What We Do

From developing innovative curricula for high school students to guiding educational policy, CAR/W is dedicated to strengthening literacy education in California. A council of CSU faculty representatives and an advisory board made up of faculty and public stakeholders provide direction for the center’s activities.

Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum (ERWC)

CAR/W coordinates the ongoing development, publication and dissemination of the ERWC at the high school and middle school levels. The center also manages the statewide system of ERWC professional learning and convenes the ERWC Steering Committee and related educator groups to update the curriculum on an ongoing basis, design professional learning, and conduct research on the effectiveness of the program. 


Publications

CAR/W convenes groups of CSU faculty with expertise on critical issues to write documents that 1) inform the public about the CSU teacher preparation programs’ work in supporting literacy development and 2) provide information and resources to faculty members to support their teaching. Find examples of our publications under CAR/W Resources for Faculty.


Work Groups

CAR/W plays a key role in the establishment of work groups to address issues in teacher preparation in response to P-12 needs. For example, several CSU faculty with expertise in early literacy collaborated on the development of a public​ation highlighting the CSU’s work in supporting the literacy development of young children.


Policy Initiatives

CAR/W is called upon to support statewide efforts related to literacy. For example, the center’s co-directors served as two of three primary authors of the 2015 ELA/ELD Framework and also authored an accompanying Executive Summary of the framework.


Information Dissemination

CAR/W provides timely information to CSU faculty on P-12 interests and policy revisions that impact programs. Information is disseminated through our newsletter, social media and meetings.