Writing Skills

This paper examines a program that teaches writing skills to students in an administration-preparation program. The program is broadly aimed at strengthening writing instruction and raising the level of writing competency among students in all departmental programs. The examination focuses on gaining a better understanding of the faculty's views on writing instruction, of the place of writing in departmental course work, and of the significance of writing skills in the preparation of future administrators through the department's programs. It discusses writing as a professional priority for educational administrators and writing as representative of the individual and the organization. It offers examples of modeling writing competency, of strategies for preparing future educational administrators for professional writing, of writing as a learning process, of writing as a reflective process, of prewriting, of revision, and of departmental interest in writing instruction. A survey of faculty revealed that, although student writing is a high priority and department members shared a clear view of the areas in which they expected a high level of competency in written work, faculty members had not yet reached consensus on how to treat writing within the context of departmental courses of study. (Contains 29 references.) (RJM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document