The National Council of Teachers of English believes the following about writing and believes that all student writers, including the youngest writers, have the following rights:听
- Writing is a form of identity and voice.听听
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- Students have a right to see themselves as听a writer.听听
- Students have a right to their words and ideas without fear of censorship and with respect听for听others鈥� ideas and identities.听
- Students have a right to decision-making in their creativity, voice, and expression of ideas.听听
- Students have a right to use a variety of languages, to听translanguage, and to听codemesh听in听representing听their identities.听听
- Writing serves a variety of purposes and audiences.听
- Students have a right to use writing as a tool of expression, inquiry, and learning in all grade levels, classes, and disciplines.鈥�听
- Students have a right to write for a variety of purposes and in ways that are not singularly constrained or prescribed by teachers, curricula, or testing expectations.听
- Students have a right to opportunities to write for diverse audiences, including teachers, peers, and both in-school and out-of-school communities.鈥赌�
- Students have a right to pursue publication opportunities for their work.听
- Writers compose using different modes, tools, and processes.听听
- Students have a right to write in a variety of mediums, modes, and literacies, including the linguistic, aural, and visual literacies of drawing and text-based writing.听听
- Students have a right to听learn听responsible and effective uses for听new technologies, including AI.听
- Students have the right to engage听in the processes of composition听using diverse tools and strategies that honor how meaning is made.听
- Writers learn within communities.听
- Students have a right to write in purposefully built and supportive communities.听听
- Students have a right to constructive, productive feedback from thoughtful readers, and they have the right to develop strong reflective skills to assess their own writing.鈥�听
- Students have a right to听write for听feedback from teachers and peers and also for personal reflection or expression.听
- Students have a right to effective, intentional writing instruction in a community that builds student agency, confidence, and choice in writing.听听
- Writers make choices.听
- Students have a right to choice and control, as much as possible, over topics, forms, genres, language, themes, processes, and other aspects of their own writing.鈥�
- Students have a right to exercise editorial control, especially when writing for school publications such as school newspapers, literary magazines, and podcasts.
In support of the rights of student writers of all ages, teachers of all content areas, administrators, schools, and districts should do the following:
- Provide intentional writing instruction.听
- Teachers should provide students with high-quality writing instruction in a range of content areas, mediums, modes, and genres.听
- Teachers should support students鈥� explorations of a broad range of types of writing that communicate for and to a range of purposes and audiences.听
- Teachers should engage students in writing processes that allow them to fully formulate and evaluate ideas, develop voice, experiment with syntax and language, express creativity, elaborate on viewpoints, and refine arguments.听
- Districts should support instructional time for writing in parity and coordination with reading and content instruction.听
- Foster responsibility and ethical choice-making in writing processes and products.听
- Teachers should foster in students an understanding and appreciation of the responsibilities inherent in writing, including attribution practices and publication, by encouraging students to assume ownership of both the writing process and the final product.听听
- Districts should encourage the development and adoption of policies, including around AI, that support student writers as they take responsibility for their process and products and learn to make ethical choices in their writing听in order to听express their intended purposes and speak to their intended audiences.
- Support teachers in professional learning.听听
- Teachers across all levels and disciplines deserve the opportunities and time for personal and professional development around writing and writing instruction, to听participate听in ongoing learning related to writing, and to听write听themselves.听
- Teachers deserve preparation and administrative support to foster student agency and respond effectively when students write content that may be censored or challenged.听
Theoretical Grounding听
Students鈥� right to write is grounded in the researched principles of writing and writing instruction as named in NCTE鈥檚听Understanding and Teaching Writing: Guiding Principles听(2018) and the听NCTE听position statement听on听Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing听(2016).听In this moment, when standardized tests, scripted curricula, and acts of censorship threaten to narrow what students can express or even think, we affirm that every learner deserves the right to write, which means using writing as a means of inquiry, reflection, identity expression, and transformation. Inspired by Paulo Freire鈥檚 vision of literacy as the power to 鈥渞ead and write the world,鈥� this right builds on the writing process movement鈥檚 emphasis on voice, choice, and agency听as advocated by James Britton, Peter Elbow, Ken听Macrorie, James Moffett, Donald Murray, and others in Tobin & Newkirk’s (1994) edited collection.听Extending across the lifespan (Bazerman et al., 2018), it also embraces culturally sustaining, asset-based听approaches that honor students鈥� full linguistic and cultural repertoires (Delpit, 1995; Paris, 2012; Paris & Alim, 2017; Gonz谩lez听et al., 2005; Baker-Bell, 2020; Flores & Rosa, 2015). Students have the right to learn to write in ways that both access and challenge systems of power, drawing on their identities, languages, and communities as dynamic sources of power and knowledge that reshape what writing means and whom听it serves. Upholding this right, particularly in K鈥�12 teaching contexts, means teachers must support students as they write for diverse purposes and audiences across multiple modes and evolving technologies (including generative AI) and within caring communities of teachers and peers. In defending students鈥� right to write, we defend their right to think expansively, to question freely, and to use writing as a tool for truth-telling, creativity, and justice throughout their lives in a democratic society.听
搁别蹿别谤别苍肠别蝉鈥�听
Baker-Bell,听A.听(2020).听Linguistic听justice: Black听language,听literacy,听identity, and听pedagogy. Routledge.听
Bazerman,听C.,听Applebee, A.,听Berninger, V., Brandt, D., Graham, S., Jeffery, J., Matsuda, P. K., Murphy, S., Rowe, D. W., Schleppegrell, M., & Wilcox, K. C.听(2018).听The听lifespan development听of听writing.听National Council of Teachers of English.听
Delpit,听L.听(1995).听Other听people鈥檚 children: Cultural听conflict in the听classroom.听The New Press.听
Flores, N., & Rosa, J. (2015). Undoing appropriateness: Raciolinguistic ideologies and language diversity in education. Harvard Educational Review,听85(2),听149鈥�171. [1] [1]听
Gonz谩lez,听N., Moll,听L. C.,听&听Amanti,听C.听(Eds.).听(2005).听Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms.听Routledge.听
National Council of Teachers of English. (2016).听Professional knowledge for the teaching of writing听[Position statement].听 [2]听
National Council of Teachers of English. (2018).听Understanding and teaching writing: Guiding principles听[Position statement].听/statement/teachingcomposition/ [3]听
Paris, D.听(2012).听Culturally听sustaining听pedagogy: A听needed听change听in听stance,听terminology, and听practice.听Educational Researcher,听41(3),听93鈥�97. [4] [4]听
Paris,听D.,听&听Alim, H. S. (Eds.).听(2017).听Culturally听sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and听learning听for听justice听in a听changing world. Teachers College Press.听
Tobin,听L.,听&听Newkirk,听T. (Eds.).听(1994).听Taking听stock: The听writing process movement听in the 鈥�90s.听Boynton/Cook.听
Additional Suggested and Related Resources for Teaching Writing听
Adler-Kassner, L.,听&听Wardle,听E.听(Eds.).听(2015).听Naming听what we know: Threshold听concepts听in听writing studies.听Utah State University听Press.听
Applebee,听A.,听&听Langer, J.听(2006).听The听state听of听writing instruction听in America鈥檚听schools: What听existing data tell us. Center on English Learning and Achievement.听
Dean, D. (2021).听What works in writing instruction听(2nd ed.).听National Council of Teachers of English.听听
Elbow,听P.听(1973).听Writing听without teachers. Oxford University Press.听
Graham,听S.,听&听Perin, D. (2007).听Writing听next: Effective听strategies听to听improve writing听of听adolescents听in听middle听and听high schools.听Alliance for Excellent Education.听
Graham,听S. &听Hebert, M. (2010).听Writing to听read: Evidence for听how writing can improve.听Alliance for Excellent Education.听听
Koster, M,听Tribushinina, E., de Jong, P. F., & van den Bergh, H. (2015). Teaching children to write: A meta-analysis of writing intervention research.听Journal of Writing Research,听7(2), 299鈥�324.听
National Council of Teachers of English. (2008).听Writing now: A policy research brief.听https://secure.ncte.org/library/nctefiles/resources/policyresearch/wrtgresearchbrief.pdf听听听
Yancey,听K.听B.听(2009).听Writing in the 21st听century.听National Council of Teachers of English.听听
Statement Authors
Beth Rimer, chair (Miami University, OH)
Monica Baldonado-Ruiz (San Diego State University, CA)
Rebekah Buchanan (Western Illinois University)
Christina L. Dobbs (Boston University, MA)
Jason Griffith (Penn State University)
Carmela Valdez (Perez Elementary, Austin, TX;听The University of Texas at Austin)
Pamela Mason (Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA)