Writing Crisis in Schools and Your Evidence-Based Writing Solution

Research-Backed Strategies for Improved Writing Instruction

Editor’s Note: The insights and data in this blog are drawn from the peer-reviewed article “Overcoming Barriers and Paradigm Wars: Powerful Evidence-Based Writing Instruction” by Karen R. Harris and Debra McKeown, published in Theory Into Practice (2022, Vol. 61, No. 4, pp. 429–442). You can read the original article here.

Ask any educator: Can your students write well?

The honest answer, if we’re being data-driven and grounded in reality, is “no.” According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 24% of U.S. students in grades 8 and 12 are proficient in writing. Even more alarming, over half of students fall below the basic level, and the data hasn’t budged in decades. This is not just an academic problem; it’s a national crisis with long-term consequences for college, career, civic participation, and equity.

What’s worse, we’ve known about this problem for over 30 years. Yet writing remains the most under-prioritized, inconsistently taught, and misunderstood subject in K–12 education.

But what if we told you that we already have a solution that’s been extensively validated by over 120 studies and produces the largest gains in student writing outcomes of any instructional approach?

That solution is Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), and it’s time more districts knew about it.

Writing: The Skill That Opens Every Door

Before we dive into SRSD, let’s talk about why writing matters so deeply.

Writing is not just a language arts skill but a crucial component of developing strong writing skills that students rely on throughout their education and beyond. It’s the foundation for expressing thinking across subjects. Students use writing to demonstrate understanding in science and social studies, to craft arguments in civics, to reflect in math journals, and to respond to prompts on every standardized test they’ll encounter. Beyond school, writing is essential for securing jobs, advocating for change, participating in democracy, and building one’s personal identity.

And yet, most students aren’t getting the instruction they need.

• Only 10% of African-American and 13% of Hispanic students score proficiently.
• Students with disabilities and English learners fare even worse.
• The gap between what students are asked to do (e.g., write an argument or an analysis) and what they’ve been taught to do is immense.

The result: writing becomes a gatekeeper skill, dividing students not by potential, but by opportunity.

Why Writing Instruction Falls Short

The root causes of this crisis are many and interconnected. Harris and McKeown outline several in their groundbreaking article:

1. Literacy Wars in Writing Instruction

There’s a long-standing divide in education between those who champion structured, strategy-based instruction and those who promote process-oriented approaches like writers’ workshop, highlighting the need for a balanced writing process. These “literacy wars” have fueled false dichotomies, leaving teachers caught in the crossfire.

But here’s the truth: it’s not about choosing between structure and creativity. Students need both.

Structure gives students the tools and confidence to get started, while creativity gives them purpose and voice. Without structure, many students flounder, unsure how to begin or what to include. Without creativity, writing becomes mechanical and disconnected. When we bring both together, students don’t just learn how to write; they learn to think, express, and revise with intention.

2. Poor Teacher Preparation

The majority of teacher preparation programs do not include a dedicated course on how to teach writing. Instead, writing instruction is often briefly addressed within general reading methods courses- if it’s covered at all. This limited exposure leaves many new teachers underprepared to teach writing effectively, especially when it comes to supporting multilingual learners or students with disabilities. As a result, teachers enter classrooms without the specialized knowledge or tools needed to address the wide range of writing needs they’ll encounter, reinforcing the misconception that writing instruction is intuitive or secondary to reading.

3. Flawed Curriculum Adoption Processes

When selecting writing curricula, districts rarely prioritize whether the program is backed by rigorous evidence of effectiveness. Instead, decisions are often driven by factors like brand recognition, affordability, alignment with existing digital platforms, or the ability to integrate seamlessly into broader ELA packages. While these considerations may seem practical, they often overshadow the most critical question: Does this program actually improve student writing outcomes? 

As a result, schools end up investing in materials that look polished, fit logistical needs, and satisfy procurement checklists but lack a proven track record in helping students become stronger, more confident writers. This widespread pattern contributes to stagnant writing achievement and leaves educators without the tools they need to support diverse learners.

4. Time Constraints and Testing Pressures

Most teachers report having little time to devote to writing instruction, especially beyond the early grades. After third grade, writing time often shrinks to just 15 minutes a day or disappears altogether in non-tested years. This leaves little room for students to engage in the full writing process, including planning, revising, and reflecting on their work. By high school, the expectation shifts: content-area teachers often assign writing but rarely provide explicit instruction on how to write.

The pressures of high-stakes testing compound the problem. In many districts, when writing is tested, the focus shifts to formulaic prompts that reward surface-level responses rather than authentic, thoughtful expression. Teachers are urged to “teach to the test,” emphasizing narrow skills instead of helping students develop as real writers. The result is a system that sidelines deep writing instruction just when students need it most.

Enter Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD): The Missing Piece

SRSD is an instructional framework based on evidence-based practices developed over 40 years by Drs. Karen Harris and Steve Graham. It has been tested in diverse classrooms across the U.S. and internationally- from rural Title I schools to inclusive urban classrooms- and consistently shows large effect sizes on student writing performance.

What Makes SRSD So Effective?

SRSD combines explicit writing strategies with self-regulation, goal-setting, modeling, and student ownership. It is:

• Learner-centered: Students take control of their writing process.
• Teacher-guided: Educators model cognitive and metacognitive processes.
• Genre-specific: Instruction is tailored to opinion, informative, and narrative writing.
• Developmentally responsive: SRSD works from grades K-12, becoming more sophisticated with age.
• Motivation-enhancing: Students learn positive self-talk, build writing stamina, and develop confidence.

One student, after learning with SRSD, summed it up best: “Of course I can write now, someone taught me how.”

SRSD in Practice

SRSD is an evidence-based approach to writing instruction that guides students from initial understanding to complete independence. Rather than dropping students into writing assignments unprepared, SRSD provides a clear, supportive structure that helps them build the background knowledge, motivation, and self-confidence they need to succeed. Teachers use a flexible progression of instructional moves- introducing strategies, modeling them aloud, practicing together, and gradually stepping back as students take the lead. This approach supports all learners, including those who struggle with writing or have never seen themselves as writers.

At the heart of SRSD are easy-to-remember strategies like TREE for opinion writing or TIDE for informative writing. These mnemonics help students organize their thoughts and understand what strong writing looks like, but they’re not rigid templates. Instead, they act as scaffolds, giving students a dependable starting point while encouraging creativity, voice, and self-reflection. Over time, students internalize the strategies, set their own writing goals, monitor their progress, and revise with intention. The result is better writing and more confident, independent thinkers who understand how to tackle challenging tasks.

Debunking the Myths About SRSD

Despite its strong track record, SRSD faces resistance, often rooted in misunderstandings. Harris and McKeown address five pervasive myths:

Myth	Truth
SRSD is only for students with disabilities	SRSD is effective for all students, including those in general education
Researchers get better results than teachers	Classroom teachers achieve equal or better outcomes
SRSD is expensive and hard to learn	Materials are low-cost or free; PD is scalable and practical
SRSD is rigid and formulaic	Students learn to write with creativity and control, not by following a script
SRSD harms multilingual or marginalized students	SRSD promotes equity, self-expression, and empowerment

Why SRSD Isn’t Everywhere—Yet

So why hasn’t SRSD been adopted at scale?

Because scaling evidence-based writing instruction requires more than research, it requires dismantling systemic barriers.

• Teacher prep programs need to make writing instruction and handwriting a priority.
• Districts must evaluate materials based on effectiveness, not brand.
• Administrators must prioritize planning to allocate time and PD resources for real instructional change.
• Educators must see themselves as both writing teachers and writing role models, continuously developing their own writing skills to effectively inspire and guide their students.

SRSD doesn’t demand that schools abandon their current practices. It integrates with existing structures like writers’ workshops, mentor texts, content-area writing, and intervention blocks. It can start small within a classroom, a grade level, or a pilot team and grow from there.

The Real Cost of Inaction

Delaying meaningful reform in writing instruction comes at a steep price- one paid by students every single day. Writing is not just a skill for English class; it’s a foundational tool for learning, thinking, and communicating across all subjects. Yet in too many schools, writing remains an afterthought squeezed into leftover minutes or ignored entirely outside of testing years. To serve students well, writing must be treated as a core component of a school’s instructional vision, on equal footing with reading, math, and science.

When writing and spelling aren’t taught explicitly and consistently, the consequences ripple across a student’s entire education and future. Without strong writing instruction:

• Students struggle to express what they know, even when they understand the content.
• Test performance suffers across subjects, not just in writing, but in science, history, and even math, where written explanations are often required.
• College and career opportunities become limited, as students are unprepared to write essays, reports, or professional communications.
• The equity gap widens, with students from underserved communities falling even further behind their peers who have access to stronger instruction.

Inaction isn’t neutral- it actively disadvantages the very students who rely most on school to equip them for success.

A Path Forward: What Schools Can Do Now

1. Start with a Pilot: Choose a small team of teachers to implement SRSD. Offer them time, PD, and peer support.
2. Train Coaches and Facilitators: Build internal capacity through self-paced or supported training that aligns with your school’s goals.
3. Integrate SRSD Into Existing Structures: Use it during your writing block, within content areas, or as Tier 1 instruction.
4. Use Research to Inform Curriculum Decisions: Ask vendors: “What’s the evidence base?” And mean it.
5. Celebrate Student Voice: Use SRSD as a way to promote identity, advocacy, and joy in writing.

Final Thought

The writing crisis in our schools is real, but it is solvable. SRSD offers a powerful instructional method and a path toward equity, engagement, and academic growth for all students.

It’s time to stop asking if our students can write.

It’s time to start giving them the strategies and support to prove they can.

Further Reading:
Harris, K. R., & McKeown, D. (2022). Overcoming barriers and paradigm wars: Powerful evidence-based writing instruction. Theory Into Practice, 61(4), 429–442. Read it here

---