The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to examine the professional development experiences of four urban educators who teach English language arts or related subjects at the high school level and who had participated in a local area writing project summer institute program that is part of the larger National Writing Project. Cross case analysis of data revealed several themes. The initial theme discussed how all participants found the NWP professional development superior in many ways to their in-school professional development experiences. Participants stated that the NWP provided them with both practical classroom teaching techniques as well as a renewed sense of purpose as a teacher.

Another theme explored the importance of a school's philosophy and administrative support on the participants' ability to implement NWP strategies in their classes. The more restrictive the school was upon its teachers, the more difficulty the participants encountered in incorporating new ideas into their lessons. Traditional schools that relied on top-down strategies to improve student performance on standardized tests were less likely to accept change. Student improvement after the implementation of strategies based upon NWP experiences formed another theme. Based upon in-class assignments, homework, and class tests, participants described improvements they saw in the overall work done by their students as well as an increased desire to complete work. The final theme explored what the participants saw as negative impacts that high-stakes testing, standardized curricula and the No Child Left Behind Act has had upon their teaching and their schools.

Two metathemes dealt with the conditions that nurture professional growth. The first, "personal and professional growth is best achieved when prior educational experiences and beliefs about learning are examined," explored ways in which the NWP experience built upon prior growth experiences. The final metatheme was "a desire to learn and to improve their practice motivates teachers to seek out and attend professional development activities like the NWP. Although the participants extolled the virtues of the NWP, it was their own desire for knowledge, rather then the qualities of one program over another, which stood out in the end.