Founded in 1978, the Gateway Writing Project is sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is the official St. Louis site of the National Writing Project. Connecting five state sites, GWP is also a member of the Missouri Writing Projects Network. Through these institutional partnerships, GWP serves teachers and students in urban, suburban, and rural districts. Read more about our rich history in education through the left-hand navigation.
UMSL campus, 1978 and Jane Zeni, Founding Director of GWP
GWP is an organization of, by, and for teachers of writing.
We Strive to
Improve student writing abilities by improving the teaching and learning of writing.
Provide professional development for classroom teachers.
Support teachers' own writing.
Promote teacher leadership.
Our Mission
Access to high-quality educational experiences is a basic right of all learners and a cornerstone of equity. The Gateway Writing Project is committed to improving 21st century writing and literacy in the St. Louis metropolitan area by providing high-quality learning opportunities for teachers and students across all subject areas.
Our Vision
The Gateway Writing Project recognizes that writing is the center of communicating ideas, understanding thought processes, and promoting high academic achievement for all learners. Building on a network of teachers, GWP focuses on being the heart of sharing expertise in writing across the curriculum, exploring new writing technology, reflecting on diversity, equity and social justice issues, building teacher leadership, and creating collaborative learning communities for schools.
Our Goal
Our goal is to promote exemplary writing instruction in every classroom. To enact this goal, GWP dedicates itself to core principles based on research and linked to high-quality professional development that fosters the intellectual growth of writing teachers and their students. It promotes these goals through its Writing Institute, continuity and youth programming, and in-service opportunities.
