Action Research Empowering Writer's-WHY?

Problem

There are over a dozen low performing schools in writing in my local region within the district. One of the areas which students seem to have trouble in is writing. Teachers state that student do not know how to write a well formulated sentence much less a story.

Why is the problem a critical one?

In our school district, we are hearing quite a great deal of college and career readiness. If students do not know how to write an essay then writing at the college level becomes a challenge especially when it has been done for nearly all classes!
At the elementary and secondary levels, knowing that the students are tested on writing on standardized tests and are performing poorly is to me quite troubling.
How can change occur?
The district has purchased, Empowering Writer’s. This is a writing program which promises to use a methodology which has students writing stories from kindergarten. Empowering Writer’s also promises to raise standardized test scores in writing. This program has been in use here in the district for two years now. It has also been in use around the US for thirteen years.

Research Action Question

Does using the Empowering Writer’s methodology effectively prepare students for standardized tests and ultimately groom students for college and career readiness?