What are the most effective methods for teaching writing across grade levels and student populations? What kind of training do teachers need to put research-validated methods into practice? This unique volume combines the latest writing research with clear-cut recommendations for designing high-quality professional development efforts. Prominent authorities describe ways to help teachers succeed by using peer coaching, cross-disciplinary collaboration, lesson study, and other professional development models. All aspects of instruction and assessment are addressed, including high-stakes writing assessments, applications of technology, motivational issues, writing in different genres and subject areas, and teaching struggling writers. Following an Introduction by Gary A. Troia, Rebecca K. Shankland and Anne Heintz, this book is organized into four parts. Part I, Addressing Complexities Facing Schools and Educators, includes: (1) Preparing Students for Large-Scale Writing Assessments: Research-Based Recommendations (Natalie G. Olinghouse, Jinjie Zheng, and Dawn Reed); (2) Web 2.0: New Opportunities for Writing (Charles A. MacArthur and Rachel A. Karchmer-Klein); and (3) Reluctant Writers and Their Teachers: Changing Self-Efficacy Beliefs through Lesson Study (Gary A. Troia, Rebecca K. Shankland, and Kimberly A. Wolbers). Part II, Working with Subject-Area Genres, includes: (4) Teaching Poetry Writing PreK-12: A Review of Research and Suggested Directions for Teacher Practice and Development (Janine L. Certo, Laura Apol, Erin Wibbens, and SeokJu Yoon); (5) Professional Development in Teaching Disciplinary Writing in the Context of International Science Reform Efforts (Lori A. Norton-Meier, Christine D. Tippett, Brian Hand, and Larry D. Yore); and (6) Preparing Educators for the Challenges of Teaching Students to Write Like Historians (Cynthia Okolo, Carol Sue Englert, Anne M. Heutsche, Carrie Anna Courtad, Emily C. Bouck, and Andrew VanEgmond). Part III, Working with Specific Groups of Writers, includes: (7) Writing First: Preparing the Teachers of Our Youngest Writers (Kathryn L. Roberts and Erin Wibbens); (8) Making Composing Visible: A Study of First-Year College Writers' Distributed Invention Practices (Julie Lindquist, William F. Hart-Davidson, and Jeffrey T. Grabill); and (9) Effective Professional Development for Teachers of Struggling Writers (Tori Page-Voth). Part IV, Critical Reflections On Teaching Writing and Professional Development, includes: (10) Challenges and Possibilities for Professional Development in Writing Instruction: Connecting Contemporary Writing Teachers with Insights from Diverse Research on Writing (Mary M. Juzwik); and (11) Teaching Writing in the Age of Accountability: Reflections from the Academy (Peter Smagorinsky).