Reading and Writing Excellence Program

A Safe and Brave Space to Address Inequities

Abstract

Increased cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity in student populations has made it imperative to address inequities in learning conditions faced by multilingual learners for whom English is an additional third, fourth or even fifth language. These students are often viewed through deficit-based lenses rooted in Western colonial values and perceived to be in need of remediation in academic reading and writing. Using an empowerment approach through a learner-driven, instructor-facilitated model, the Reading and Writing Excellence (RWE) program, a non-credit, co-curricular initiative, attempts to address these inequities by engaging students in ways that socialize them to academic integrity practices and develop their competence with academic English, enabling them to develop confident learner identities for communicating in English. This article critically reviews the RWE support program, covering its rationale, mission, and pedagogical approaches. It highlights the program's effectiveness in creating safer, inclusive, empowering learning environments through personalized feedback and promoting learner-centered interactions. The impact of the program is evidenced by students' increased willingness to write, their improved reading and writing skills, and their overall empowerment in this equitable and supportive space. The program outcomes demonstrate RWE's potential as a transferable model for creating more equitable conditions supporting students' reading and writing needs.