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
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.
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
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
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
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
Voices from the Region spotlights stakeholders in Region 11 and their work to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. The R11CC is privileged to collaborate with and share the insights of Jonni Hertel, Ed. S., a third-grade teacher and student success facilitator at General Beadle Elementary School in Rapid City, South Dakota. Hertel, a member of
Voices from the Region spotlights stakeholders in Region 11 and their work to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. The R11CC is privileged to collaborate with and share the insights of Barney Lacock, principal of Wind River and Crowheart elementary schools in Wyoming’s Fremont County School District 6. The two schools, located about 45 minutes from
As part of a standards revision project for the state of Nebraska, the Region 11 Comprehensive Center in partnership with the American Institutes of Research, conducted a scan of publicly available state information and existing research on revision processes. From that, we’ve created this guide sharing 10 key elements states should consider when seeking to