Leading Regional and Statewide Initiatives

The Southeast Collaborative Regional Organization, comprised of the nine Collaboratives in the Southeast Region work cooperatively to provide annual regional symposiums featuring presentations by field experts discussing unique topics in regard to mental health and wellness to support the building of resilience in students and educators.

Through support from the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), 30 participating school district teams work to improve and enrich their inclusive early childhood programming through individual coaching around unique school district needs; regional team coaching, Professional Learning Community webinars; and support for the development of an Action Plan addressing equitable supports to improve their inclusive practices of children with disabilities.

The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) has worked together with the Department of Youth Services (DYS) since 2003 to deliver innovative teaching and learning in DYS residential programs and effective educational services for DYS clients residing in the community. Each year, many of our youth overcome individual and systemic barriers to learning and attain their high school diplomas or equivalent (HiSET®), complete meaningful training programs, participate in dual enrollment, postsecondary college or training courses, earn industry recognized credentials, and achieve other milestones on their way to successful adult lives.

ACCEPT Collaborative provides Educator Leadership Institutes (ELI) which are licensure programs preparing teachers and administrators for Principal/Assistant Principal PreK-8 or 5-12. Upon completion of the coursework, ELI endorses the cohort of candidates to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for licensure.

Cape Cod Collaborative partnered with Bridgewater State University to develop and provide pathways for teachers working under emergency licenses to address the COVID-19 educator shortages.

The Collaborative for Educational Services’ Healthy Hampshire division is focused on improving people’s health in Hampshire County and the Hilltowns by collaborating with municipal leaders, elected officials, public health departments, planners, businesses, community organizations, and residents. The mission of Healthy Hampshire is to reduce rates of chronic disease in its partner communities by effecting changes to policies and systems that encourage physical activity, healthy food access, improved patient care, and linkages between healthcare systems and community-level prevention activities.

The Massachusetts Migrant Education Program (MMEP run by the Collaborative for Educational Services supports migratory children and youth across the state to overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems, and other factors that may inhibit their ability to succeed in school.

The Education Cooperative (TEC) works on behalf of school systems to secure volume purchasing contracts that have benefits that are measurable and cost effective. The Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA) is a cooperative purchasing group consisting of 29 member states including Massachusetts represented by a collaborative. Other collaboratives provide cooperative purchasing systems as well.

The Massachusetts Special Education Surrogate Parent Program (SESPP), part of the Collaborative for Educational Services, appoints trained volunteers across the Commonwealth to act as special education decision-makers for children and youth in state custody by providing volunteers to represent their best interests in the special education process. There are over 730 students throughout the state currently represented by a Special Education Surrogate Parent and there are over 500 current SESP volunteers actively appointed to at least one student.

ACCEPT Collaborative provides the New Special Education Directors Leadership Institute which provides two years of support that exposes participants to new research and approaches in special education. Participants develop and strengthen proactive management and leadership skills to implement a responsive and legally compliant special education service delivery system in their districts.

The Collaborative for Educational Services has worked with DESE since July 2008 to coordinate and deliver special education services to students in the care of the Department of Youth Services (DYS), Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Public Health (DPH), and the County Houses of Correction (CHC). 

Over 1,200 Children and youth are served by CES through the DYS and SEIS programs each year.

The Collaborative for Educational Services offers the Special Education Team Leader Institute (SETLI). SETLI is designed to equip special educational team leaders with tools to foster family and community engagement and improve student outcomes by facilitating team meetings that are collaborative and compliant with regulations and best practices in the field. SETLI is provided in partnership with and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Special Education Planning and Policy Development.

SPIFFY is a coalition of over 80 community partners working together to improve outcomes for youth in Hampshire County. For twenty years, the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) has administered the Coalition and Community Health Solutions (CHS) assists in its work. Together we promote strong families and create a local culture where youth are supported to make healthy choices. SPIFFY’s prevention activities involve community-based organizations, faith communities, schools, local colleges and universities, parents, youth, law enforcement, municipal government, media, and human service groups.

The Education Cooperative (TEC) provides the Student Data Privacy Alliance, a successful collaborative model to provide schools and districts with administrative and legal support to negotiate privacy terms with their software vendors to protect their students.

The regional Title III Consortia administered by the collaboratives support  school districts and many educators in meeting the educational needs of English Language Learners.