The National Writing Project is a professional program dedicated to improving writing and learning in schools nationwide by improving the teaching of writing. The NWP also strives to improve university, elementary, and secondary school professional development programs for classroom teachers and to increase their professional capabilities. The qualities recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities in the National Writing Project are also evident in the Nebraska program. Each year since 1977, the NeWP holds its Summer Institute. Teachers from all grade levels come together to share, examine, and improve their writing.
Teachers participate in daily writing activities, small group discussions, and readings.
Summer Institute attendees also conduct a teaching demonstration. In collaboration with the School at the Center for Rural Education, the Rural Institutes add a specific focus on rural contexts for writing. The NeWP Rural Institutes explore writing that examines heritage and local place. Participants look at their own experiences as writers and teachers, and they draw from their local cultures, communities, and heritage as a resource for relevant teaching. The NeWP Rural Institute programs strive to foster the development of excellent teaching as a way to revitalize Nebraska's rural communities.