Inside a Student Press Initiative Project: What to Expect and Why It Matters

From the first day’s uncertainty to the final publishing celebration, discover what really happens inside an SPI project — and why the journey is worth it.

GREGORY PETERSHACK
Professional Development Advisor

On the first day of my first project with the Student Press Initiative (SPI), and  I was nervous, but excited. I knew what an SPI project was on paper; I had seen examples and walked through the process others had gone through. I had even worked to build out a unit that would follow along with SPI’s core principles — project-based instruction, community of learners, real-world authorship, and celebrating student voice — but, as with most things in life, there were challenges that I never expected (whether I should have is another matter entirely). 

In short, a Student Press Initiative project is a project-based learning experience in which an instructional coach partners with a teacher to guide students through a writing process that culminates in the publication of a professionally bound book. These projects center student voice and often explore personal, cultural, or academic themes that matter to them. The final manuscripts are published, shared, and celebrated at a culminating event — often a publishing party — where each student receives a copy of the book.
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Now, with more SPI experience under my belt, I’ve come to expect some frequently asked questions from teachers, students, and even school leaders who are curious (and sometimes skeptical) about what this work really looks like in practice. 

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How do I motivate my students to write?

One of the main goals of an SPI project is to build students’ confidence and help them see themselves as writers. Often, the motivation of getting to be a published author is enough to encourage them to begin. When I encounter students who think writing is boring, a waste of time, or unnecessary, I must help them find other motivators.

A great first step is tailoring the writing, as much as possible within the unit, to student interests. For example, if the assignment is to write an op-ed, start by getting students to think about what they care about. What interests them? What do they do in their free time? What do they care about? Then, encourage them to research and write from that perspective. Anytime they start to lose motivation, routing them back to their “why” can be a boost. The more we can center and celebrate student voice, the better. Part of my job in the role of Coach is to help take the raw knowledge of your students and find those inroads.

Sometimes, though, you don’t have the ability to give the students that freedom. Maybe they have to write about a book they’ve read in class and “Mr. P, we don’t like any of them. There’s nothing interesting to me here.” Here, redirecting towards emotional or reactive connections with the topic becomes helpful. “Ok, you can’t relate. Why not? What about Romeo bugs you so much? What is so boring about Jay Gatsby?” By pushing into a student’s “why”, they might find that they have more to say than they thought. Emotions then become transformed into their “why” — whether it’s a connection they didn’t realize, or a hate letter to James Joyce (been there, done that).

The most important thing in motivating writing is to help writers find their “why,” beyond “I have to for school.” Once you find that, make it a touchstone. And just as important is creating a space where students can share those “whys” with one another. When students see that their classmates also struggle, take risks, and care deeply about what they’re saying, they begin to feel part of something bigger than just a single assignment. That sense of being in a community of learners — where ideas are exchanged, questions are valued, and voices matter — is what can turn a reluctant writer into a real one. 

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How do I work with administration throughout the process? 

In any SPI project, you have at least baseline support from your administration, because they have approved the project. Before the project really takes off, having conversations about the expectations they have of you and your students’ work, the final publication, their level of involvement, etc. are important to the SPI project running smoothly.

For instance, are there any topics that the admin won’t allow students to write about? Anything they feel uncomfortable putting the school’s name on? How involved would they like to be on the project? Would they like to be involved in writing a foreword or afterword? How often would they like to be updated on the project? In what ways?

The more clarity you can have between each other, the easier it will be to address concerns as the project moves forward. An SPI coach can help bridge those tension points and concerns. As observers, we are able to bring an outside perspective to conversations within schools about where concerns are coming from and how to go about it. This should take one more thing off a teacher’s plate and allow them to focus more on the unit at hand!

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What do I do if students write about sensitive topics?

When you encourage students to write from the heart about topics they care about, there is always a chance that certain topics may come up that are not appropriate for publishing. This doesn’t just have to mean inappropriate content — violence, bullying, etc. — but also personally identifiable or sensitive information. For instance, a student might write about helping a friend through a crisis and name details about the crisis including names, places, and situations. Or a student decides to write about their ongoing mental health struggles, including things they have never shared with anyone else. This is where the drafting process can be incredibly helpful.

First, think about how your framing of an assignment can help preempt some of these issues. The value of real-world authorship often comes into play here — in an SPI project, students aren’t just writing for a grade or a teacher, they’re writing for real readers. That means parents, peers, teachers, and sometimes total strangers will be engaging with their words.

Helping students understand that their writing will live in the world shifts how they think about what to include and how to shape it. Give them guidelines about what it means that a story is theirs; reinforce that any details that are not their own should be withheld or changed to respect the privacy of others. Then, review the writing as you go.

Including time for at least two drafts in your project gives you the chance to read and catch anything before it comes time to publish. Talk to the student one-on-one, emphasizing that their writing itself, or even about these topics, is not the issue, but their safety and their audience are. If possible, work with students to rework or redirect their writing. If it needs to be completely changed, make sure to continually highlight that their writing itself is not the issue, and help guide them to a new topic they love. 

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What organization do I need to complete this project? 

For any project-based learning project, the key is organizing early and often! A student publishing project is very manageable if you begin thinking with the end in mind, thinking through what is needed in order to finish. Like any project-based unit, clarity and planning make all the difference.

Is the students’ work being shared publicly? If so, we need certain permissions and consent. Will students work through  multiple drafts, or just one? Each draft should probably have its own folder. Do I want to write front or back material? Does my administration? You guessed it, another folder! Think through each piece of generated material for your project, and how you would like to store it. The clearer you keep things, the easier putting it all together at the end will be.

​Additionally, making a dashboard for yourself to keep track of things from a birds-eye view is indispensable. Like folders, I like to make a column for each deliverable, student work, and consent forms. This helps me see the overall progress of the process and what specific students or areas of the project need attention. Having this combination of in-depth folders and a zoomed out dashboard is indispensable for keeping organized and helping your project run smoothly!

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What can I expect to see from my students?

​This is the best part of any SPI project. As they work through our process, students will:

• Feel more confident in themselves as writers
• Write about topics that are meaningful to them
• Recognize that writing is a tool to help them beyond schoolwork
• Have a published work they can put on resumes and college applications
• Experience writing as a process not a one-and-done task
• Grow trust with themselves and each other

While there will always be new questions that arise as you guide students through this process, each project deepens your understanding and reminds you why this work matters — helping young writers find and share their voices.

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Start a project of your own

Customizable collaboration
​Work closely with SPI coaches to tailor the project to your specific needs and goals. This collaborative approach ensures that the project aligns with classroom objectives while empowering you with flexibility to shape the learning experience.

Instructional transformation
​​Our approach provides a framework for designing dynamic lessons that promote autonomy and deepen instructional effectiveness. Bring rigor and relevance to the classroom, creating meaningful learning experiences that prepare students for success beyond school.

Student-centered learning
SPI projects prioritize student voice and agency, engaging learners in rigorous, real-world tasks. Throughout the writing and publishing process, students develop key components of 21st century skills and are encouraged to express themselves authentically. 

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