Skip to main content

Our Work

The Region 8 Comprehensive Center (CC) provides state, regional, and local education agencies with capacity-building services aimed at improving educational outcomes in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The Region 8 CC welcomes opportunities to collaborate with agency staff to implement initiatives that will strengthen education across Region 8. Our specific services include:

  • Customized resources
  • Coaching, consulting, and communities of practice
  • Collaborative planning and benchmarking
  • Opportunities to learn from experts and colleagues in the region and across the U.S.
  • Workshops, webinars, and conferences
  • Referrals to other technical assistance providers

The Region 8 CC's technical assistance weaves together opportunities to enhance substantive knowledge and skills with opportunities to build sustainable organizational strength. We call on the best available research, practitioner experience, and emerging promising practices to inform and support educators across the region.


 

Impact Stories

Building an Innovative Grow Your Own Program One District at a Time: The Indiana Educator Preparation Partnership

With 96% of districts reporting a shortage of educators, the Indiana Department of Education established a “Grow Your Own” program by recruiting high school students interested in the profession. A pilot helped state leaders identify and overcome challenges, paving the way for statewide expansion. The state looked to the Region 8 Comprehensive Center to coach department staff on effective recruitment and retention strategies and deliver mentor training to 60 teachers working with participants.

R8CC Indiana Impact Story through Year 3 (396KB)

Innovative Michigan Model Builds Workforce of Educators and Youth Development Staff

Faced with a shortage of educators and youth workers, Michigan has created a “grow your own” initiative in which high school students complete credentials that lead to higher education or immediate employment. Region 8 Comprehensive Center played a critical role in convening partners and planning the initiative, launched in 2020 during the pandemic. Through the initiative, the state Department of Education increased its capacity to support districts implementing the initiative, enhanced the pathway, and built stakeholder capability.

R8CC Michigan Impact Story through Year 3 (338KB)

Ohio Leverages a Whole Child Framework to Create Dynamic Systems of Change

To address children’s comprehensive needs, the Ohio Department of Education adopted a Whole Child Framework that considers the needs and dimensions of wellness that support students in achieving healthy and positive outcomes. Partners and collaborative teams helped drive this effort, with support from the Region 8 Comprehensive Center. This framework serves as a catalyst for districts to shift their perspective and approach to help children by focusing on multiple dimensions of child well-being.

R8CC Ohio Impact Story through Year 3 (349KB)

Each of the initiatives on which the Region 8 CC is working are as follows:

 


State of Indiana Graphic

Indiana

Employability Skills Standards

This Region 8 Comprehensive Center (CC) collaborative with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) supports the implementation of targeted employability skills standards by grantees (schools, districts, and education service centers). Support will include resource co-development, professional learning sessions, and grantee Communities of Practice.

Attract, Prepare, Retain Indiana Excellent Educators

This initiative supports IDOE’s efforts to recruit and retain teachers by assisting with the development of a resource library, and marketing and data analysis tools and resources. In addition, the Region 8 CC will aid IDOE with the facilitation of a Community of Practice for mentors.

 


Michigan

Implementation of School-Based Comprehensive Mental Health Systems

The Region 8 CC is assisting the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to develop appropriate state and local structures and guidance to build the capacity of schools, districts, intermediate school districts, and other educational settings to establish sustainable, comprehensive school-based mental health systems that align with state and federal policies in a fiscally responsible manner.

State of Michigan Graphic

Early Literacy Excellence

To increase early literacy achievement, the Region 8 CC is assisting MDE to (a) identify the structures, processes, and systems at the state and local levels that need to be in place to build educators’ capacity to establish family-school partnerships, particularly with families who face the most barriers to engagement, to support students’ early literacy learning; and b) increase educators’ use of evidence-based pedagogy with diverse learners, particularly students of color and those with dyslexia, to foster motivation and engagement with literacy.

High School Pathways to Education and Youth Development Careers in MI

The Region 8 CC will continue to assist MDE to implement opportunities for high school students to earn credentials as a first step in pathways toward careers in education and youth development, and a key piece in the statewide effort to grow and diversify Michigan’s educator workforce.

Expanding Summer and Out-of-School Time Learning Opportunities in MI

Region 8 CC, MDE, and key partners will collaborate to develop a system supporting expansion of summer and out-of-school time opportunities for all students in Michigan.

Student Leadership for Inclusive Schools

The Region 8 CC is assisting MDE with the identification and/or development of structures, practices, and guidance needed at the state and local levels to build the capacity of local districts to engage students in authentic decision-making, collaboration, and leadership.

 


State of Ohio Graphic

Ohio

Raising Literacy Achievement in OH

This literacy initiative supports implementation of Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement for all learners through a focus on documenting the impact of state and regional supports, providing professional development on literacy to Ohio Department of Education (ODE) staff, identifying potential new literacy resources, and serving as thought partner and resource provider for the State Literacy Team and Regional Literacy Network.

Diversifying OH’s Education Profession

This project will assist the ODE team as they implement a statewide plan to diversify the education profession and make available a system of supports to help districts and schools identify and address equity gaps and advance academic excellence for all students.

Addressing the Needs of the Whole Child in OH

This project supports the integration of Ohio’s Whole Child Framework across ODE and the adoption and implementation of a whole child approach to education across Ohio’s schools and districts.

Supporting the Continuous Improvement Needs of Districts and Schools in OH

This school improvement initiative supports the continuous improvement needs of districts and schools through the regional support team application of Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) priority tools and resources, the state improvement team to design a unified district/school review tool, and the state resource allocation team to improve the resource allocation review package.

 


Summer Accelerated Learning Program Bootcamp

The Region 8 CC will support the integration of evidence-based accelerated learning instructional practices into summer programming across the region. District teams will participate in virtual learning sessions and receive implementation coaching and support as they identify, develop, and implement accelerated learning instructional practices for 2023 summer school programs to support learning recovery.