Shelby Cundiff, Writing Consultant

The University of Louisville has always been closely tied with its larger metro area. One of the immediate ways that this happens is through the many, many students who come to us from one Jefferson County’s twenty-four high schools. As we see an uptick in partnerships between university writing centers and high schools across the country, this week’s blog post is written by Shelby Cundiff as she considers what it might look like for the University Writing Center to partner with Jefferson County Public Schools to  provide equitable and effective writing center services throughout the county.

A lot of writing center consultants use their interests to go on and pursue many different careers. Since August of 2023, I have been grappling with what I want to do for the rest of my life. Upon realizing that I wanted to go into higher education, specifically as a high school principal, I began to look into high school writing centers. Last semester, I used my final project as the base of my research — I came up with different scenarios, conducted an interview, and read many articles. I read Ellen Brinkley’s “Secondary Writing Centers: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way” (1988) and Amy Levin’s “Goals and Philosophies of High School Writing Centers” (1989) during my research, which both focused on what a high school writing center needs to be successful, and how they see a center needed to be ran. I also read through a blog post from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “A New Collaboration: Welcoming a High School Writing Center to UW-Madison,” which highlights how they run their high school writing center. By collaborating with the high school administrators and teachers, the consultants and administrators are able to show how to best run a writing center in a high school setting, providing the resources necessary, both in person and on their online center.

Upon completing my final project, I decided to write this blog post based on different scenarios I have thought about in regards to creating a successful high school writing center, focusing specifically on my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky in regards to the University of Louisville, and our largest public school system, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). Because UofL is a community engaged university and forty percent of our students come from JCPS, we have an obligation to provide the surrounding high schoolers with the resources necessary to be successful. My conclusions, in regards to why a high school writing center is necessary and beneficial, stem from the fact that, well, high schoolers need the extra support. With college applications requiring resumes and personal statements, it feels important to give high schoolers the opportunity to talk with those who have been in their shoes somewhat recently, and receive advice on the best formatting for a resume, or the best way to present themselves to colleges. Along with preparing high schoolers for college level writing, I believe a high school writing center opens up the door for the next year of college students to be more comfortable talking to older students, be vulnerable with their work, and be willing to take risks through their writing. Here are my early thoughts:

In a perfect world,the University of Louisville allows for our writing center to be opened up to all high school students within JCPS, regardless of high school. With this scenario, high schoolers are provided with easier access to the UofL writing center, regardless of which high school they attend. While right now, only the high schools with dual credit classes can make use of our writing center, I believe that we could open our center up to all high schools, as every high school in JCPS has, at minimum, one student who would make use of, and benefit from our resources. Moreover, high schoolers would be receiving advice from those who are trained in writing center practices, where we can help every student, regardless of writing experience or writing related questions. While this idea seems like a good one, it is probable that we run into problems with regards to funding, staffing, and hours. Our dream, as a writing center, would be to end up with the resources to keep us open long enough during the day or to employ enough people for the forty-two JCPS high schools. In this scenario, the first step would be to start researching grants and producing a statement of need.

Another idea, as the University of Louisville writing center, we create a model for a JCPS high school writing center that can be used, followed, and trusted for high school principals. This idea leaves the UofL writing center to create a simple, yet well-rounded model of how to run a writing center. These could be online modules that can be completed at one’s convenience, or we could do on site workshops. We would need to gather articles and research on current high school centers showcasing the positives of this resource, along with trainings on how to help students based on their needs, assignments, and writing experience. I also think this provides high schools with flexibility, as they will be able to create their own schedule, staff whoever is willing, and use whatever space they have in their own buildings.

The scenario that seems to be the most plausible is the University of Louisville creates and runs an all-online writing center for JCPS high school students where all they need is a login to access this resource. The UofL writing center already has an online writing center, and all JCPS students are given a Chromebook at the beginning of the school year, and are allowed to take their computer home with them for school use. All that UofL would need to do is broadcast the writing center as a resource, and provide each student with a UofL login. If we made the writing center available by our Live Chat or Written Feedback option for all JCPS high school students, I think this would give them a greater opportunity to use the writing center. I also think this could be something that students could use during school hours in a free period or study hall, ensuring that they have WiFi and a space to video chat. Of course, it is plausible that we run into issues like staffing here too, as there probably isn’t enough staff right now to help everyone on Louisville’s campus along with forty-two high schools worth of students.

So, my fellow writing center scholars, as someone who wants to be a high school principal and run a successful high school writing center one day, I leave you with some questions. If you have experience with a high school writing center, what has worked for you, or vice versa? If not, do you foresee any of these scenarios working for you?

• Working in the Writing Center