Enhancing Literacy Supports in a State that Values Autonomy
The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) and the Region 11 Comprehensive Center (R11CC) have been hard at work providing statewide supports and guidance to improve elementary students’ literacy skills, while also honoring the autonomy individual schools and districts have regarding their instructional decisions.
Improving student literacy has long been a focus in Wyoming, even prior to the
Impact Story: Nebraska Builds Partnership to Strengthen School Improvement Processes & Student Outcomes
Like many state education agencies, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) recognized it needed more structure to parts of its school improvement approach. NDE leaders wanted to consider the work through an equity-focused lens, ensuring supports were effective for multilingual students, and create a process that would be replicable, scalable, and sustainable across the state. No small
Implementing the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards in South Dakota
By Dorothy Aguilera-Black Bear and Susan Shebby
Building on momentum from the 2017–19 WoLakota project, the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE) and SD Tribal Relations Department Office of Indian Education recently partnered with the Region 11 Comprehensive Center (R11CC) for the Bright Spots project. Focused on reigniting teachers’ interest and commitment to implementing the
R11CC Builds Capacity in Wyoming for Planning Effective Professional Development Events
Twice each year, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) delivers professional development events for its staff. And while the department was confident in its ability to identify topics that resonate with its staff, it was less confident in its approach to planning the events. For that reason, WDE requested support from the Region 11 Comprehensive Center (R11CC) to
Impact Story Update: Enhancing Indigenous Understanding with Standards Implementation in South Dakota
Have you ever wanted to accomplish a task but couldn’t find much guidance on how to successfully achieve it? This was the problem many schools and educators were experiencing in South Dakota. Six years ago, the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards (OSEUS) were approved by the State Board of Education Standards based on legislation passed in
Impact Story Update: Creating a Blueprint for Enhancing Support to North Dakota Schools Identified for Targeted and Comprehensive Improvement
When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) began requiring states to identify schools for support and improvement plans, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) recognized a statewide challenge. As a variety of improvement efforts got underway at individual schools and districts, the department lacked an overarching plan and uniform framework to set statewide expectations and