WITS engages students in the pleasure and power of reading and writing.

History

•    WITS is ranked the #1 literary arts organizations in Texas by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
•    WITS Summer Camp has been named the “best summer program for kids,” by the Houston Press.
•    Since 1983 WITS has sent professional poets, fiction writers, and playwrights into classrooms in the Houston area to introduce new approaches to teaching writing in primary and secondary schools.
•    WITS fulfills its mission through year-long in-school programs, after-school programs, a summer camp, and professional development for teachers.  WITS sends professional writers into schools, hospitals, and community centers to provide creative writing workshops for students and to share their love and knowledge of the written word. They also provide fresh lessons and perspectives to classroom teachers, giving them an innovative approach to teaching.
•    WITS is also involved in national initiatives, such as mentoring other writers-in-schools programs, serving as a model for multidisciplinary arts educators, and designing curricula for use in schools.

•    WITS serves as a major force for educational change in Houston as the city’s largest literary arts organization

Population Served
•    This year, WITS will serve 20,000 K-12 students and teachers, in 350 classrooms, in 75 schools throughout the Houston region.  Every year the program expands to serve more and more students and their teachers.  Most of these students come from underserved neighborhoods and low income families, with 90 percent qualifying for the Title I federal free lunch program.
•    WITS provides the best possible literary arts education to underserved children in Houston.  On a macro level, WITS addresses a disparity in education between the privileged and underprivileged. WITS writers introduce children from low-income communities to a world of reading, writing, and lifelong learning. They explore literary arts in a creative way that is comparable, if not superior, to their most affluent peers.  

Goals and Objectives
•    Our vision is for all American children regardless of race, income, or ability to have the opportunity to work with a professional writer to develop the tools necessary for success. In an effort to move toward this vision, our objective is to continue to grow the WITS Alliance program by shaping and building the capacity of more viable and effective organizations that nurture literary arts education for young people across our nation.

Results
•    External evaluations of the program report that WITS not only helps student enjoy writing and improve their communication skills, it also has a positive impact on their standardized test scores.
•    One hundred percent of classroom teachers surveyed by WITS said that both they and their students benefited from the program.