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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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.
New Mexico Districts Get the Biggest Bang for Their ARP Bucks
The unprecedented infusion of federal relief and recovery funds were provided to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education system. The funds presented an opportunity and an urgent need for New Mexico to design and implement new measures to help school districts strategically plan, implement, track, and evaluate the use of these funds.
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.
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.
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.
Equitable Access Strategies Increase Literacy Across Alaska
To meet their goal of all students being able to read at grade level by the end of third grade, the Alaska State Board of Education needed to create equitable access to strong professional development in early literacy across the state. Through the support of the Region 16 Comprehensive Center, the state’s Department of Education & Early Development office was able to better equip literacy educators, even in remote communities, through improved systems, approaches, and resources.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
