Region 2 Comprehensive Center

Challenge

The United States faces persistent problems in its education systems, including opportunity gaps that negatively impact students’ learning and achievement. Changing the system is complex. State education agency (SEA) and local education agency (LEA) leaders face competing demands, shifting priorities, and budget constraints that impede their progress. In addition, leaders lack research on effective strategies to help them meet their goals to strengthen systems.

EDC is partnering with WestEd on the Region 2 Comprehensive Center (R2CC), an initiative that supports SEA and LEA leaders in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island in using evidence-based strategies to achieve sustainable improvements in education systems. Working closely with leaders, R2CC provides technical assistance and content expertise—including guidance in using continuous improvement processes—to help leaders enhance education to better support students.

Key Activities

EDC’s R2CC team provides capacity-building support on a variety of high-priority initiatives. Our activities include:

Supporting development and implementation of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) curriculum frameworks, including its Blueprint for Multilingual Learner Success
Engaging RIDE stakeholders in a process to revise the state’s teacher preparation requirements to align with newly created multilingual learner educator competencies
Supporting RIDE staff to understand districts’ levels of implementation and anticipated challenges with meeting new legislative requirements of financial literacy policies
Conducting a research and policy scan of graduation requirements in other states and countries and analyzing feedback from leading regional stakeholder meetings and an online survey for the New York State Education Department (NYSED)
Facilitating strategic and organizational planning for the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Teacher and Leader Development
Supporting the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) in developing, disseminating, and implementing a Statewide Social and Emotional Learning Framework
Advancing CSDE’s goals to increase educator diversity through the development of a toolkit and other materials that complement the guidebook Creating a District Plan to Increase the Racial, Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity of Your Educator Workforce

Impact

To date, EDC’s R2CC team has achieved the following impacts:

Collaborated with RIDE to develop its Blueprint for Multilingual Learner Success and accompanying strategic plan. In addition, strengthened instructional coherence by working with RIDE staff to design curriculum frameworks for multiple content areas, update early learning standards, revise the state’s social studies standards, and develop related curriculum frameworks.
Collaborated with RIDE to develop the Financial Literacy Implementation Guide to support implementation of new legislative requirements.
Delivered the report Graduation Requirements and Measures to the NYSED and the Board of Regents’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures to inform the Commission’s discussions and recommendations regarding graduation requirements and policies to all New York State students for success in college, career, and civic life.
Worked with CSDE to develop the Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Habits (SEIH) Framework for Grades 4 through 12. This research-based and grade-level-aligned framework was adopted by the State Board of Education in March 2023.
Provided intensive coaching and training to CSDE and district teams to strengthen hiring and selection practices at the school and district levels to increase educator diversity.
Advanced NYSED’s goals to ensure all students have access to great teachers and leaders by conducting a needs assessment to gather input on organizational strengths, areas for improvement, needs, assets, and priorities related to educator talent.
Developed organizational improvement recommendations for NYSED that informed the establishment of their newly formed Office of Teacher & Leader Development.