PLATINUM2023

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Advancing Thinking Through Writing

aka TWR, The Writing Revolution, The Hochman Method   |   New York, NY   |  www.thewritingrevolution.org
GuideStar Charity Check

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

EIN: 46-4970867

Mission

The Writing Revolution's mission is to enable students, especially those from historically-marginalized communities, to develop writing skills, as well as the ability to read and think critically, so they will have enhanced opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life. The Writing Revolution trains educators and supports schools and districts in implementing the Hochman Method, an evidence-based method of expository writing instruction. The method builds from sentences to compositions and is embedded in curricula across all subject areas and grade levels.

Ruling year info

2014

Co-Executive Director

Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom

Co-Executive Director

Dr. Dina Zoleo

Main address

90 Broad Street 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10004 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

46-4970867

Subject area info

Education

Elementary and secondary education

Education services

Population served info

Children and youth

Adults

Ethnic and racial groups

Low-income people

Students

NTEE code info

Nonmonetary Support N.E.C. (B19)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

On nationwide tests, only about 25% of students score at the proficient level or above in writing. In New York City, less than half all of third- through eighth-grade students were proficient on the state English Language Arts (ELA) test in 2019. Proficiency rates are lower still for the student groups that The Writing Revolution works with most frequently: low-income students, students with special needs, and English Language Learners. Despite the widespread crisis in students’ writing ability, educators report receiving little or no training in how to teach writing effectively. According to a national survey, 71% of teachers indicated that they received minimal to no preparation to teach writing in college. The Writing Revolution offers teachers a road map for how to improve student writing: a clear, coherent, evidence-based method of writing instruction that can be used in any subject at any grade level.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

School Partnerships

A limited number of schools are selected to partner with The Writing Revolution to receive customized training and support which includes:

- Course training for a cohort of educational leaders and teachers
- Site visits including the observation of teachers implementing TWR strategies in their classrooms and customized individual and group coaching to support teachers
- Review of teacher-created materials to support implementation with fidelity
- Assessment and analysis of student writing at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year
- Access to the TWR Online Resource Library
- The identification and training of potential instructional leaders to sustain the school-wide use of the Hochman Method beyond the life of the partnership with TWR.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The Writing Revolution offers in-person and remote courses that prepare educators of all subjects and grades to implement the Hochman Method. These courses provide teachers and school leaders with the tools to implement effective writing instruction strategies.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of teachers trained

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Teachers

Related Program

Courses

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Writing Revolution is dedicated to equipping teachers with explicit, evidence-based strategies for teaching writing that can be embedded in any subject and adapted for any grade level. Our focus is on schools serving underserved populations. The Writing Revolution envisions a day when all students acquire well-developed writing skills that will enable them to think critically and provide them with opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

The Writing Revolution (TWR) trains educators and supports schools and districts in implementing the Hochman Method. This evidence-based method of expository writing instruction builds from sentences to compositions and can be embedded in all subjects and grades. Students’ writing—as well as their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and oral language abilities—improves as a result of receiving explicit writing instruction.

TWR's programming has several facets. TWR offers courses to help teachers improve their writing instruction and an online library of supporting materials to help implement the strategies they learn in the classroom. TWR’s impact is most demonstrable in our high-impact school partnerships. In these partnerships, TWR works over a three-year period to train teachers, offer feedback, and assess student writing.

TWR continues to support our partner schools remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the COVID-19 crisis first hit in March 2020, TWR quickly pivoted to offer remote courses and support for teachers, as well as online assessment and an essay competition for students. TWR also inaugurated a series of webinars that have proved extremely popular and added a great deal of material to our online Resource Library to support teachers in this challenging period of remote and hybrid instruction.

The Hochman Method was developed by TWR’s founder, Dr. Judith C. Hochman, during a 30-year career at the Windward School (White Plains, NY), a nationally renowned independent school focused on teaching students with learning disabilities. In 2012, an Atlantic article, “The Writing Revolution,” profiled how students at New Dorp High School on Staten Island achieved remarkable results after teachers began utilizing the Hochman Method. In 2014, TWR was officially launched. Headquartered in New York City, TWR employs a staff of 18 and has a budget of $3 million. All faculty members of The Writing Revolution are former teachers and educational leaders who successfully used the Hochman Method in their classrooms.

Since its launch in 2014, The Writing Revolution has trained over 8,000 teachers and reached over 200,000 students.
TWR hopes to continue to grow and empower more teachers to help students acquire the writing skills that will allow them to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Teachers have requested support with remote learning. TWR responded by offering a webinar: TWR and Remote Learning.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

The Writing Revolution, Inc.
Fiscal year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
Financial documents
2021 FY21 Financial Statements 2019 Financial Statement FY19 2018 FY 2018 Audited Financial Statements Final.pdf 2017 FY 2017 Audited Financial Statements Final.pdf 2016 FY 2016 Audited Financial Statements Final.pdf 2015
done  Yes, financials were audited by an independent accountant. info

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

4.26

Average of 6.16 over 6 years

Months of cash in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

7.1

Average of 7.4 over 6 years

Fringe rate in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

14%

Average of 13% over 6 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

Source: IRS Form 990 info

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

This snapshot of The Writing Revolution, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.

Created in partnership with

Fiscal year: Jul 01 - Jun 30 picture_as_pdf View full report cloud_downloadDownload data

Business model indicators

Profitability info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $110,416 $462,184 $182,328 $303,585 $399,983
As % of expenses 9.9% 30.2% 9.3% 9.6% 12.3%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation $110,416 $462,184 $182,328 $303,585 $399,983
As % of expenses 9.9% 30.2% 9.3% 9.6% 12.3%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $1,279,353 $2,018,669 $2,350,451 $3,254,373 $3,688,229
Total revenue, % change over prior year 2.8% 57.8% 16.4% 38.5% 13.3%
Program services revenue 57.7% 63.3% 49.5% 64.3% 79.0%
Membership dues 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Investment income 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Government grants 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other grants and contributions 41.6% 36.5% 49.7% 34.3% 19.5%
Other revenue 0.7% 0.3% 0.8% 1.4% 1.5%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $1,118,937 $1,531,485 $1,967,648 $3,176,263 $3,263,246
Total expenses, % change over prior year 37.8% 36.9% 28.5% 61.4% 2.7%
Personnel 75.5% 73.0% 65.1% 57.1% 64.8%
Professional fees 7.2% 8.2% 7.5% 14.4% 9.9%
Occupancy 2.3% 5.4% 7.4% 6.4% 7.2%
Interest 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Pass-through 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other expenses 15.0% 13.3% 19.9% 22.0% 18.1%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Total expenses (after depreciation) $1,118,937 $1,531,485 $1,967,648 $3,176,263 $3,263,246
One month of savings $93,245 $127,624 $163,971 $264,689 $271,937
Debt principal payment $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Fixed asset additions $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total full costs (estimated) $1,212,182 $1,659,109 $2,131,619 $3,440,952 $3,535,183

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Months of cash 8.8 8.1 7.4 5.4 7.1
Months of cash and investments 8.8 8.1 7.4 5.4 7.1
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 5.7 7.8 7.2 5.6 6.9
Balance sheet composition info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Cash $821,857 $1,035,754 $1,215,864 $1,420,671 $1,919,069
Investments $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Receivables $285,032 $140,600 $326,612 $219,026 $593,109
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 47.4% 11.9% 8.8% 10.4% 23.1%
Unrestricted net assets $535,065 $997,249 $1,179,577 $1,483,162 $1,883,145
Temporarily restricted net assets $50,000 $75,000 $275,475 $50,000 N/A
Permanently restricted net assets $0 $0 $0 $0 N/A
Total restricted net assets $50,000 $75,000 $275,475 $50,000 $75,000
Total net assets $585,065 $1,072,249 $1,455,052 $1,533,162 $1,958,145

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Material data errors No No No No No

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents
Letter of Determination
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Co-Executive Director

Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom

Co-Executive Director

Dina Zoleo

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Highest paid employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of highest paid employee data for this organization

The Writing Revolution, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 03/15/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Ms. Lisa Amato

Arnold Levine

Proskauer Rose LLP

Chris Hyman

Medical Mediation Group

Kathleen Abrahamson

Windward School

Andrew Komaroff

Neuberger Berman

Rohan Srinivasan

Lisa Amato

Deirdre DeAngelis

New Dorp High School

Martin Oppenheimer

Proskauer Rose LLP

Ivonne Ruggles

Judy Hochman

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/8/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/25/2020

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

Contractors

Fiscal year ending
There are no fundraisers recorded for this organization.