Teachers of young writers often feel pressure to focus on narrow, tested conventions, forms and processes of writing. These pressures can contribute to instruction that does not consider students' interests, experiences, language or cultures, but rather can further deficit views of students whose backgrounds do not closely align with those making decisions about what counts as writing in schools. This paper explores purpose-studies--an alternative to genre-studies--Barbara, a fourth-grade teacher, and Alison, a ninth-grade teacher, used to help balance the needs of their students, position students as strong and capable writers and prepare students to write for the test and the world beyond the school walls.