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What We Did This Summer: Rural Webinar Series
The Rural Working Group (RWG) is a regional initiative of the ARCC. This summer, RWG members participated in three webinars to explore the characteristics of rural districts and strategies for building rural capacity to implement reforms. The archived events can be accessed via the links below:
Things Here are Different: Building Rural District Capacity
Rural Realities: Differentiated Support Strategies for School Districts
Understanding the Rural School-Community Connection in the Context of Implementing Education Reforms |
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New Resources and Opportunities
Are you seeking strategies to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in your states? The Mid South Regional Resource Center serves the Appalachian states, offering technical assistance, consultation, and information research services.
Uneven at the Start: Differences in State Track Records Foreshadow Challenges and Opportunities for Common Core, a study by the Education Trust, examines progress states have made in closing achievement gaps.
Our website has been redesigned, and now includes links to a wide array of recent publications, webinars, and tools from Content Centers! |
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Editor: Caitlin Howley
Caitlin.Howley@icfi.com
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| Greetings!
School is back in session, and you are no doubt very busy. Even in the rush and bustle of a new academic year, take time for your own professional growth by exploring some of the resources here.
As always, please feel free to get in touch with us to discuss your technical assistance needs or to learn more about the services we offer! You can also follow us on Twitter or visit our YouTube channel. |
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A Focus on Early Learning in WV
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West Virginia Coordinator,
Sarah Sayko |
The ARCC is assisting
the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) to develop a comprehensive plan for early childhood education, with a particular emphasis on reading. ARCC staff will help build the capacity of the department to facilitate public engagement around early learning; refine existing resources and develop new materials to support school readiness; ensure collaboration among department offices and early education stakeholders; and implement policies, procedures, and practices that reflect the department's comprehensive early learning approach.
As the director of the Office of Early Learning Clayton Burch notes in this WVDE news release, the state is "committed to ensuring students are reading on grade level by the end of third grade...Our work with ARCC and CEELO [the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes] is one of many steps in building a collaborative, intentionally-designed plan, that will not only close the literacy achievement gap by third grade, but will also better prepare West Virginia children for career and college readiness."
ARCC WV state coordinator Sarah Sayko shared her enthusiasm for the effort in this way: "We are thrilled to support West Virginia's early learning vision. West Virginia has engaged a variety of partners committed to establishing common ground, clear expectations, and shared understanding of what it takes to be literate by third grade. By contributing to this collaborative effort, we hope to assist West Virginia in achieving its early learning goals." |
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Inaugural Advisory Board Meeting
The ARCC advisory board convened for the first time in Louisville, Kentucky on September 10 and 11. This board plays an important role in guiding our work, and is charged with advising the ARCC about its strategies for monitoring and addressing education needs in the region, maintaining a high standard of quality, and conducting activities in such a way that promotes student achievement. Members are education stakeholders nominated by state education superintendents or commissioners in the region; nominees are then approved by the Governor of the state in which they reside before final approval by the U.S. Department of Education. Members include SEA staff, district leaders, teachers, parents, business representatives, and policymakers.
During its first meeting, the board discussed the mission of the ARCC, capacity building, and regional education data. A keynote address by the Education Trust's Natasha Ushomirsky focused on closing achievement gaps among student subgroups in the Appalachian region, and several workshops engaged board members in discussion about Appalachian education successes and challenges. During the second day of the meeting, staff solicited recommendations and advice from board members about the substance and format of our work, key principles for providing technical assistance, and directions for future focus. To learn more about the ARCC advisory board, please click here. |
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 The Comprehensive Center network is augmented by seven Content Centers, which provide resources, tools, and training to regional centers and states. Each Content Center specializes in a key area of reform. This quarter, we introduce you to the Center on School Turnaround, which this year focuses on building state and district capacity to support school improvement and on strategies to ensure robust pipelines of turnaround leaders. Check out upcoming and archived webinars, tools and systems for school improvement, and networks of school turnaround staff--along with many other useful resources--at the Center's website! |
ICF International operates the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC). One of 15 regional centers, the ARCC provides capacity-building technical assistance to state education agencies in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number S283B120023. The content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. |
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