Stronger States, Stronger Outcomes

Building Mentor Supports for Delaware’s Educator Apprenticeship Program
Teacher apprenticeship programs depend on mentor teachers who can turn classroom experience into meaningful instructional growth. Delaware will share how it is building an “arc of support” for mentors in its Educator Apprenticeship Program, which combines paid, school-based experience with certification coursework. In partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, the Delaware Department of Education is co-designing mentor tools, resources, and a support framework intended to strengthen apprentice success and support statewide scale. The work also brings together the Department of Labor, local education agencies, and educator preparation programs. Participants will leave with practical lessons, a sample mentor support framework, and implementation considerations for strengthening mentor capacity within new or existing teacher apprenticeship programs.

Building a Coherent Statewide Mentorship System in North Carolina
Featuring: NC Mentorship is most effective when expectations, roles, and supports are clear across programs and settings. North Carolina will share how it is redesigning mentorship as a coherent statewide system to strengthen early-career teacher retention and prepare for a proposed registered apprenticeship pathway. In partnership with the Center on Strengthening and Supporting the Educator Workforce, BEST NC, and local education agencies, the state is mapping mentor roles, identifying gaps, developing role-specific frameworks, and creating modular training and statewide implementation tools. The work also centers practitioner input and continuous improvement to support quality and scale. Participants will learn how North Carolina is aligning mentorship across existing programs, clarifying supervision expectations, and building an infrastructure that can support future educator workforce strategies.

Investing in Teachers to Strengthen Student Outcomes in Arkansas
Strong educator workforce policies can improve the teaching experience while directing effective educators to the students who need them most. Arkansas will share how the LEARNS Act is reshaping teacher compensation, benefits, incentives, and strategic staffing. The state raised the minimum teacher salary to $50,000, added paid maternity leave, expanded educator scholarships, and created merit incentives of up to $10,000 tied to student growth, shortage-area service, advanced licensure, and mentorship. Arkansas is also connecting these investments to literacy goals and its third-grade promotion policy by prioritizing highly qualified, effective teachers for students with the greatest learning needs. Participants will learn how Arkansas is linking educator investments to workforce conditions, instructional priorities, and student outcomes.

Strengthening Literacy Through Family Partnerships in Arkansas
Improving literacy outcomes requires more than strong instruction; it also depends on families understanding student progress and knowing how to support learning at home. Arkansas will share how it is embedding family engagement into implementation of the state’s third-grade promotion policy. The approach centers on three connected strategies: improving communication about literacy and promotion requirements, increasing family awareness of reading progress, and building educator capacity to strengthen home–school partnerships. Informed by state and national parent research, the work brings together cross-agency partners and technical assistance resources to connect classroom and at-home learning. Participants will learn practical strategies for integrating family engagement into literacy policy and practice, strengthening trust, and helping educators and families navigate reading-progress conversations more clearly and effectively. 

Using Data to Strengthen Family Engagement in Puerto Rico
Data can strengthen family partnerships when educators are prepared to explain student progress clearly and engage families in shared learning goals. Puerto Rico will share how the Department of Education and REL Northeast & Islands built on a long-term data literacy partnership to implement Academic Parent-Teacher Teams across seven schools in three regions. The work connects regional Data Coaches, collaborative inquiry, and Puerto Rico’s Effective Data Use Guide with practical family engagement strategies. A train-the-trainer model, implementation resources, and a video series are supporting sustainability and broader use. Participants will learn how Puerto Rico integrated family engagement into an existing data-use system, strengthened educator capacity, and created practical tools to support continuous improvement and shared responsibility for student success. 

Aligning Education, Workforce, and Housing Systems in Rural Virginia
Rural communities are stronger when education, workforce, and community partners align around shared regional priorities. Virginia will share how partners in four Southwest Virginia counties are connecting K–12 education, community colleges, adult education, housing organizations, and workforce leaders through a structured needs-sensing process. With support from the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center and the Wellspring Foundation’s Appalachia Highlands Housing Partners, the work uses site visits, stakeholder engagement, and qualitative data to inform locally driven solutions. Current efforts include aligning career and technical education programs with construction workforce needs and regional economic priorities. Participants will learn practical strategies for conducting effective needs sensing, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and translating local insights into program design, policy considerations, and sustained community action.