Summer Institute

“ . . . where teachers come to improve their writing in order to improve the writing of their students.”

Every year since 1982, the CWP has invited outstanding teachers from all disciplines and levels of instruction to participate in a Summer Invitational Institute on the Storrs campus. This Summer Institute provides teachers with the opportunity to study current composition theories, to share their expertise, and to compile their own original writing portfolio.

During the summer institute you will write every day, participate in peer response groups, revise your writing, share your knowledge and insights with other teachers, conduct graduate-level research, build leadership skills, and grow as teachers and writers.

2026 CWP Summer Institute (SI) Details:

The Connecticut Writing Project-Storrs is currently accepting applications for its 2026 Summer Institute, which will take place from June 22nd through July 17th.

A key feature of National Writing Project sites throughout the country, the Summer Institute is an extended professional development opportunity for teachers to grow their agency as writers, researchers, and educators. National Writing Project Summer Institutes create a rare kind of space: one where educators gather not to be taught by others, but to learn with one another. Participants arrive as experienced professionals and leave as a community of writers, thinkers, and teacher-leaders who have spent sustained time reading, writing, reflecting, and experimenting with new ideas about teaching and learning. 

At the heart of every successful Summer Institute is a simple but powerful belief in teachers teaching teachers—the conviction that educators learn best when they are treated as intellectuals, creators, and collaborators. The Connecticut Writing Project-Storrs Summer Institute is more than professional development; it’s a pause from the rush of the school year and an invitation to think deeply, write boldly, and reconnect with why teaching matters in the first place. 

  • Dates: June 22—July 17, 2026 (start date is tentative pending snow days) - Monday though Thursday, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM in the Austin Building on the Storrs campus - off on July 4th
  • Orientation: May 16, 2026 - 8:30 AM-3:30 PM in the Stern Lounge (Room 217), Austin Building on the Storrs campus
  • Applications Due: By April 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM

Teacher-Writer Magazine 2025

Click above to see the most recent publication by past Summer Institute fellows. The essays, vignettes, and poems collected in this chapbook, chosen by their authors with the advice of the other members of their groups, represent a small sample of the writing produced by teachers during the Summer Institute.

Click here to learn about mini-grants offered by the CWP to Summer Institute participants.

 

 

Picture Collage from 2019 Summer Institute

Compensation and Requirements

Who Summer Institutes Are For
Summer institutes welcome educators across roles, disciplines, and levels: K–12 teachers and administrators, higher-ed faculty, and others who work with learners and writers. Participants share a commitment to thoughtful teaching, curiosity about practice, and a willingness to learn alongside peers.

Compensation - All participants will receive an Aetna Fellowship with the option to earn six graduate credits in English.

Deadline for Applying - Applications for Summer 2026 are due by April 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

Application Requirements - Required materials include: 1-2 page essay introducing you, your reasons for applying, and your teaching philosophy, two letters of recommendation (one may be a recommendation from a Teacher-Consultant, meaning someone who has already completed a Summer Institute), and a résumé or CV. Please submit all materials through our Submittable page.

What Happens in a Summer Institute?

Our Summer Institute is immersive by design. Over the course of four weeks, SI fellows engage in:

  • Writing and creative work
  • Collaborative inquiry
  • Shared readings and discussion
  • Teacher-led demonstrations or workshops
  • Reflection and conversation

What Participants Take Away

  • Renewed confidence in themselves as writers and thinkers
  • Practical, classroom-ready ideas grounded in real inquiry
  • Language for articulating and advocating for their teaching practices
  • A professional community that often extends well beyond the summer
  • A sense of energy and purpose that carries into the next school year
  • Recognition as Teacher-Consultants of the National Writing Project

Screen Shot 2014-07-18 at 4.03.55 PM
Click the image to see Summer Institute Workshops