The Readiness Centers
Initiative
Early Education and Care Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Overview of the Initiative
 Core Functions and Programmatic Priorities
 Leadership and Governance
 Activities and Initiatives
 Next Steps
 Added Value and Impact
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“In this new phase of education reform…we must
work with teachers and education leaders to
reshape and align our systems of educator
recruitment, preparation, certification, licensure,
support, and professional development. Our
approach must be inclusive, comprehensive, and
innovative.”
- Governor Patrick’s Education Action Agenda, June 2008
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What are the Readiness Centers?
The Readiness Centers are multipurpose and collaborative regional
centers that are managed and operated by consortia of partners
including institutions of higher education, K-12 institutions, early
education and out-of-school-time programs, educational collaboratives,
non-profit organizations, and also business and community partners.
Core Functions:
 Provide high-quality professional development and instructional
services to educators in early education and out-of-school-time
programs, K-12 institutions, and higher education institutions
 Convene stakeholders to collaboratively address key education
priorities, leverage resources, build statewide capacity, and increase
integration and coherence across the education continuum
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Which entities are currently operating and
managing the Readiness Centers?
 All nine state colleges
 Most of the community colleges
 UMASS Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell
 Private institutions of higher education in multiple regions
 Early education and out-of-school-time providers, K-12 institutions
and networks, educational collaboratives, non-profit organizations,
and also business and community partners
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How are state agencies
supporting this initiative?
 EEC: supports the development of career pathways for early
education and out-of-school-time educators, and professional
development activities related to agency priorities
 ESE: supports the operation of the District and School Assistance
Centers (DSACs), located at the Readiness Centers, that provide
targeted assistance and focused professional development primarily
to Level 3 districts and schools
 DHE: supports collaboration among stakeholders regarding college
readiness, increasing alignment of curricula and assessments,
STEM initiatives, and other agency priorities, and also guides the
development of professional development and research activities for
higher education faculty and staff members
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What are the programmatic priorities for
the Readiness Centers?
Core Function #1: Provide high-quality professional development
and instructional services to educators across the state related to:

Addressing persistent achievement gaps among different groups of
students

Addressing the learning needs of different student populations

Improving the quality of instruction in STEM courses

Using different types of data more effectively to better assess student
progress/performance and continually improve the quality of instruction

Improving the quality of early education and out-of-school-time services in
Massachusetts
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What are the programmatic priorities for
the Readiness Centers?
Core Function #2: Convene stakeholders to collaboratively
address key education priorities, leverage resources, build
statewide capacity, and increase integration and coherence
across the education continuum

Develop and implement a rigorous and aligned curriculum from early
education through higher education

Develop and retain an effective, academically capable, diverse, and
culturally competent educator workforce

Improve reading proficiency for children from birth through grade three

Improve students’ readiness for college and career success

Increase student engagement and success in STEM fields of study
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What is the organizational structure that will
support and sustain this initiative?
 Readiness Centers Network (RCN): includes all of the regional
partners plus state representatives (from EOE, EEC, ESE, DHE,
and the State Colleges Council of Presidents), and promotes and
supports effective partnerships across the regions by:
o Disseminating information about effective professional development
models and instructional practices
o Developing strategies that address common needs across all six
Readiness Centers
 Readiness Centers Coordinating Committee (RCCC): includes
state representatives and regional representatives, and is the
leadership team for the initiative
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What types of activities are taking place at
the Readiness Centers?
 Governing boards that include representatives from multiple sectors
have been established in all six regions, and new partners are being
added.
 Several Readiness Centers have offered professional development
and instructional services related to increasing students’ access to
college and educator evaluation strategies, among other priorities.
 Several Readiness Centers are conducting inventories of existing
programs and assessing local needs through surveys and other data
collection methods.
 The Readiness Centers are convening stakeholders to discuss
educational priorities such as the Race to the Top application.
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How are Readiness Centers
positioned to support early education and care?
 Define and manage career pathways to higher education and
increased competency for the early education and care workforce
 Make linkages and smooth transitions for the professional growth of
the early education and care workforce
 Provide intentional training that meets the diverse needs of the early
education and care workforce and EEC’s mixed delivery system
 Provide specific resources in support of key statewide initiatives like
QRIS
 Align existing professional development provided by EEC, ESE, and
DHE and expand access to the early education and care workforce
 Identify and replicate best practices statewide with a train-the-trainer
model
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How are the Readiness Centers
addressing early education and care priorities?
 Partner with EEC to provide professional development; for FY 2011,
EEC intends to fund professional development through regional
partnerships
o This overlap will connect EEC’s professional development to the
larger educational continuum from birth through higher education
 Convene meetings among stakeholders so that EEC can receive
input on initiatives such as the Statewide Advisory Council (SAC)
and school readiness
 Develop and implement initiatives that require both regional
resources and statewide strategies such as increased access to
higher education for early educators who are English language
learners
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What are next steps for this initiative?
 Secure funding for short-term support and long-term sustainability
o Race to the Top, phase 2
o Other competitive grant opportunities through ARRA
o Grants from local and national funders
 Provide ongoing technical assistance to the regional partners
o Coordinating services and activities
o Performing the core functions of the Readiness Centers
 Add stakeholders to build additional partnerships and ensure
representation across different sectors
 Increase the visibility of the Readiness Centers both within regions
and across the state
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What is the added value of the
Readiness Centers?
 Increasing the effectiveness of educators across the continuum and
across Massachusetts
 Increasing the quality, alignment, and coherence of professional
development and instructional services
 Convening local, regional, and state stakeholders to address critical
issues in education from school readiness through college readiness
 Building new mechanisms for sharing information about best
practices and effective models
 Leveraging existing partnerships, building new relationships, and
maximizing the power of collaboration
 Building local, regional, and statewide capacity to create a truly
coherent and seamless education system
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Primary Contacts
Phil Baimas, EEC
phil.baimas@state.ma.us
617.988.7823
Saeyun Lee, EOE
saeyun.lee@state.ma.us
617.979.8351
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