Family & Community Alternative Learning
Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives (MOEC)

Summary of Activites in Educational Collaboratives in 2005

I received this report submitted by the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives (MOEC) and wanted to share the information with you.

Educational Collaboratives in Massachusetts are formed by multiple school districts seeking to form an organization to provide services and programs to the member districts. The state's Educational Collaboratives presently provide a host of inter-district services to 290 local and regional school systems. Collaboratives provide direct services to students as well as management support, cooperative purchasing, student transportation, research, technology development, the implementation of health and safety programs, and professional development.

During FY05 the total of the 28 Educational Collaboratives' core budget was $239 million. More than 4,700 students with disabilities received direct services. Thousands of professional and support personnel participated in collaborative-sponsored training programs. Large numbers of general education students also received aspects of their education in collaborative-sponsored programs. 14 Educational Collaboratives have partnerships with colleges and universities to provide licensure programs for roles such as special education teacher, special education administrator, paraprofessional, principal, superintendent, and business manager; 22 are running alternative schools; and 18 are providing special education transportation. The Legislature recently funded a joint venture including ESE, the collaboratives and approved private schools to establish three pilot programs to address improving special education transportation services in a more cost effective way.

Over the summer of 2004 Educational Collaboratives provided and/or sponsored the following Special Education Summer Institutes and Content Institutes:

• IEP Team Facilitation Institute (Merrimack Education Center)
• Special Education Leadership for New Special Education Directors Institute (ACCEPT Collaborative)
• Adapted Access: They Key to Student Success (Hampshire Educational Collaborative in partnership with West Springfield Public Schools)
• All Aboard (The Educational Cooperative in partnership with Worcester State College)
• Writing Persuasive Essays for Proficiency (Reads Educational Collaborative, in partnership with Taunton, East Bridgewater, Freetown, and Lakeville Public Schools, Simmons College and Teachers 21),
• Revisiting Mathematics: An Institute for Specialists and Teachers Working with Elementary Student with Special Learning Needs (EDCO Collaborative in partnership with Boston University Institute for learning and Development)
• BRIDGES Mathematics for Elementary School teachers (Winchendon Public Schools partnering with Hampshire Educational Collaborative and Fitchburg State College)
• Speaking Math as a Second Language (Reads Educational Collaborative, in partnership with Taunton, East Bridgewater, Freetown, and Lakeville, Public Schools and Bridgewater-Raynham and Dighton-Rehoboth Regional Schools partnering with Worcester State College)
• Growing in Mathematical understanding (Wareham and Barnstable Public School Districts, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, Cape Cod Collaborative partnering with Teachers 21, Simmons College, Provincetown, Falmouth, Bourne, Harwich, and Sandwich Public Schools),
• Advanced Mathematics in the Grade 8 to High School Classroom (Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative in partnership with Westfield State College),
• Science, Technology and Engineering, and the Sustainable Planet (Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative and Dracut Public Schools in partnership with the Tsongas Industrial History Center and University of Mass-Lowell)
• The Cape Cod Collaborative in conjunction with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy created an Advanced Studies and Leadership Program enrolling 122 high achieving 7th & 8th graders for a four-week residential experience.

Additionally, Educational Collaboratives continue to work to have a presence in policy-making activities, including serving on many advisory groups that address special education issues. With Leadership from the Department of Social Services (DSS), and participation of MASSDE, school districts and Educational Collaboratives, DSS has determined to develop a pilot program that may utilize a Collaborative as an intermediate educational organization to facilitate communication between DSS and the Collaborative member school districts on behalf of students who are in the care and custody of DSS.