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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New Framework Unites States, Districts, and Tribes to Improve Education for Native Students
Circles of Reflection, developed by National Comprehensive Center, represents a new approach aimed at supporting collaboration between state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and Tribal educational departments (TEDs) to lift Native voices and address Native students’ needs.
Effort to Support Early Learners Connects Wisconsin to New Community
Wisconsin’s Circles of Reflection (CoR) aimed to address early learning challenges and opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. Developed by National Comprehensive Center’s Native Education Collaborative, CoR engages state education agencies, Tribal agencies, and local education agencies in cycles of issue discovery, stakeholder engagement, and implementation planning to provide high-quality, motivating educational experiences that improve Native students’ academic attainment.
Bureau of Indian Education Targets Principal Needs with Three-Tiered System
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) identified a need to better support school leaders to better transform education in their schools. Through a partnership with the Region 13 Region Comprehensive Center, the BIE planned and implemented a tiered system of support for school leaders that includes ongoing differentiated professional development opportunities for all types of school leader needs.
Data Spotlights Absenteeism Solutions for Rural North Dakota
When a North Dakota district leader said, “We’re never going to make academic improvements unless the kids are here to learn,” the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the North Dakota Regional Education Association sprung into action. Through support from the Region 11 Comprehensive Center, the district learned how to use improvement science to gain better insight into their core attendance problems resulting in positive changes in attendance as well an improved processes and structures related to attendance tracking and follow up.
Integration Guide Proves to be Necessary Kindling, Sparking Curricula Use in South Dakota
South Dakota’s Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards (OSEUS) were approved by the State Board of Education five years ago. However, many teachers were left on their own to figure out how to incorporate these important lessons across their curricula. Beginning in 2020, the Region 11 Comprehensive Center partnered with the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE) and the South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations, Office of Indian Education (SD DTR-OIE) to help address this challenge.
Washington State Listens and Learns from Native Students and Families
To better serve American Indian and Alaska Native students in Washington state, the Superintendent and leaders in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction partnered with Region 16 Comprehensive Center and the National Comprehensive Center to participate in a collaborative process with state education agencies, Tribal education leaders, and school administrators. The “Circles of Reflection” process helped the participants raise awareness, reflect, and create a plan forward to improve services to these students and their families.
Oregon Addresses Broad Spectrum of Needs, Including Well-Being Services
Oregon’s state education agency directed funds to three key needs: physical and mental health services, transitions for incoming kindergarteners, and post-pandemic revitalization in Tribal nations.
