Impact Stories
How do we know we’re making an impact? The CCNetwork’s Impact Stories illustrate the results of our work by celebrating ingenuity and collaboration and highlighting moments that sparked change in education. Written by National Comprehensive Center and Regional Comprehensive Center staff, these stories detail key strategies, important lessons, and promising solutions emerging from the CCNetwork's work with SEAs and LEAs across the country. We also share success stories of CCSSO members here as well to elevate additional examples of ways states and jurisdictions are making an impact in education. Filter by topic, Center, or state/jurisdiction to gain new ideas and to cheer for the great work happening in your area.
Featured Impact Stories
National Center Forms Communities of Practice to Tackle Education’s Biggest Post-Pandemic Challenges
The National Comprehensive Center brought together state education agency teams to function as Communities of Practice to focus on critical educational issues related to equity, out-of-school time programming, and use of American Rescue Plan funds.
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Kansas and Missouri Leaders Champion Adaptability
The pandemic heightened the need for leaders to learn how to adapt to change efficiently and effectively and sometimes in real-time. To help local education agency leaders develop these skills, the Region 12 Comprehensive Center partnered with professional learning organizations in both KS and MO to create Executive Leadership Forums that provide a safe space for leaders to learn how to thrive during times of significant change.
Illinois Embraces Data to See and Solve their Teacher Recruitment Problem
To identify where and how to target efforts to strengthen and diversify the teacher workforce in Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education enlisted help from the Region 9 Comprehensive Center to use data visualization strategies to identify loss points in the state’s teacher pipeline and create effective initiatives to support and diversify the teacher pipeline.
Colorado Map Pinpoints Data and Trends to Address the Teacher Shortage
To address an urgent need for more teachers in the state of Colorado, the Region 12 Comprehensive Center partnered with the Colorado Department of Education and the Regional Education Lab Central for the “Using Place-Based Decision Making to Strengthen the Colorado Educator Workforce Pipeline” project. The partnership resulted in the creation of an interactive map that provides a robust snapshot of local and regional workforce data and trends.
Connecticut Lays the Foundation for Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color
Districts in Connecticut report being better prepared to effectively recruit and sustain diverse educators through the availability of new tools and resources provided by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The tools, developed through the support of the Region 2 Comprehensive Center, include a workforce diversity guidebook, a coaching series and training model, and an "Educator Diversity Dashboard."
Michigan Paves High School Path to Careers in Education
Faced with a shortage of educators and youth workers, Michigan has created a Grow Your Own initiative in which high school students complete credentials that lead to higher education or immediate employment. The Region 8 Comprehensive Center played a critical role in convening partners and planning the initiative in 2020 during the pandemic. Through the initiative, the Michigan Department of Education increased its capacity to support districts implementing the initiative, enhanced the pathway, and built stakeholder capability.
Redesigning the Educator Workforce in Montana
Across Montana, students are experiencing a shortage of highly qualified, effective teachers. To address this complex issue, Montana’s Office of Public Instruction (OPI) partnered with the Region 17 Comprehensive Center to explore a teacher residency project that would redesign how people are prepared to join the educator workforce. The program is designed to help prospective teachers earn their degrees, develop instructional skills, and create lasting connections in communities across the state.
West Virginia Boosts Teacher Numbers with Fast Track to Teaching
Like many states across the nation, West Virginia had to identify ways to increase their teacher pipeline to meet both short and long-term staffing needs. A collaboration between the Region 5 Comprehensive Center, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and the West Virginia Department of Education has resulted in the implementation of the “Educator Preparation Taskforce.” One successful first step of that work has been the addition of teacher candidates from their high schools through their “Grow Your Own Pathway” program.
Indiana’s GYO Program Addresses All-Time High Teacher Shortage
With 96% of districts reporting a shortage of educators, the Indiana Department of Education established a Grow Your Own program by recruiting high school students interested in the profession. A pilot helped state leaders identify and overcome challenges, paving the way for statewide expansion. The state looked to the Region 8 Comprehensive Center to coach department staff on effective recruitment and retention strategies and deliver mentor training to 60 teachers working with participants.
Grow Your Own Recruitment Programs Quadruple in Missouri Districts
Local teacher recruitment efforts have been a focus in Missouri for more than 5 years. COVID relief funds brought the model to hundreds more districts across the state.
Recovery Money Allows North Dakota to Train, Tutor, and Advance
North Dakota is using the recovery money to train school board members, hire math specialists, and offer more advanced placement classes to high school students.
