Although for over 22 years the National Writing Project has been providing methodology for composition instructors, unfortunately pre-service teachers are seldom participants in the Writing Project experience. The need is great for writing pedagogy that truly prepares future teachers to evaluate and respond to writing. Writing partnerships can provide this "real world" experience for future teachers of English. The pedagogy of partnerships empowers pre-service teachers as it creates dialogue between academically older and younger students; the pairing of students across course levels provides for a unique additional audience for both upper and lower level writers. Writing partners are required to meet a minimum of 4 times per semester and each partner is expected to do a journal entry about the session. Reports on partnerships for a percentage of the final grade and a computer folder is set up for each English composition or writing course. One factor accounting for higher retention rates is that first year students experience one-on-one contact with a professor or with someone significantly involved with their academic life. (Contains 4 references.) (CR)