Expert answer
Writing is critical for student success in schools. One of the primary ways that we assess students’ knowledge in content areas is by having them write about what they know. And that’s going to increase with Common Core. So if you have difficulty writing, that puts you at a disadvantage. Writing is also an important tool for facilitating learning and reading. When we write more often, our reading comprehension improves.
When we teach specific writing skills, their corresponding skills in reading improves. For example, teaching spelling results in improved word reading skills. Teaching sentence construction skills improves reading fluency. When we write about a text, it forces us to actively think about what we read, improving our understanding and comprehension. When we write about things that we’re learning in the classroom, such as a science experiment, we come to a better conceptual understanding of the material.
So writing is really a powerful tool for increasing learning in the classroom. This makes it essential for success in school.