Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking Resumes Dynamic Partnership with Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars Program in 2025

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking (IWT) is developing a fourth year of educational programming for the Cooke Foundation’s (CF) impactful Young Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to exceptionally promising eighth grade students with financial need. Since 2020, IWT has played a key role in helping Young Scholars who have been selected for high school scholarships to begin preparing for high school while they are completing eighth grade.  In spring 2025, IWT will deliver the fourth installment of the course, An Introduction to Writing and Thinking, which draws on the successful model of the Bard College Language and Thinking Program, to 55 eighth graders around the United States.
 
This eight-week online course will meet weekly in February and March 2025. The final meeting will be a celebratory reading bringing together Young Scholars, their teachers from IWT, their Cooke Foundation advisers, and friends and family to share selections from students’ written work created in this virtual community. This annual tradition is a moment of pride, accomplishment, and celebration for the Young Scholars.
 
The ongoing partnership between Bard IWT and the Cooke Foundation has helped CF’s Young Scholars develop skills and confidence as they prepare to enter high school. As a recent eighth grade Young Scholar wrote: “Although I may have been a bit hesitant to share my writing and join in on group discussions at first, the supportive and nurturing environment that was cultivated in our workshop allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace the sound of my voice . . . I loved how enriching each and every group discussion in our workshop was, where diverse perspectives broadened my understanding and deepened my appreciation for the multifaceted and meaningful nature of writing.”
 
About Bard IWT
IWT was founded in 1982 by Bard College president Leon Botstein. Since its inception, it has helped teachers develop writing practices that enliven classroom learning through writing. IWT’s philosophy and practice center on the principle that writing is not merely a record of completed thought, but also an exploratory process that deepens learning across disciplines. In addition to working with teachers, IWT offers programs for students that focus on developing and cultivating habits of thoughtful reading, clear articulation, and productive collaboration—all accomplished through the regular practice of writing. These student-oriented programs include the Bard College Language and Thinking Program (L&T), established in 1981 as an intensive introduction to the liberal arts and sciences with a particular focus on writing. L&T is currently one of the pillars of the Bard curriculum that is shared by the entire Bard network, which includes the Bard High School Early Colleges (BHSECs) across the country and several international campuses. IWT also partners with the National Writing and Thinking Network and the Young Writers Workshop, offering high school students an immersive three-week creative writing course that focuses on using informal, playful, and expressive writing as a way to strengthen skills of language and thinking.
 
About The Cooke Foundation
The Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive academic advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. For more information, visit jkcf.org

This event was last updated on 11-13-2024

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