Informal efforts to interconnect education officials involved in teacher and administrator education and training at the P-12 levels – public, private and special education – the colleges and universities and the New Hampshire Department of Education (NH DOE) have been taking place in the state for decades. Committees were formed and individuals from several of these organizations have stepped into voluntary leadership roles to help share information and collaborate on aligning teacher and administrator training with current and future educational needs, with an eye towards ensuring that all student needs were being addressed. In 2014, the committee in place at the time had strong leadership from the NH DOE and the group was exploring partnership models and resources across the country, including the work being done at the University of Florida’s CEEDAR Center and the Center for Great Teachers and Leaders.
Mission
To support students with disabilities in achieving college- and career-ready standards by building the capacity of state personnel preparation systems to prepare teachers and leaders to implement evidence-based practices within multi-tiered systems of support.
CEEDAR stands for “Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform.” The mission of the CEEDAR Center is to support students with disabilities in achieving college and career-ready standards by building the capacity of state personnel preparation systems to prepare teachers and leaders to implement evidence-based practices within multi-tiered systems of support. CEEDAR provides technical assistance to organizations that can benefit from the knowledge base and resources at the CEEDAR Center and many states have used these resources to help create and model programs around educational leadership and training at the P-12 level.
The New Hampshire working group started using CEEDAR’s framework to set and build initial goals and develop steps and objectives to reach those goals. This effort, referred to as CEEDAR 1.0, focused early on reviewing current initiatives, determining if they aligned with the goals of the group and the organizations they represented, and connecting key networks together to work more effectively and collaboratively. NH CEEDAR was formally established through this effort.
NH CEEDAR began collaborating with more entities, including the NH Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers, institutions of higher education and , the NH DOE Bureau of Credentialing and efforts with CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers) through the Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP) and the State Consortium for Educator Effectiveness . This work fed into efforts to review standards needed to meet P-12 teacher preparation programs, help build alternative pathways to certification and make them available to educators, whether it be an initial or additional certification. A lot of the work was to make sure that those alternative pathways were still done with fidelity and would align with requirements associated with the Bureau of Credentialing.
This work matured over the years and as goals were met, new goals were crafted and addressed, primarily around certifications and renewals that are required every 10 years, and on general special education standards. NH CEEDAR also worked on advanced endorsements in all of the special education areas as a team, and because of its expertise, was considered a subcommittee which is authorized by statute to advise the State Board of Education regarding professional growth, licensure, and governance of the education profession in New Hampshire.
NH CEEDAR regularly tapped the expertise and technical assistance of the national CEEDAR Center and used the resources at the Center to review national models for educational performance measurement, data on student disabilities, and more. This content was regularly shared with the NH DOE. Another major focus was to enhance partnerships with the New Hampshire Institutions of Higher Education (IHE Network) with education and training programs to create an improved linkage with P-12 across the state. This work has also matured and is an ongoing focus of NHEESS.
In October 2018, NH CEEDAR changed its name to New Hampshire Educator Effectiveness for Student Success (NHEESS) to give it a more local brand. NHEESS updated its focus to serve as a New Hampshire collective focused on the opportunities for continuous improvement through leadership development, recognizing needs and current efforts, partnership structures for the P-12 community and the IHE Network, and support mechanisms for teachers, leaders and student success. NHEESS remained fully engaged with CEEDAR and the committee members were have been active participants and presenters in events and in the annual national conferences.
In 2020, the goals were refreshed, each with multiple objectives. Those goals are focused on leadership development and program support between Educator Preparation Programs (EPPS) and P-12. NHEESS put in place a mini-grant program to support these goals and made three initial awards that year. A communications plan was developed and to help expand the reach of NHEESS. This included a website that serves as a repository of resources for educators and administrators. Other efforts include research of current efforts of Induction through mentoring throughout the state for educators and the development of a framework, along with sharing resources and opportunities with partnered organizations for support. The mini-grant program is also making possible additional informational meetings, workgroup efforts, email promotion to connect stakeholders and collect important input.
Currently, NHEESS is building on this work to create a stronger awareness around the need for additional leadership development due to ongoing changes in demographics and the demand for skilled leaders in education across New Hampshire. NHEESS is an entity that welcomes those interested in these efforts. You may sign up for e-mail updates and participate in any public-facing activities.
NHEESS Goals
NHEESS is a New Hampshire collective focused on the opportunities for
continuous improvement through:
1.
Leadership Development
Recognizing needs and current efforts
2.
Partnership Structures
For the P-12 community and the NH Institutions of Higher Education (NH IHE) Network
3.
Support Mechanisms
For teachers, leaders and student success
NHEESS addresses these focal areas through strategic planning, coordination and integration, communication and feedback loops to help lead to an exponential impact on our teachers and our school leaders.