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.

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Impact Stories
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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Ohio Leverages a Whole Child Framework to Create Dynamic Systems of Change
To address children’s comprehensive needs, the Ohio Department of Education adopted a Whole Child Framework that considers the needs and dimensions of wellness that support students in achieving healthy and positive outcomes. Partners and collaborative teams helped drive this effort, with support from the Region 8 Comprehensive Center. This framework serves as a catalyst for districts to shift their perspective and approach to help children by focusing on multiple dimensions of child well-being.
  • Topic(s): Student & Staff Well-Being, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • State(s): Ohio
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 8 Comprehensive Center
Louisiana Gets "Lean," Optimizing Operations to Better Serve Students
The Louisiana Department of Education processes nearly 700 service contracts each year. Streamlining this procedure would greatly impact numerous facets of the agency. The Louisiana Department of Education, in partnership with the Region 14 Comprehensive Center, is implementing an innovative strategy into everyday practice to get schools and students the services they need quickly and efficiently.
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, SEA Operations & Performance Management, Student & Staff Well-Being, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
  • State(s): Louisiana
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 14 Comprehensive Center
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.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Leadership Development, Preparation & Licensure
  • State(s): West Virginia
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 5 Comprehensive Center
Consistent Coaching Benefits Alabama’s Teachers and Students
The ability for teachers to receive support from a well-trained coach is not something the Alabama State Department of Education (ASDE) wanted to leave to chance. Through support from the Region 7 Comprehensive Center, ASDE created a consistent coaching framework that included a common vision and language for coaching called the “Alabama Coaching Framework.”
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, SEA Operations & Performance Management, Education Workforce, Mentoring & Coaching
  • State(s): Alabama
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 7 Comprehensive Center
Kentucky Community Joins Forces to Become Virtual Problem Solvers
Districts and schools must constantly address complex challenges that require answering tough questions like, "What is the root cause of the problem?" and "How do we begin to tackle it?" The Kentucky Department of Education, through the support of the Region 5 Comprehensive Center, has adopted a collaborative and systemic continuous improvement approach that leverages the expertise of educators and experts, called the "Networked Improvement Community.”
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, Data & Continuous Improvement, SEA Operations & Performance Management
  • State(s): Kentucky
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 5 Comprehensive Center
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.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Preparation & Licensure, Recruitment
  • State(s): Montana
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 17 Comprehensive Center
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.
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, SEA Operations & Performance Management, Education Workforce, Retention, Teaching & Learning, College & Career Preparation
  • State(s): Michigan
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 8 Comprehensive Center
New Foundation for Multilingualism Gives a “Voice” to Every Student in Hawaii
The World Languages Program in Hawaii is helping districts and schools improve language learning, promote biliteracy, and improve outcomes for all students. With the support of Region 19 Comprehensive Center, the World Languages Program has supported the implementation of the Hawaii Department of Education’s revised multilingualism policy by aligning its new language standards to national ones, developing a resource guide and professional development plan, hosting a summit to introduce statewide educators to the new multilingualism framework, and building a coalition with other state programs to generate support for the initiative.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Professional Development, Specific Population Groups, Multilingual Learners, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, Teaching & Learning
  • State(s): Hawaii
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 19 Comprehensive Center
Idaho Ensures Literacy Leaders Are on the Same Page
To improve K–3 literacy, the Idaho State Department of Education worked with the Region 17 Comprehensive Center to develop The Idaho Reading Coach Academy. The Reading Coach Academy is designed to advance teacher knowledge and implementation of the science for teaching reading through consistently trained coaches.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Mentoring & Coaching, Teaching & Learning, Early Education, Literacy
  • State(s): Idaho
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 17 Comprehensive Center
Revised Teaching Standards Support Modern Needs in California Schools
The California Department of Education was able to successfully embark on the complicated process of updating their California Standards for the Teaching Profession through the support of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center. The complex process yielded updated standards that reflect the most current research, center equity, and are designed for effective implementation.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Preparation & Licensure, Professional Development
  • State(s): California
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 15 Comprehensive Center
Evaluation System for RMI Educators Leads to School Improvement
The Republic of Marshall Islands Public School System’s (RMI) Educator Effectiveness System includes improved processes for licensing procedures, standards, and evaluation processes designed to grow and support effective educators. The new system, created through support by the Region 19 Comprehensive Center and the RMI, has been touted by RMI leaders and educators as an adaptable evaluation system focused on results and evaluation tools better suited to the daily work of teachers and schools leaders.
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, Evaluation, Education Workforce, Leadership Development, Professional Development
  • State(s): Marshall Islands
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 19 Comprehensive Center
Communication Builds Connection, Collaboration, and Capacity for the Rhode Island Department of Education
By establishing and enhancing systems and structures of communication, and creating norms for sharing project work across offices, the Rhode Island Department of Education, with support from the Region 2 Comprehensive Center, is priming project teams to successfully implement critical agencywide initiatives that will serve students and their families far into the future.
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, SEA Operations & Performance Management
  • State(s): Rhode Island
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 2 Comprehensive Center
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."
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, Data & Continuous Improvement, Education Workforce, Recruitment, Workforce Diversity
  • State(s): Connecticut
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 2 Comprehensive Center
Successful Leadership Program in Delaware Inspires Additional Offshoots
School leadership is a critical factor in school improvement. The Delaware Department of Education is strengthening school leadership across the state through the design and implementation of the Delaware Leadership Network and the Delaware Principal Supervisor Leadership Program. These two major efforts, collaboratively designed with the help of the Region 4 Comprehensive Center, have helped the state shift their mindset from principals as managers to principals as instructional leaders.
  • Topic(s): Education Workforce, Leadership Development
  • State(s): Delaware
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 4 Comprehensive Center
New and Improved System Ensures Every Mississippi School Has Effective Teachers
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) had a goal for every school to have effective teachers and leaders. Through partnership with the Region 7 Comprehensive Center, MDE was able to increase trainers for the Professional Growth System from two to twelve and put systems in place to improve decisionmaking, strategic planning, and communication for future work.
  • Topic(s): Education Systems & Federal Requirements, SEA Operations & Performance Management, Education Workforce, Professional Development
  • State(s): Mississippi
  • Center or Affiliate: Region 7 Comprehensive Center