Stronger States, Stronger Outcomes

Building Cross-System Capacity to Accelerate Outcomes for Native Students
Geographically dispersed education systems face distinct challenges in building capacity while honoring Tribal sovereignty, culture, and community priorities. The Bureau of Indian Education, in partnership with the Region 14 BIE Comprehensive Center, will share how it supports more than 183 schools across 23 states through continuous improvement, evidence-based practices, stakeholder engagement, and responsive technical assistance. Operating as both a state and local education agency, BIE uses strategic planning, needs-sensing, targeted supports, and federal resources to address geographic isolation, workforce capacity, and access to high-quality educational opportunities. Participants will learn how cross-system partnerships can strengthen leadership, inform decision-making, build organizational capacity, and support sustainable improvement in rural and Tribal communities.


Building a Unified Statewide Framework for Family and Community Engagement in Alabama
In what ways can a state bring separate family and community engagement efforts into a unified approach? The Alabama State Department of Education will share how it redesigned work across literacy, mathematics, school improvement, extended learning, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. With support from the Gulf Coast Comprehensive Center, Alabama developed a three-pillar framework focused on building understanding, implementing practical strategies and practices, and sustaining engagement. The framework has helped align teams, streamline resources, strengthen cross-office collaboration, and provide clearer guidance to local education agencies. Participants will learn strategies for aligning initiatives, reorganizing internal processes, leveraging federal technical assistance, and supporting districts in building authentic family partnerships. 

From Mandate to Meaning: Building a Strategic Resource Allocation Review Process in Wyoming
Resource allocation reviews can do more than satisfy federal requirements; they can help districts connect funding, staffing, and programs to student needs and improvement priorities. Wyoming will share how the Department of Education partnered with the Central Comprehensive Center and Strategic Funding and Finance Center to design and pilot a state-supported review process. Through co-development, feedback, and targeted technical assistance, the partners created a multi-phase framework, guidebook, and tools for examining financial, staffing, and programmatic data. More than 40 district leaders contributed early feedback ahead of the 2026 pilot. Participants will learn how Wyoming is aligning compliance with improvement planning, building SEA infrastructure, and equipping districts with practical tools for more strategic resource decisions. 

From Fragmented Grants to a Coherent State Investment Strategy in Colorado
How can states move from managing separate grant programs to directing resources through a coherent strategy tied to student needs and outcomes? The Colorado Department of Education will share how it analyzed 31 competitive grant programs across seven units and 17 offices and found that nearly 30 percent of districts—most of them rural—were not accessing available opportunities. Colorado used grant participation data, stakeholder input, and state policy priorities to redesign its investment approach. As an early step, the department consolidated six funding streams into a formula-based model intended to streamline access, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen accountability. Participants will learn strategies for reviewing a grant portfolio, aligning investments with priorities, and building support for difficult funding changes. 

From Red Tape to Results: Using a Unified Planning Tool to Align Funding and State Priorities in Arkansas
Districts are better positioned to focus on student outcomes when planning and reporting requirements are organized around priorities rather than separate funding streams. Arkansas will share how it created the AR App, a unified tool that consolidated 17 federal and state applications and plans into one district planning process. The application asks districts to address concrete implementation questions tied to state priorities, while giving the Arkansas Department of Education annual data on local choices and areas where additional support may be needed. Arkansas will also describe how regional cooperatives support district planning and implementation. Participants will learn how a unified planning and funding tool can reduce administrative burden, promote federal flexibility, strengthen alignment, and help states monitor implementation over time. 

Weathering the Storm: Building Fiscal and Organizational Resilience in CNMI
Fiscal crises can force education agencies to rethink how funding, staffing, and operations work together. The CNMI Public School System will share how it responded to severe storm damage, school closures, declining local appropriations, and the expiration of $160 million in American Rescue Plan funds. CNMI cross-mapped Title programs, FEMA public assistance, and other federal grants to support shared administrative infrastructure and cross-functional capacity. By pooling resources and reorganizing staff, the agency reports redirecting 15 percent of overhead capacity to classroom recovery. Participants will learn how CNMI navigated cost-allocation approvals, crosswalked funding streams, reduced program silos, and built a more flexible operating model for fiscal emergencies. 

Strengthening SEA Strategy & Coherence - Poster Session

• Going Beyond the Committee: Refreshing and Aligning Strategic Priorities - North Dakota

• Aligning Research for Impact: Texas’ Journey to a Statewide Research Agenda - Texas

• Flexibility in Action: How States Can Strengthen District-Led School Improvement - NCC

• Craving Coherence: A recipe for SEAs - NCC

• Strategic Spending & Outcomes Snapshot - NCC

1. BIE: Native student outcomes, Lafayette Park, Table 1
2. CNMI: Funding alignment and agency reorganization, Lafayette Park, Table 2
3. Mississippi: Leadership effectiveness & teacher retention, Lafayette Park, Table 3
4. Puerto Rico: Academic parent-teacher teaming, Lafayette Park, Table 4
5. Puerto Rico: Early childhood literacy practices, Lafayette Park, Table 5
6. Rhode Island: Statewide attendance improvement, Lafayette Park, Table 6
   
   

1. Arkansas: Family engagement in literacy, Lafayette Park, Table 1
2. Arkansas: Unified planning approach, Lafayette Park, Table 2
3. Marshall Islands: Multi-grade instruction, Lafayette Park, Table 3
4. Oklahoma: Play-based learning in early childhood, Lafayette Park, Table 4
5. Oklahoma: School Improvement networking for superintendents, Lafayette Park, Table 4