MACC is one of 16 Regional Comprehensive Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education, to support state education agencies to enable them to address the differentiated needs of low-performing schools and districts as mandated by the No Child Left Behind. MACC serves State Education Agencies in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Mission
MACC's mission is to build the capacity of state education agencies to develop a statewide system of differentiated technical assistance for districts and schools in need of improvement. In doing so, MACC helps states:
- use data to determine needs of schools and districts identified for improvement;
- identify evidence-based strategies to address needs;
- use multiple forms of technical assistance; and
- evaluate technical assistance strategies to determine effectiveness in addressing the needs of schools and districts identified for improvement
Goals
MACC’s goals address the challenges Mid-Atlantic state education agencies face in developing and implementing statewide systems of technical assistance for schools and districts identified for improvement.
Goal 1: Fostering relationships, resource sharing, and comprehensive planning across divisions to build the facility of the SEA to meet the technical assistance needs of schools and districts identified for improvement.
Goal 2: Supporting SEA use of data to identify and differentiate the needs of schools and districts identified for improvement so that appropriate assistance can be delivered by the SEA to address those needs.
Goal 3: Expanding the facility of SEAs to design and support ongoing, job-embedded professional development that helps district instructional leaders build effective practice in schools identified for improvement.
Types of Technical Assistance
Expertise
MACC staff includes educators from a wide range of professional fields, many of whom are nationally known experts with rich experience in specific roles and content areas. This includes but is not limited to Early Childhood Literacy, Curriculum Design and Development, Professional Development Design, Teacher Quality, Instruction and Assessment of English Language Learners, Organizational Change, School Improvement Strategies, and Coaching and Facilitation.
Research Synthesis and Summaries of Research
MACC identifies, collects, and summarizes relevant research on topics such as state policies, state systems of support, and district and school improvement strategies.
External Review
MACC provides external reviews of SEA policies and procedures in areas such as State Systems of Support, and the implementation of other NCLB requirements.
Regional and National Level Resources
MACC is part of the national network of Regional Comprehensive Centers and Content Comprehensive Centers http://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/index.html , and has strategic partnerships with networks such as the Regional Education Labs http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/ which provide current information on research, best practices, and relevant resources.