A Letter from Our Director

Dear education partner,

In Idaho Partnering with the Idaho State Department of Education (ISDE) to:

Create a “Condition of Education” Report

Thank you for visiting the Region 17 Comprehensive Center (CC) website. I am honored to serve as the Region 17 CC director and work closely with state and local education leaders in Idaho and Montana as part of the new national Comprehensive Center Network.

In many ways, our country is at a turning point. We are confronting a life-threatening global health crisis that is disrupting our school systems, complicating our home lives, and fostering high levels of uncertainty about the fall. At the same time, the continual killings of Black Americans compel us to address the root causes of systemic racism, as well as the inequities that permeate our institutions and communities.

We are committed to partnering with our stakeholders to build strong education systems that create a better world for every student in the United States. To that end, we are proud to serve as the regional technical assistance provider for the Idaho State Department of Education and the Montana Office of Public Instruction. We bring together education leaders to assess challenges facing our schools, and we work alongside them to develop coherent, evidence-based policies and practices.

Especially now, we are stronger together. Continue reading about who we are and what we do, and feel free to reach out with questions about the Region 17 CC, including how you can get involved.

Sincerely, Kimberly Barnes

Who We Are

The Region 17 CC is a regional technical assistance center that provides high-quality capacity-building services to state, district, and school leaders in Idaho and Montana. Drawing on evidence-based practice, we help our partners address state-defined priorities that improve student outcomes, close achievement gaps, and increase the quality of instruction. Operated by Education Northwest and funded through a five-year cooperative grant from the U.S. Department of Education, we are based in Boise, Idaho. Along with 19 other regional centers and a National Center, we are part of the national CC Network.

Our 17-member staff has extensive experience partnering with education leaders in designing, implementing, delivering, and sustaining evidence-based practice. All technical assistance providers on our team have served as education leaders in Idaho and Montana for many years, and they remain connected to the local and state education agency staff members with whom they worked.

What We Do

Region 17 states are working to achieve significant education-related goals, such as promoting social and emotional learning, providing culturally relevant curricula and instruction, and ensuring all students are prepared for postsecondary success. Our role is to support our state, district, and school partners in achieving their goals. We do that by listening to the needs and challenges of educators, administrators, and policymakers and then collaborating with them to design and/or deliver the support they need. We also add value by providing access to local, state, regional, and national experts, as well as evidence-based resources. Finally, we regularly engage in reflection with our partners to ensure we continuously improve.

How You Can Benefit

We invite you to explore our website, connect with us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter—where we will share the insights of leading experts on topics important to Idaho and Montana, as well as resources from the region and across the Comprehensive Center Network.

Connect with us!