College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaPrograms Overview

Hawaii Writing Project (HWP)

Invitational Summer Institute

Delivery Online

The Hawai‘i Writing Project (HWP) works with educators, across grades and disciplines, introducing them to writing practices and theories that will motivate teachers and students alike, and help them discover—or rediscover—its joys.  Those who complete the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) become Teacher Fellows whose job it is to provide motivation and leadership in the teaching of writing within their communities. Together, we are dedicated to improving writing instruction in our nation’s schools and to promoting the use of writing as a tool for thinking and literacy learning across disciplines.


Hawaii Writing Project Invitational Summer Institute 2025 Details:

We meet “live” on the following dates/times via Zoom:

  • Wednesday, May 21 |  4:30 pm-7:00 pm HST
  • Wednesday, May 28 |  4:30 pm-7:00 pm HST
  • June 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12   |  8:30 am-3:00 pm HST
  • Wednesday, August 13  |  4:30 pm-6:00 pm HST
  • Wednesday, August 20  |  4:30 pm-6:00 pm HST
  • Wednesday, August 27  |  4:30 pm-6:00 pm HST
  • Wednesday, October 15   |  4:30 pm-7:00 pm HST       

*Participants will also engage in asynchronous participation throughout the course.

*If accepted, you must commit to attending all synchronous sessions of the Institute

  • Location: Synchronous & asynchronous sessions online (participants must attend ALL synchronous classes)
  • Credit Earning Course: Participants can earn 6, FREE UH-Mānoa graduate credits
  • Cost: Thanks to our partnerships with the COE and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, participants are only required to pay the Outreach College administrative fee for 6 UH graduate credits of approximately $140 (vs. $3000+), subject to change.
  • Application Deadline: February 23, 2025

HWP ISI Course Instructors and HWP Co-Directors:
Dr. Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer
Dr. Stephanie Buelow

HIDOE teachers are eligible to enroll in EDCS 604 for reclassification credits, pending principal approval. See guidelines here.

Hawai‘i Writing Project Mission: Literacy Leadership and Partnership

The Hawai‘i Writing Project is celebrating over 40 years of providing literacy-related teacher professional development to K-16 educators across the Hawaiian Islands. The HWP mission is “to improve and integrate the teaching of writing and reading in Hawai`i’s schools.” Committed to serving the broadest range of teachers and students in Hawai`i, HWP is particularly interested in:

  • Helping teachers to understand the power of writing as a way of learning in all subject areas, connecting reading, writing, and thinking;
  • Honoring Hawai‘i’s diverse peoples, rich cultural heritage, language, and unique island environment; and
  • Working in partnership with others for the betterment of education and community in Hawai‘i.
State affiliate of the National Writing Project

The Hawai‘i Writing Project is the Hawai‘i state affiliate of the National Writing Project. The NWP began at the University of California at Berkeley in 1974. Today, there are 200 writing project sites across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as sites in Canada and Europe. The NWP is the only federally funded program that focuses on the teaching of writing. Support for the NWP is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, foundations, corporations, universities, and K-12 schools. The NWP and its state affiliates are successful because they support teachers in becoming competent writers themselves and better teachers of writing. Research has shown the effectiveness of the NWP teacher professional development model of “teachers teaching teachers.” For more information about NWP research, visit their website (https://www.nwp.org/).

The Summer Institute's Impact on Teachers

Shelea Boyd, August Ahrens Elementary School:
I am privileged to be a fellow in the Hawaiʻi Writing Project this summer. I am blown away at everything I have learned so far, being with Stephanie, Charlotte, and the rest of the teachers these few short weeks we’ve had together so far. Each class was packed with tangible takeaways, lessons, ideas, and strategies I can easily implement into my writing classroom this upcoming school year with my 5th graders! The HWP has impacted me tremendously as it has sparked a fire in me personally as a writer and has given me a deep passion to pass that love of writing to all those who are in my classroom! No longer do I see being a teacher of writing as teaching a formula to give a grade, but more so sharing ways to unlock creativity and expression with my students.

David Yung, Maunawili Elementary School:
Participating this summer in the Hawaiʻi Writing Project ISI was one of the best professional learning experiences I’ve had as a teacher. Every session, I took away practical research-based strategies I could apply in my classroom right away. The highlight of the summer was the demonstrations where we learned with and from our colleagues. I’m ready to use my new learning with my fifth graders this fall and look forward to sharing some of my learning with our faculty since writing is our school-wide targeted area of instruction as part of our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) process. I am appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the HWP this year!

Jill Sprott, Punahou School:
When I applied to the HWP Summer Institute, I did so with my fingers crossed, longing for a professional development experience that would invigorate and challenge me. The program definitely delivered! At every session and in every activity, the why and the how of writing and writing instruction remained central, uniting theory and practice in enlivening ways. The “teachers teaching teachers” aspect of the Institute was initially daunting to me, but it gave me just the push that I needed to explore an emerging area of interest (the use of AI to assist in the idea generation process), coached by knowledgeable and highly enthusiastic and supportive instructors. The peer-teaching focus also affirmed that regardless of whether we are English or math or social studies teachers, we are all writing teachers—and we are all writers. I’m heading into my twenty-sixth year of teaching feeling energized and hopeful, eager to continue to build—and to be a part of—a community of writers.

— Invitational Summer Institute Teacher Fellows —

Contact Info

Photo of Stephanie Buelow

Stephanie Buelow

Associate Professor

(808) 956-2588

Photo of Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer

Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer

Professor

(808) 956-2749