GOAL SETTING IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM

Book Release News for GOAL SETTING IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM: BUILDING STUDENT AGENCY, INDEPENDENCE, AND SUCCESS

​Book Description 

Goal setting is an integral part of life. But when and how do we teach this important skill to students? And how can we do so in ways that are engaging, rewarding, and nestled into our other priorities in the writing classroom?

In Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success, Valerie Bolling breathes new life into the work of goal setting with students. Bolling guides teachers, step by step, through helping students set goals, monitor progress, revise (and sometimes even abandon!) goals, and celebrate their achievements along the way. Moreover, Bolling illustrates how teachers, themselves, can set their own goals so that they are learning alongside their students and serving as models for them.

Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom draws on Valerie Bolling’s experiences as a teacher, instructional coach, and children's book author to offer relevant and engaging stories, lessons, strategies, and graphic organizers to help all students become successful and independent goal setters and writers.

Pre-Release Buzz 

“When it comes to motivating writers, self-selected goals are much more powerful than school-selected goals, and this book offers practical steps that not only help students to make and revise goals, it also offers reflective practices that foster continual improvement. I like how Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom positions the students to do the thinking.”
―Kelly Gallagher, author of Write Like This and Teaching Adolescent Writers
​
“Valerie skillfully blends her experience as a children’s author and middle school writing teacher to offer practical strategies that help students set and achieve personal writing goals. This book is a valuable tool for educators.”
―Dr. Towanda Harris, author of The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices

“In Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom, Valerie Bolling shares her knowledge and experience as an educator, author, and human that gives new meaning to the term mentor author. Students will love learning about her process, can reflect on her work and find easy to implement steps to improve their own writing. She shares her secrets to meaningful goal setting ‘that leads to confidence, perseverance, and self-reflection.’ Read, write, reflect, and repeat.”
―JoEllen McCarthy, educator, literacy advisor, and author of Layers of Learning: Using Read Alouds to Connect Literacy and Caring Conversations

Release Date and Purchase Information

Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success is released TODAY on June 20, 2025.
​
You may order here:

Bookshop
Routledge
Amazon

How This Book Came to Be

My editor, Kassia Omohundro Wedekind, saw me present on a panel during the 2023 NCTE annual conference. After the conference, she emailed me to see if I’d be interested in writing a book for teachers. I wasn’t sure at first because I’d never written such a book. Though I’d been an educator for 30 years, I doubted if I’d be able to do it, especially when I was told that I’d need to write a minimum of 30,000 words! (This book is almost 40,000 words.) After careful consideration – and encouragement from my husband, agent, and friends – I decided to accept the challenge. Having only published children’s books before, I was hesitant, but Kassia assured me that she would be a collaborator throughout the process, and she kept her word. Each step of the way she was there, and I’m so grateful for her guidance and support.

Why It Made Sense for Me to Write This Book

I believe in goal-setting, personally and professionally, and I have witnessed how taking this action has contributed to my success as well as my students’. My husband and I set goals every year as a couple and as individuals. When I was a classroom teacher and instructional coach, I set goals each year. I determined what I would study and learn to develop a particular skill or gain an understanding of something new. I also looked at student data to set goals for what I wanted students to learn and improve. As a writer, I set goals, too. I have set goals to study and write new genres, read a certain number of books, and schedule events to promote and sell my books. Most importantly, I have achieved or surpassed most of the goals I’ve set, and many of my students have exceeded their goals. My 30 years as an educator and five years as an author of 11 children’s books make me a credible source for writing about this topic. 

What’s Next

I’m working on my second book for teachers, which I’m co-authoring with Pamela Courtney. My first picture book biography, A Flea for Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change (illustrated by TeMika Grooms) will be released on Sept. 16, 2025. I also have another picture book, The March for Hope (illustrated by Monica Mikai), scheduled for release in 2026 and a board book, Chloe’s Community Garden (illustrated by Felicia Whaley) slated for 2027.​

Valerie Bolling is an award-winning educator and author. She was an educator for 30 years, teaching grades 2, 4, 5, and 8 and working as an instructional coach and planning professional development for middle and high school teachers. She has been an author of children’s books for five years, having published more than 10 books. Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom is her first book for teachers. A graduate of Tufts University and Teachers College, Columbia University, Valerie has always loved teaching and writing, and she enjoys connecting with both children and adults and inspiring them to write their own stories.

Connect with Me

Website: valeriebolling.com
Instagram: instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor 
Bluesky: valeriebolling.bsky.social
Facebook: facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/valerie-bolling-223a92271

​