A study investigated the effectiveness of the Writing Express program (similar to the "Writing to Read" program, but with the distinction that students write in their second-grade classrooms and follow thematic maps integrated into the regular classroom curriculum). All 895 second-grade students in six Writing Express schools and 6 non-Writing Express schools were pre- and post-tested in writing and spelling using researcher-developed measures. Researchers observed all of the 23 experimental classrooms shortly after the program was implemented and again toward the end of the school year to identify any improvements or changes. A questionnaire was administered to all teachers in the program. Results indicated that: (1) the program did not make a significant contribution to posttest scores in spelling, writing, vocabulary, reading, or total language scores; (2) differences in posttest scores among students in both the experimental and control schools were explained by their pre-spelling and pre-writing scores; (3) teachers felt that the majority of students made significant gains in the overall program goals of written expression, reading skills, spelling, and computer literacy; (4) teachers expressed a need for follow-up training to enable them to implement the program effectively; (5) teachers need more guidance in teaching writing as a process; (6) students rarely revised their work; (7) teachers were rarely observed facilitating students' writing development; (8) teachers and students had positive attitudes about the program in general; (9) students enjoyed writing at the computer; and (10) students were familiar with word processing and basic computer technology skills. (Six tables of data are included.) (RS)