Longer, comprehensive section on organizational capacity/accomplishments/awards and honors/grant history (cut and paste whatever is relevant to your needs and fits in your space constraints)

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

PROGRAMMATIC AND FISCAL OVERSIGHT ABILITY;
SOUND TRACK RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

The Intermediate Districts Grants and Research Office (GRO) is a jointly sponsored office that serves Intermediate Districts 287 and Northeast Metro 916 in achieving their goal of supporting the individual needs of more than 190,000 students and their teachers within 24 member districts. For the purpose of this application, we will use “GRO” or “GRO Districts” to refer to the partnership of the Intermediate Districts, since they are joint applicants for this grant.

GRO meets the goal of serving students, teachers, and their schools and districts through direct service and through serving as a catalyst for system-wide change. Our component intermediate districts have successfully participated in partnerships for underserved and underrepresented populations for nearly 30 years, establishing successful working relationships with numerous public and private agencies, receiving outside funding, and earning accreditation and honors from many sources—all of which have contributed to continuing program growth. The ability of GRO to provide sound programmatic and fiscal oversight and our sound record of accomplishment as an organization can be shown together in this history of partnerships, grant awards, research, honors, conferences, and overall program growth.

GRO districts have formed partnerships with diverse organizations in key areas of service, including: career and technical programs, special education, services for students who have been suspended or expelled, pregnant and parenting teens.

• Our strong Career and Technical programs depend on the insights of employers who serve on program advisory committees.  Over 1400 individuals serve on committees for our programs at Century College and Hennepin Technical College. Members of these committees have continually shown their support through opportunities for job shadowing, mentoring, and apprenticeships for disadvantaged and at-risk students.
• In special education, co-located services bring the resources of day treatment to students by collaborating with Hennepin County’s Family Networks, the University of Minnesota, and St. Louis Park Police.
• The Ramsey County Local Collaborative for Children’s Mental Health includes five school districts and various social service agencies to support police liaison programs and services for students who are suspended or expelled.
• In the Area Learning Center, partnerships with local hospitals help fund and staff two programs for pregnant and parenting teens.

GRO districts engage in research on important educational topics, including basic skills acquisition, autism, post-school activities, and continuous improvement.

• We are involved in a three year study funded by both state Goals 2000 dollars and Federal Title II and VI dollars to increase math test scores on the Statewide Basic Skills Test. Scores for students at risk.  Test scores have been analyzed and interventions have been taking place involving both teachers and students. Test scores will again be analyzed following testing in 2004.
• At the state level, through the Department of Children, Families & Learning, we have been awarded a three-year grant for research in the area of autism, which ran through 2001.  Our Systems Autism Model (SAM) uses a systems approach to examine the current special education classroom models used in school districts across the west metro area. The findings from this grant contributed significantly to the literature and to regional understanding of autism.
• A Post-School Follow-Up Study focusing on 125 randomly selected students was conducted in conjunction with the state follow-up study. Additional information was collected through a consultant who conducted in-person, phone, and TDD interviews.
• The extensive report prepared by the external evaluation team for the Systems Improvement Project (discussed above) included evaluation research on training and products designed to bolster continuous improvement, teach to high standards, and promote ongoing staff development.

Our programs have met the rigorous standards of national groups overseeing education delivered within each specialty.  For example, the Vocational Education, Community Transition and Occupational Relations (VECTOR) program was one of ten programs in a six-state region to be awarded “exemplary status” by the North Central Regional Information Exchange.  The Area Learning Center (ALC) received the 1998 National Youth Dropout Prevention Award.  At the state level, LEAP was recognized by the Governor of the State of Minnesota through a Certificate of Commendation as an outstanding summer youth program. Many employees have brought honor to the intermediates through their work: most notably: Connie Bohns, chosen as Outstanding Teacher in the Work Place, 2002, by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce; Darla Jackson, honored by the National Association of Vocational Education Special Needs, 1998; Laura Keller-Gautsch, selected for the Minnesota Council for Exceptional Children 1993 Special Person of the Year Award; Dolly Lastine, chosen by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired for their 1996 Outstanding Service Award; and Mary Sheie, winner of the 2001 Christa McAulife Fellowship.

GRO’s component districts consistently contribute to the knowledge base in teaching by hosting and presenting at local, national, and international conferences and webcasts.

• We hosted an international conference on “Transition into Tomorrow’s Workplace” which had over 1,000 attendees from throughout the world.
• We often fulfill the roles of planner or co-host for state and regional conferences. In 1999, for instance, 287 co-hosted two state conferences: the Vision Conference and the conference of the Minnesota Association of Augmentative Communication (MNSAAC).
• We have organized a multi-dimensional staff development program called PREP Center (Practical Resources for Education Professionals).  PREP Center provides workshops, national speakers, reflection groups, group facilitation for local districts, and hosting of relevant college coursework workshops.  At the heart of all these options is the PREP Center belief that unique and diverse school districts (who serve 20% of the public school students in Minnesota) can come together to create an inter-district learning community to pursue common professional development goals.
• Our Career and Technical education program has hosted a Regional Tech Prep conference for the past 8 years involving over 300 attendees each year from business, secondary and post-secondary education.
• In addition, in one of our special education divisions alone, 73 current staff members have presented at national, state, or regional conferences, with several presenting at multiple conferences.  Current staff members who present at major conferences include a nationally recognized specialist in Autism Spectrum who consults internationally and a certified stress management trainer who works with both students and teachers throughout the region.
• We held a statewide webcast in May of 2000 on integrating standards into special education . The cutting edge webcast had over 200 sites register to participate.

GRO districts are continually recognized as leaders in preparing students for the world of work and society. One indicator of that success is the growing student population in our programs.  We are serving more students now than at any other time in our history. The Area Learning Center serves over 7,000 dropout and at-risk students, nearly 2,500 high school students are enrolled in campus vocational programs at three sites, and around 5,000 students receive some form of special education services each year. All of our programs together serve 190,000 teachers and students in 24 local school districts, providing them with sound programs in research, assessment, teaching and learning, special education, gifted and talented education, alternative study programs, vocational and technical education.

GRANT AWARDS

Many programs and collaborations run by GRO’s component districts have been the recipient of federal, state, and private-sector funding. Here are examples of the major grants we have successfully administered:

• From the State legislature, we have received Best Practices Clearinghouse awards administered by the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning. We received $2.5 million over the past four years.
• From the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning, we received a three-million-dollar Goals 2000 award to promote continuous improvement, standards development, and staff development in schools.
• From the National Science Foundation, we received seven years of continuous funding for a regional teacher enhancement program called PriMath.
• From the US Department of Education, through the Minnesota State Colleges and universities (MnSCU), we have been awarded the Tech Prep Consortium grant for the past 10 years.
• From the US Department of Labor, administered through MnSCU in Intermediate 287 and through a partnership with Ramsey County and our Area Learning Center at 916, we were one of only three awards given that year of Jobs Training Partnerships Act (JTPA) Education Coordination Funds; we held the award for 4 years.
• Under the Cooperation for National Service initiative, administered through the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning, we have been awarded the Learn & Serve America Grant for 2 years.
• Under the Federal National School to Work Initiative, we have facilitated a grant for the East-Metro School-to-Career Partnership for the past 5 years and the Carl Perkins grant for the past 12 years.