Stronger States, Stronger Outcomes

From Evidence to Impact: Building a Statewide System for Literacy and Mathematics Improvement in Tennessee
Sustained gains in literacy and mathematics require aligned policy, strong district relationships, and practical support for implementation. Tennessee will share how the Department of Education has consolidated internal structures, organized cross-functional teams, deployed regional consultants, and invested in educator leaders to support evidence-based instruction across diverse local contexts. The state will also highlight implementation resources, monitoring tools, professional learning networks, and its use of federal and state funds to strengthen coherence and scale. Tennessee reports historic gains in state assessment results and progress on national measures. Participants will learn how the state is using lessons from literacy implementation, regional technical assistance, and a developing learning agenda to build SEA capacity and sustain high-quality instruction across districts. 

Using Data and Evidence-Based Supports to Strengthen Literacy Capacity in North Dakota
Data are most useful when state leaders can translate them into clear guidance and practical support for districts and schools. North Dakota will share how the Department of Public Instruction and REL Central are using existing implementation and achievement data to strengthen literacy capacity. The partnership is helping the state analyze Science of Reading and dyslexia implementation, identify areas of strength and need, develop data stories, and create evidence-based tip sheets on instructional time and support for students with dyslexic characteristics. The work also highlights schools performing beyond expectations and opportunities to identify practices that may be scalable. Participants will learn how North Dakota is using federally funded technical assistance to strengthen analytic capacity, improve continuous improvement efforts, and turn compliance data into actionable support.