OESE/OSEP 4th Annual Leveraging Resources Conference March 25-26, 2009 Day 1 | Day 2 | Participant List | Agenda Conference goals: - To understand and analyze lessons learned from collaborative technical assistance; and
- To build on lessons learned to develop new ways to expand and improve cost-effective collaborative technical assistance to states and school districts.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Registration and Continental Breakfast 8:30 AM – 9:15 AM | Academy Hall Opening Remarks Marshall Smith, Advisor to the Secretary, U. S. Department of Education Judy Wurtzel, Advisor to the Secretary, U. S. Department of Education Patricia Guard, Acting Director, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Jenelle Leonard, Director, School Support and Technology Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Marilyn Crocker, Conference Facilitator 9:15 AM – 10:00 AM | Academy Hall Ice-breaker Activity Joyce Harris, Region X Equity Assistance Center Karen Laba, New England Comprehensive Center 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Academy Hall Setting the Stage Marilyn Crocker - The “history” of the leveraging meeting, from introductions, to exploration, to lessons learned and innovative next steps
- Accessing the wisdom in the room by focusing on what we have learned
- A working meeting where participation is as important as listening
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Break 10:30 AM – 10:55 AM | Academy Hall Overview of Research on Collaboration Belinda Biscoe, Director, Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM | Academy Hall Facilitated Discussion Groups Session A | Academy Hall Lessons learned from collaboration across agencies and technical assistance centers with allied scopes of work. The collaboration began with a joint commitment to support a community of practice and has led to other shared ventures and roles. Facilitators: Lisa Rubenstein, Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, SAMHSA Joyce Sebian, The National TA Center for Children’s Mental Health, Georgetown University Mark Weist, The Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland Joanne Cashman, The IDEA Partnership, NASDSE Session B | Angle AB Participants will discuss key organizational issues involved in collaborating across centers. After engaging in a number of regional collaborative efforts, they organized a director level collaborative designed to coordinate and improve technical assistance across the region in the future. The collaborative has focused on developing a theory of action, logic model, and guiding principles for addressing the needs of state education agencies. Facilitators: Norena Hale, North Central Regional Resource Center Linda Miller, Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center Darren Woodruff, National Center on Response to Intervention Session C | Angle C Lessons learned from the work of the Center on Innovation and Improvement over time with three Regional Comprehensive Centers. The discussion will address how the knowledge and skills partners bring to the table can create many levels of collaboration and an effective service plan for clients. Facilitators: Marilyn Muirhead, Mid Atlantic Comprehensive Center Marilyn Murphy, Center on Innovation and Improvement Session D | Vista AB RRCs and SISEP have established a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship to help States develop their capacity to make full and effective use of evidence-based practices. The SISEP Center gains access to the knowledge and experience accumulated by the RRC Program. The RRC Program learns the new knowledge, skills, and abilities related to “intensive technical assistance.” Facilitators: Dean Fixsen, State Implementation and Scaling up Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center Arlene Russell, Regional Resource Center (RRC) Program Session E | Balcony B Challenges faced in bridging general education and special education, and share their perspectives and "lessons learned" on recent collaborations among the three centers. In addition, they will discuss strategies for effective collaboration between general and special education starting with the shared goal of providing a high-quality education for all students. Facilitators: Joe Harris, National High School Center Loujeania Bost, National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities Catherine Fowler, National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center Session F | Balcony C Lessons learned from efforts to provide intensive technical assistance to a state on restructuring their monitoring unit and monitoring activities and addressing data collection issues. Facilitators: Betty Beale, Southeast Regional Resource Center Jane Nell Luster, Data Accountability Center Session G | Balcony D Building on lessons learned to develop new ways to expand and improve collaborative technical assistance. The Regional Resource Center Network is redesigning its roles and responsibilities to create “capacities that get better leverage, performance, and results.” To accomplish this objective, the Network has become the Regional Resource Center Program, with a common vision and mission, organized around priority teams that create tools. Facilitators: Maureen Hawes, Co-Coordinator, Regional Resource Center Program Caroline Moore, Director, Western Regional Resource Center Session H | Balcony E Three lessons learned as four regional comprehensive centers moved from collaborating within their own regions to working together across regions to create the Indian Education Think Tank. Participants were able to leverage resources in new, cost-effective ways around a shared goal. Facilitators: Marie Mancuso, Southwest Comprehensive Center Kit Peixotto, Northwest Comprehensive Center Donna Richardson, Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center Anne Tweed, North Central Comprehensive Center 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM | Academy Hall Lunch/Technology Demonstrations 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Academy Hall Facilitated Discussion Groups Session J | Academy Hall Highlighting the how and why of a collaborative entity that has come together across multiple centers. It will focus on client-centered activities and the lessons learned from conducting them. Facilitators: Carol Massanari, Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center Marie Mancuso, Southwest Regional Comprehensive Center Charles Rankin, Region VII Equity Assistance Center Donna Richardson, Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center Session K | Angle AB Lessons learned from two collaborative efforts involving the LEP Partnership. The LEP Partnership is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Education and States designed to help States develop specific plans and timelines to improve assessments for limited English proficient students. The second describes this Partnership’s work with the North Central Comprehensive Center (NCCC), whose states are participating in a pilot project using Partnership research and materials. Facilitators: Charlene Rivera, George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education Lynn Shafer Willner, Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center Anne Tweed, North Central Comprehensive Center Session L | Angle C Efforts of two technical assistance centers to expand their skills by developing and implementing a cross-center arrangement to share two staff members, one with expertise in assessment and the other with experience and expertise in equity. Participants will explore lessons learned in identifying needed skill sets, hiring and managing shared staff, cultivating cross-cutting expertise, and balancing and enhancing work across two centers. Facilitators: Ethel Bright, Mid South Regional Resource Center Sharon Harsh, Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center Richard Lewis, Mid South Regional Resource Center Session M | Vista AB Highlighting strategies used to collaborate across technical assistance centers, including examples such as identifying common technical assistance needs, developing ongoing communication strategies organized around state liaisons, and developing a joint needs assessment. The partners will discuss why participants might want to collaborate, with whom they could be working, and how they could get started and address lessons learned, challenges, and benefits. Facilitators: Debra Jennings and Diana Autin, Region 1 Parent Technical Assistance Center Carol Keirstead and Karen Laba, New England Comprehensive Center (NECC) Kristin Reedy and Vicki Hornus, Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERCC) Sara Smith and Phyllis Hardy, New England Equity Assistance Center Session N | Balcony B Lessons learned from the collaboration between CITEd and Dean Fixsen of the National Implementation Research Network. CITEd staff worked with Dr. Fixsen to understand the best practices of implementation and inform our work providing technical assistance for technology implementation to schools and districts. CITEd focused on key elements of implementation science: early stages, trained and accountable implementation specialists, and evaluation. Facilitators: Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) Mary Thorngren, Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) Session O | Balcony C Lessons learned from documenting the technical assistance relationship negotiated between seven regional comprehensive centers (RCCs) and State Education Agencies. The session will highlight practices that ensured the continued engagement of all participants and the challenges experienced in keeping RCCs who were not participating involved in the project. Facilitators: Angela Penfold, Center on Instruction Greg Roberts, Center on Instruction Session P | Balcony D Three technical assistance centers will share successes, challenges, and barriers to effective collaboration. This collaboration was the result of their combined efforts to leverage resources and coordinate technical assistance to SEAs in their efforts to leverage resources and coordinate technical assistance to SEAs related to making connections between State Performance Plan indicators. Facilitators: Loujeania Bost, National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities David Test, National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center Deanne Unruh, National Post-School Outcomes Center Session Q | Balcony E Lessons learned about collaborating to move evidence-based research into practice, including the complexities associated with the organizational and behavioral changes this process requires. The effort involved using webcasts to raise awareness among teacher educator grantees of available tools and resources. Facilitators: Lynn Holheide, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality Bonnie Jones, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education Dan Reschly, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Break 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM | Academy Hall The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Its Implications for Technical Assistance Joseph C. Conaty, Director, Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs, OESE 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Academy Hall Reflections, Responses, and Preview of Open Space Marilyn Crocker 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Reception Thursday, March 26, 2009 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Continental Breakfast 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Academy Hall Update on the TACC and the Matrix Michele Rovins, TACC 9:00 AM – 9:40 AM | Academy Hall Exploring Next Steps in Collaboration Through Open Space Marilyn Crocker Given what participants have heard about lessons learned and the Recovery Act, what are innovative ways to provide technical assistance related to the ARRA and beyond? 9:50 AM – 10:50 AM | Breakout rooms Open Space Sessions 10:50 AM – 11:00 AM Break 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Academy Hall Reflections, Summary, and Next Steps 12:00 PM Adjourn |