Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success
By Valerie Bolling
(Routledge, 2026 – Learn more)
Reviewed by Melinda Stewart
Valerie Bolling’s Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success presents an approach to writing instruction that is grounded in intentionality, accountability, and reflection.
Rather than treating writing as a sequence of isolated assignments, Bolling’s process is a continuous, student-driven approach shaped by clear goals, routines, and informed choices. This book resonates strongly with my own teaching context, where fostering life skills, self-monitoring, and meaningful engagement in writing is just as important as improving technical proficiency.
At the heart of Bolling’s work is the belief that goal setting is a life skill, not an add-on. Students are taught to not only make promises to themselves, but to keep them. Writing growth becomes a direct result of choices students make: what strategies they try, how they manage their time, and how they respond to feedback.
This emphasis on accountability stood out to me. Bolling does not position the teacher as the sole driver of progress; instead, students learn to plan, schedule, monitor, revise, and reflect on their own work. She argues that over time, these habits support the development of confident, self-directed learners.
Embedding goal setting into instruction
The book has a clear focus on routines, processes, and targeted lessons that support self-monitoring. Bolling presumes that writing is a central classroom practice and builds structures around that assumption.
There are sample lesson structures that illustrate how goal setting can be embedded naturally into instruction rather than treated as a separate activity. Students are encouraged to look at their current work to decide next steps, revise their goals when strategies are not working, and plot a new course forward. While this process may feel challenging at first – for both students and teachers – the book shows how consistency and modeling can lead to growth over time.
Bolling’s emphasis on frequent and varied opportunities for practice, paired with specific instruction and feedback, is another highlight. She advocates for regular check-ins, data organizers, and reflection tools that make progress visible. These structures help students gather evidence of their growth and understand the connection between effort, strategy, and outcome.
Feedback is not generic; it is tied directly to student goals, reinforcing the idea that revision is purposeful rather than corrective. I greatly appreciated how the book frames feedback as a two-way process. In Bolling’s own process, students learn both to give and receive feedback in ways that strengthen agency and trust.
A shift from compliance-based instruction
Agency is a recurring theme throughout the text. Students are not expected to implement every suggestion they receive; instead, they are taught to choose what to implement and what to ignore, based on their goals and evidence from their work. This is a powerful shift from compliance-based writing instruction. By allowing students to make informed decisions, Bolling positions them as active participants in their learning rather than passive recipients of teacher direction. Students gain confidence as they understand not only what they are improving, but why.
Teacher modeling plays a critical role in making this framework effective. Bolling encourages teachers to engage in the same reflective process as their students – including setting goals, tracking progress, and revising strategies. This modeling demystifies writing and shows that struggle and revision are normal parts of the process.
Modeling also strengthens classroom culture by reinforcing shared accountability and mutual respect. The book’s reflective process, which asks teachers to examine evidence and make intentional instructional decisions, mirrors the student experience and reinforces coherence.
Managing the time reflection takes
That said, implementing this approach requires time and thoughtful planning. Establishing routines, conducting regular check-ins, and providing direct, goal-aligned feedback can feel demanding. Bolling acknowledges this challenge and emphasizes that teachers should start small, selecting strategies that fit their context and letting go of those that do not.
I have my students write often, but one area where the book could be strengthened for me is through the inclusion of more student examples. While the strategies are clear and practical, and the tools provide a foundation, additional concrete samples of student goals, reflections, and revisions would further support me in visualizing implementation.
Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom is a thoughtful and practical resource that reinforces the idea that writing growth is intentional (I think this has got to be one of education’s top 5 words of the year), reflective, and choice-driven. Bolling successfully connects goal setting to broader life skills, helping students see writing not as a task to complete but as a process they can control and improve.
Melinda Stewart has been an educator for 30 years. She has an MA in Teaching, Education and Learning and has done graduate work in the areas of English as a Second Language, Reading, Spanish, and most recently English Language Arts. She is currently working as a Spanish teacher and ELM coach in rural southern MN. Melinda is an MEA and AFT professional development facilitator and trainer who has a deep passion for learning and equity.
