During the course of the day, administrators grapple with a multitude of writing tasks from short memos to lengthy school improvement reports. Each type of writing requires a specific approach in order to be effective. Before we explore these writing types, a brief overview of critical writing dimensions will establish a frame of reference as we navigate through the following chapters. Throughout this guide, we will center your attention on five critical writing dimensions:

• Your PURPOSE for writing (What do you want to happen? What do you want your reader to do, say, think, or perform?)

• Your AUDIENCE (Staff, parents, central office, peers, students, community)

• Your ORGANIZATIONAL strategy (Chronological Order, TopicOrder, Need/Plan/Benefit, Problem/Solution, etc.)

• Your TONE (Collaborative, Authoritative, Complimentary, Objective, Friendly, Supportive)

• Your Writing FORM (What type of writing is needed and is most appropriate to accomplish my purpose?)

Before you even think about putting pen to paper or turning on the computer screen, be sure to ask yourself the two most important questions about any piece of correspondence: Who is my audience? and What is my purpose in writing to this audience?