My name is Frank Dehoney.  I am a member of the Boise State Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project.  We at the Boise State Writing Project were awarded a mini-grant from the National Writing Project to provide professional development for the thirty-five smallest, most isolated school districts in the Magic Valley of Southern Idaho.  The National Writing Project grant would have covered most of the expenses for year-long professional development, building on established expertise of the teachers and addressing the required implementation of the Common Core Standards.  Because of the funding cut to the National Writing Project, the grant will not be funded.  This lack of funding will directly affect the students of the smallest, most isolated schools of the Magic Valley.  Professional development is expensive and difficult for these schools, due to isolation and budgets.  The Boise State Writing Project, funded by the National Writing Project, would have taken low cost, highly effective professional development by extensively trained educational professionals to the schools on a sustained basis, helping teachers help kids over time.  The National Writing Project is important to Idaho kids.

Frank Dehoney

Boise State Writing Project '06