Persistence
Critical thinking
Comprehension
Empowerment
CHALLENGE
Lack diversity in texts
BENEFITS OF PUBLISHING
STUDENT WRITING
Share writing
Celebrate
Publish writing
Motivate
Representation
Mentor texts
HOW DO YOU SHARE
STUDENT WRITING?
Print book
Book release
Share outside
P-VALUE
<.000
<.000
<.000
0.017
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.000
<.005
<.000
<.000
0.01
0.001
<.000
0.008
SD
0.393
0.339
0.187
0.519
0.601
0.502
0.496
0.375
0.47
0.578
0.84
0.521
0.624
0.688
0.878
0.561
0.987
P-VALUE
0.001
<.000
0.004
F
15.36
30.298
37.449
5.773
12.822
18.761
18.476
15.435
12.565
15.998
8.202
21.754
12.9
6.769
11.082
17.502
7.052
ACTIVE 826
EDUCATOR:
MEAN
3.88
3.87
3.96
3.82
3.69
3.72
3.73
3.87
3.82
3.69
2.91
3.67
3.58
3.35
3.06
3.6
3.04
CHI-SQUARE
10.09
13.794
8.19
27
