Northeast Service Cooperative in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, is home to the Northern Pines Regional Center of Excellence, which is an initiative through the Minnesota Department of Education. There are six Regional Centers located in Thief River Falls, Mountain Iron, Fergus Falls, St. Cloud, Marshall, and Rochester.
Minnesota’s Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE) deliver a wealth of support and services straight to schools--and it's working. Centers are staffed by specialists with a full range of expertise, including math, reading, special education, English language development, equity, graduation support, data analysis, school leadership, and district support.
For districts or charters with schools identified under the accountability system, the RCEs provide on-the-ground assistance to districts or charters and schools to create the capacity and conditions that support change and continuous improvement. The Centers partner with leadership teams to facilitate school improvement efforts focused on equity for underserved student groups.
Once designated, comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) and targeted support and improvement (TSI) schools must conduct a needs assessment, build and strengthen leadership teams, and develop continuous improvement plans, but they don't have to go it alone. The schools can get help from Minnesota's Regional Centers of Excellence. In addition to content expertise, Center specialists offer an outside perspective on schools' efforts to increase student outcomes.
