We conduct extensive surveys, both of teachers and students, to measure the effectiveness of the WITS program in each school we serve. We administer pre- and post-residency surveys of students and teachers, lead a teacher focus group, engage in classroom observations, and collect year-end reflective essays by the writers-in-residence as well as as-taught syllabi.
Our comprehensive suite of evaluation tools demonstrate that WITS improves students’ interest in writing, desire to write, and self-confidence, while also giving them ongoing, intensive hands-on exposure to the art and craft of writing.
Our recent survey results show that WITS works:
♦ 93% of teachers stated WITS writers effectively crafted lessons to achieve the learning outcomes.
♦ 81% of teachers surveyed said that they will “definitely” incorporate elements of the WITS writer’s lessons into their future teaching or that they “already have.”
♦ 95% of teachers declared that students’ self-confidence improved.
♦ 95% of teachers asserted that students improved their quality of writing.
♦ 96% of teachers reported that students’ interest in writing increased.
♦ Evaluation of pre- and post-residency writing samples revealed that student writing improved 16% on average after working with the WITS writer-in-residence—the equivalent of raising a C- (70%) to a solid B (86%).
“Several students who were earning low grades…were able to fully participate and engage in poetry with Karen. Some of them not only participated, they thrived. This helped me see them in a different light, and especially it helped them see themselves not only as L.A. students, but as writers and people who had something interesting and important to say."
- Megan Simmons-Rice, Teacher, Nathan Hale High School
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