Noting that within the area of literacy, writing is a young area of study, this research report looks at the impact of the national Center for the Study of Writing and Literacy's 10 years of sustained research. The paper first considers how Center research projects and activities have been tied together to address three interlocking sets of questions: (1) What writing demands are made upon students in key educational, family, community, and workplace settings? (2) How do students meet these demands? and (3) How do teachers help students meet these demands, and how can student progress be measured? The paper then states that in Center projects that involve teacher research, a striking role was found for writing in the professional development of teachers, based on reflection and inquiry that grows out of various forms of teacher research. The paper then points out that one of the biggest challenges facing the United States today is finding ways for varied cultural groups to come together in multicultural classrooms and communities. The paper provides several case studies illustrating this line of research, including one study of immigrant adolescents learning to write in English. The paper then elaborates on research into the changing literacy requirements in the workplace, discusses diverse methods of writing assessment, and considers cultural differences between readers and writers. The paper concludes by stressing the centrality of writing and literacy for an individual's success in school and the workplace and its importance to the effective functioning of the larger community. (NKA)