POB Gets to the Root of Literacy with Homegrown Workshops

Plainview, N.Y. (August 22, 2019) -- The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District has had a busy summer full of professional development initiatives aimed at making the educational experience for POB students the best it can be for the upcoming academic year. Elementary school teachers from the District volunteered to participate in a 4-day program at Columbia University in New York City as part of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP).

The 85 teachers within the District have elected to become early adopters of the program’s teaching philosophies and will have access to staff developers from the Teachers College every month to help them hone their craft even further. “We are proud to have so many early adopters in our District who will put these teaching tools into effect,” said Dr. Lorna R. Lewis, Superintendent of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District.

The TCRWP is one of the world’s top providers of professional development in the teachings of reading and writing. The TCRWP inspires teachers to implement a Homegrown Writing Institute, which took place earlier this month to provide educators a time for learning, reflection, and planning with colleagues. During the workshop, teachers play the role of the students as they try to make sure the program is geared to the District’s specific needs.

TCRWP Homegrown Institutes are one of the most effective ways to galvanize the reading and writing projects across a school or district. Homegrown writing workshops focus on genre studies in writing essays, narratives, research-based arguments, and informational texts.