TA Collaboration in the Northeast

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TA Collaboration in the Northeast

• Leveraging Resources Conference
• 2009

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Purposes

• To engage TA providers in dialogue that builds
  awareness and understanding of collaboration in
  the context of the TA D network.
• To share information and reflections from TA
  providers in the Northeast about collaborative
  efforts.
• To identify key issues related to collaboration
  across the TA D network.

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Who are the collaborators?
New England Comprehensive Center New England
Equity Assistance Center New York Comprehensive
Center Northeast Regional Resource Center Region
I Parent Technical Assistance Center at SPAN REL
Northeast Islands
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Share with a Partner

• Identify one issue or challenge that you are
  facing in your collaborative work.
• Write it on the index card.
• Turn to your partner/neighbor
• share your issue(s) with each other.
• We will collect the index cards.

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Stand Up Introductions

• If you are with a Regional Comprehensive Center
• Regional Resource Center
• Regional Parent TA Center.
• Equity Assistance Center.
• National TA Center.
• U.S. DOE
• Anyone else?

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What do we mean by collaboration?

• Collaboration is a mutually beneficial and
  well-defined relationship entered into by two or
  more organizations to achieve common goals.

Carol Lukas and Rebecca Andrews, The Fieldstone
Alliance, 2009
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Keys to Success

• Clarify the purpose
• Let form follow function
• Involve the right people
• Get it in writing

Carol Lukas and Rebecca Andrews, The Fieldstone
Alliance, 2009
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Continuum of Collaboration
Cooperation
Coordination
Collaboration
Lower Intensity
Higher Intensity
Shorter-term, informal relationships. Shared
information only. Separate goals, resources, and
structures.
Longer-term effort around a project or task. Some
planning and division of roles.  Some shared
resources, rewards, and risks
More durable pervasive relationships.  New
structure with commitment to common goals.  All
partners contribute resources share rewards and
leadership
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Levels of Collaboration Scale (Hogue, 1993
Borden Perkins, 1998, 1999)
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Preview-Small Group Activity

• Using the Collaboration Continuum Discuss and
  define how we (in
• the Northeast) are working together.
• Are we cooperating, or coordinating, or
  collaborating?
• Based on your experience and knowledge
• What do you recommend that we do to move our
  collaborative efforts forward?
• Report Out
• What advice do you have for us?
• What do you plan to do to further your own
  collaboration work in your region or
  context?

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Critical Question

• What do we need to think about as we endeavor to
  collaborate across the TA and D Network?

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What motivated/inspired us?

• Leveraging Resources Conferences 2006-08
• Shared interest in supporting states to develop
  their capacity
• Shared missions and goals related to education,
  equity and improving educational results/outcomes
  for all students (e.g. RTI High School Reform)
• Need to conserve resources, increase efficiency
  and reduce duplication
• Interest in sharing resources, expertise and
  capacity and to build on each others strengths
• Intention to model a unified approach, bridging
  general and special education for our states

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What was the collaborative project?

• Open Space Meeting at Lev. Resources 2008
• Planning a regional meeting Spring 2008
• Getting to know each other
• Mapping our work and resources
• Finding common areas of work a theme RTI
• Regional Needs Sensing RTI Survey
• Planning to support states
• Connecting to national center(s)
• Small wins Looking for opportunities that come
  along

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Challenges

• Time Money
• Building relationships and trust
• Confidentiality Protecting state client
  interests
• Communication Hard to do it all by phone/email
• Competing work scopes Work scope cramp (the
  thats not my job way of thinking) or work
  scope creep (doing things that are really not my
  job)
• Keeping all the people straight Whos who and
  whats what? Who to go to for what?
• Knowing who you can count on.

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Benefits

• Development of relationships
• Understanding each others work
• Learning from each other
• Pursuing possible avenues for collaboration
• Pooling/extending resources, expertise and
  capacity
• Extending our reach with our clients
• As we communicated, learning about other ways to
  extend our TA capacity in ways that we did not
  know about
• Modeling a unified approach to states that brings
  the silos together and bridges the gap

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Barriersto overcome

• Dont allow funding or lack of it to be a barrier
  to moving forward
• Dont let personnel changes or reorganizations
  within Centers make communication/collaboration
  stall or stop
• Dont allow not having a clear client-driven need
  to collaborate about
• Lack of alignment with regions across centers

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What worked?

• Jointly conducted RTI Needs Sensing Survey
• Connection to National RTI Center
• Significant interest in one state from which to
  build
• When collaborators respond in a timely manner to
  email requests for input and feedback when
  everyone participates
• When we were able to match each others strengths
  with the task/work that needed to be done
• When we had patience with the process and
  patience with each other in the meantime

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Lessons Learned

• Trust and confidentiality are critical.
• Someone has to take the lead, pick up the
  ballbut
• One person cant carry the ball all the time.
• Collaboration is a team sport.
• Collaboration works when members share
  responsibility and accountability.
• Collaboration takes time but its worth it.

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Lessons Learned, cont.

• Collaboration must be driven by clear
  purpose/need.
• Its important to conduct needs sensing with
  potential clients to inform our collaborative
  work.
• There are differences in capacity across Centers.
  Working together enhances our collective
  capacity.
• Our different experience and knowledge contribute
  to a great understanding of the regional issues
  from different points of view.
• There are different levels of collaboration.
  Start small, look for opportunities and
  celebrate each step.

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Next Steps

• Possible regional meeting or institute on RTI
• Ongoing sharing of information and networking
  opportunities as they arise, e.g.,
• RPTAC Annual Conference, June 2009
• REL-NEI EEPs in selected states
• Joining state efforts RTI Conference in NYS

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Small Group Activity

• 1. Using the Collaboration Continuum, discuss and
  define how we (in
• the Northeast) are working together.
• Where would you put us on the Continuum of
  Collaboration?
• 2. Based on your experience and knowledge
• What do you recommend that we do to move our
  collaborative efforts forward?
• 3. Report Out
• What advice do you have for us?
• 4. Reflect
• What do you plan to do to further your own
  collaboration work in your region or context?

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Thank you for the feedback and conversation!
Carol Keirstead and Karen Laba
Phyllis Hardy and Sara Smith
Kristin Reedy and Vicki Hornus
Diana Autin and Debra Jennings
Vicki Hornus and Kristin Reedy