Pacific Comprehensive Center (PCC)
PREL’s Pacific Comprehensive Center (PCC) is one of a network of 16 regional centers and 5 national content centers established in accordance with provisions of Title II of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. The purpose of the PCC is to provide technical assistance to state education agencies (SEAs) to build their capacity to help districts and schools meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) by closing achievement gaps and raising student achievement in schools. PREL serves SEAs in 10 Pacific jurisdictions, including one state, three territories, and three nations in free association with the U.S.
The Work of the PCC
The PCC’s work is organized around two major goals.
Goal 1. Increase the capacity of SEA staff by facilitating their ability to acquire knowledge and access information regarding meeting the requirements of NCLB.
The first goal is to assist Pacific education leaders and policymakers in understanding the purposes and provisions of NCLB and in accessing information on research-based best practices that will help them attain their school improvement and student achievement goals. This is accomplished by:
- Strengthening working relationships among and between the education agencies, U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED), and resource providers.
- Increasing educators’ access to research-based best practices and methods.
Goal 2. Build the Pacific SEAs’ capacity to support districts and schools most in need of improvement in order to raise student achievement, close the achievement gap among diverse student populations, and meet the requirements of NCLB.
The second goal of the PCC is to provide technical assistance to the educational agencies that will enable them to meet NCLB requirements in six regional priority need areas: (1) standards, (2) assessment, (3) accountability, (4) teacher quality, (5) closing achievement gaps for English language learners, and (6) closing achievement gaps for students with disabilities. Although the differing affiliations of the Pacific entities with the U.S. mean that they are often subject to different improvement and accountability requirements, these six priority need areas have been found to be pertinent to all.
The extent of activities in each of these areas is determined annually based on SEA priorities, as set out in annual SEA technical service plans. These plans are agreed to by the SEA and PREL and approved by the U.S. ED.
The work of the PCC is greatly enhanced through assistance from resources within PREL and its partner agencies, and from the five national content centers with expertise in specific areas. The five content centers are: (1) Center on Accountability and Assessment, (2) Center on Teacher Quality, (3) Center on Instruction, (4) Center on Innovation and Improvement, and (5) Center on High Schools.
Major Partners
In addition to the SEAs, regional institutions of higher education (IHEs), other regional comprehensive centers, and national content centers, there are several other key partners in PREL’s PCC who bring expertise to the work in selected areas. They are:
- University of Hawai‘i, College of Education: Teacher Quality, Research, and Evaluation
- University of Guam, College of Professional Studies: English Language Acquisition
- University of Oregon, Pacific Institutes for Research: Special Education
- Council of Chief State School Officers: Policy and Education Leadership
Regional Advisory Board
The PCC Regional Advisory Board (RAB) advises the work of the PCC. RAB members include the chief state schools officers in the region and five constituent members: one member each representing practicing educators, parents, business, IHEs, and an expert practitioner. The RAB is chaired by Mr. Surangel Whipps, Jr.; President & CEO, Surangel & Sons, Co.; Republic of Palau.
Contact
Information about the work of the PCC and its partner agencies can be found at www.pacificcompcenter.org. For additional information, contact Dr. Hilda Heine, Director, at heineh@prel.org.