OUR MISSION
The mission of the CSU Writing Project is to improve the teaching of writing by offering meaningful professional development for K-16 educators as well as innovative writing programs for students and communities. Informed by a social justice perspective, we are committed to providing equity and access to high-quality literacy programs for all learners.
The mission of the CSU Writing Project is to improve the teaching of writing by offering meaningful professional development for K-16 educators as well as innovative writing programs for students and communities. Informed by a social justice perspective, we are committed to providing equity and access to high-quality literacy programs for all learners.
our team
Dr. Cindy O'Donnell-Allen
Site Director
Cindy founded CSUWP in 2003. She is a Full Professor in the English Department at Colorado State University. She has been a Co-Chair of the NWP Teacher Inquiry Communities Network and a member of the National Writing Project Board of Directors. She is the author of numerous articles and three books -- Pose, Wobble, Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Instruction (with co-author, Antero Garcia); Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World; and The Book Companion: Fostering Strategic Readers in the Secondary Classroom. Winner of several research awards, she has served on the editorial boards for Research in the Teaching of English and Voices in the Middle and was both a NCTE Promising Researcher and a Spencer Dissertation Fellow. She taught high school English for 11 years. Contact Cindy.
Site Director
Cindy founded CSUWP in 2003. She is a Full Professor in the English Department at Colorado State University. She has been a Co-Chair of the NWP Teacher Inquiry Communities Network and a member of the National Writing Project Board of Directors. She is the author of numerous articles and three books -- Pose, Wobble, Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Instruction (with co-author, Antero Garcia); Tough Talk, Tough Texts: Teaching English to Change the World; and The Book Companion: Fostering Strategic Readers in the Secondary Classroom. Winner of several research awards, she has served on the editorial boards for Research in the Teaching of English and Voices in the Middle and was both a NCTE Promising Researcher and a Spencer Dissertation Fellow. She taught high school English for 11 years. Contact Cindy.
Jenny Putnam
Teacher Co-Director
Jenny began teaching in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1993. She taught in Louisiana for ten years before moving to Colorado. She is currently an instructional coach in Fort Collins, CO, where she helps teachers integrate research-based literacy strategies into their classrooms to support student learning. She has had the good fortune to participate in both the LSU and CSU Writing Projects. Contact Jenny.
Teacher Co-Director
Jenny began teaching in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1993. She taught in Louisiana for ten years before moving to Colorado. She is currently an instructional coach in Fort Collins, CO, where she helps teachers integrate research-based literacy strategies into their classrooms to support student learning. She has had the good fortune to participate in both the LSU and CSU Writing Projects. Contact Jenny.
Lynley Allen
Media Intern
Lynley is a graduate of the University of Colorado with degrees in English and Ethnic Studies and a Certificate in Leadership. She has presented at conferences for ethnic studies and library services and has traveled to Washington, DC, to educate Colorado legislators on the impact of effective writing instruction. She is a former coordinator of youth services at the Clearview Public Library in Windsor, CO, and she has served in various capacities in CSUWP for numerous years. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she does design work for the founder of the Wonderful Company and is, among other responsibilities, "in charge of Christmas."
Media Intern
Lynley is a graduate of the University of Colorado with degrees in English and Ethnic Studies and a Certificate in Leadership. She has presented at conferences for ethnic studies and library services and has traveled to Washington, DC, to educate Colorado legislators on the impact of effective writing instruction. She is a former coordinator of youth services at the Clearview Public Library in Windsor, CO, and she has served in various capacities in CSUWP for numerous years. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she does design work for the founder of the Wonderful Company and is, among other responsibilities, "in charge of Christmas."