Improving the writing performance of young struggling writers: Theoretical and programmatic research from the center on Accelerating Student Learning

This article describes the outcome and significance of studies in the area of writing conducted from 1999 to 2003 by the Center on Accelerating Student Learning (a multisite research center involving Vanderbilt University, Columbia University, and the University of Maryland). The basic purpose of the Center was to identify effective instructional practices for primary-grade students with special needs and children at risk for academic difficulties, As part of this effort, researchers at the University of Maryland surveyed primary-grade teachers nationwide to determine how they teach writing (providing a description of the context in which struggling writers learn to compose), examined the impact of extra handwriting and spelling instruction as a means for preventing writing difficulties, and assessed the effects of explicitly teaching young struggling writers strategies for planning and writing text.