Title: The Pennsylvania Community of Practice in Support of Secondary Transition
1The Pennsylvania Community of Practice in Support
of Secondary Transition
- National Association of State Directors of
Special Education - March 10, 2004
2Learner Objectives
- Participants will learn how Pennsylvania used a
regulatory requirement as a springboard for
developing effective cross-agency practices in
transition. - Participants will develop an understanding of the
relationship of events that lead to the
development of Pennsylvanias Community of
Practice for Secondary Transition. - Participants will learn how each of the Panel
Members functions within the Community and how
the Community benefits the member and their
Agency. - Participants will learn about the future goals
and upcoming events for Pennsylvanias Transition
Community of Practice.
3- Coming together is a beginning, staying together
is progress, and working together is success. -
- Henry Ford
4IDEA Memorandum of Understanding Interagency Team
- Dept. of Education
- - Bureau of Special Education
- Bureau of Career Technical Education
- Dept. of Labor Industry
- Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Bureau of Workforce Investment
- Dept. of Public Welfare
- Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse
Services - Office of Mental Retardation
- Office of Children, Youth Families
- Office of Medical Assistance Program
- Dept. of Health
- Bureau of Family Health
- Bureau of Drug Alcohol Programs
5Compliance to Commitment
- State policymakers charged four state agencies
with the responsibility of developing a
Memorandum of Understanding to implement the
requirements of IDEA (1997). - Months of debate among agency legal, policy,
administrative and program staff occurred with
much posturing about who was responsible for
what and more importantly who was fiscally
responsible for what. - Program staff from the four state agencies began
to meet to discuss how they would accomplish one
of the MOU requirements informing the field of
the MOU terms.
6Compliance to Commitment
- Program staff from each of the ten offices party
to the MOU met on a monthly basis. - They reached agreement to roll-out the MOU to the
field through a teleconference each of the four
agencies had one person present. - The newly named MOU Training Team then decided to
do a tour of the state - again each agency had
equal time but during this training a member of
the training team from each of the ten offices
presented. - We cooperated, but still presented information as
separate entities.
7Compliance to Commitment
- Over time, we transformed into a project-oriented
team, by planning cross-system training and youth
and young adult-focused activities. - We developed trusting relationships and used the
team as a forum to problem-solve around systems
issues. - We evolved into a transition community of
practice to promote our shared vision for the
successful outcomes of youth and young adults
with disabilities. - As a state team, we develop cross-system
strategies to support the strengthen and expand
local transition coordinating councils and teams
impact on youth and young adult outcomes.
8IDEA Memorandum of Understanding Interagency Team
- The Team is continually evolving and building new
partnerships, such as - Transportation
- Social Security
- Local Government Officials
- Juvenile Justice
- Business/Employers
- Higher Education
- Local Service Providers
9Families as Equal Partners
- Recognizing the Critical Role of Families in All
Transition Activities. - Expanding Partnerships with Families
- Parent Training Information Centers (Parent
Education Network) - Agency Family Groups
- Local Family Groups
- Individual Families.
10 11Framework Shared Responsibility for Increasing
Youth and Young Adult Outcomes
- Strategic Planning
- Pennsylvania IDEA Memorandum of Understanding
Interagency Transition Team - Shared Agenda
- Youth and Young Adult Outcome Data to Inform
Decision Making (Needs Assessment) - Cross-System Data Sharing and Needs Assessment
- Systematic Youth and Young Adult Follow-up Studies
12Framework Leveraging Resources
- Capacity Building
- Sharing Expertise and Knowledge.
- Combining Training and Technical Assistance
Programs. - Policy Practice
- Aligning Regulations, Policies and Standards
Across Agencies. - Maximizing the Impact of Financial Resources.
- Replicating Cross-System Practices to Promote
Shared Responsibility for Youth and Young Adult
Outcomes.
13Agency Driven Cross Systems Initiatives
- Shifting from Isolated, Single Agency Activities
to - Cross Systems Policy Development.
- Implementation of Promising Practices.
- Capacity Building.
- Sharing Resources.
14PA Dept. of Education
- Bureau of Special Education
- Financial support of collaborative training and
technical assistance through the State
Improvement Grant. - Mentor-Replication Mini-Grants to Expand
Promising Transition Practices for
self-determination, post-secondary education and
training, community living, career development,
employment and cross-agency strategies. - Cross-Systems Training and Networking
Opportunities. - Bureau of Career Technical Education
- Cross-Systems Training and Technical Assistance.
15PA Dept. of Labor Industry
- Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Creative Funding Strategies to Enhance and Expand
Transition to Employment Strategies. - Forty Local Projects
- Outreach-Underserved, Vocational Assessment,
Mentoring, Post-Secondary Education and Training,
Employment. - Two Statewide Projects
- Capacity Building, Statewide Needs Assessment.
- Cross-Systems Training Technical Assistance.
- Bureau of Workforce Investment
- State Youth Council Collaboration.
- Technical Assistance Workgroup Strategies.
16PA Dept. of Public Welfare
- Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse
- Transition Pilot Project Programs.
- Office of Mental Retardation
- Transition Employment Pilot Coalitions.
- Office of Children, Youth Families
- Systems of Care Initiative.
- Policy and Practice Standards.
17PA Dept. of Health
- Bureau of Family Health
- Health Transition Survey
- Special Health Care Needs Consultant.
- Cross-Systems Development.
- Special Kids Network
- Community Systems Development.
- Information and referral network.
18Transition Communities of Practice
Communication Network and Support Structure
19Foundation of State and Local Team Collaboration
- Seven Essential Factors to Consider for
Successful Interagency Collaborations - Commitment
- Communication
- Strong Leadership from Key Decision Makers
- Understanding the Culture of Collaborating
Agencies - Providing Adequate Resources for Collaboration
- Minimizing Turf Issues
- Engaging in Serious Preplanning.
- Stakeholders' views of factors that impact
successful interagency collaboration Exceptional
Children Reston Winter 2003 Lawrence J
Johnson Debbie Zorn Brian Kai Yung Tam Maggie
LaMontagne Susan A Johnson
20State to Local and Local to State Strategies
- Membership
- Local Transition Coordinating Councils (LTCC) and
Teams Surveys. - LTCC Directory.
- Expanding Membership on State MOU Interagency
Team to support local needs.
21State to Local and Local to State Strategies
- Capacity Building
- Transition Portfolio Assessment Strategies
Training Financial Support. - Non-traditional Cross-Systems Team Funding
Strategies. - Expanded Cross-system Learning Opportunities.
22State to Local and Local to State Strategies
- Policy Practice
- Recognition of LTCCs Teams Activities,
Products, Projects Expanding Community of
Practice Opportunities. - Strengthening the PA Transition Communities of
Practice Communication Network.
23Local Community Transition Team
- Sixty-three Local Transition Coordinating
Councils and Teams in Pennsylvania are Focusing
on Projects, Products, and Activities such as - Information Sharing
- Assessment
- Career Exploration and Employment
- Post-Secondary Education Training
- Youth and Young Adult Focused Cross-Agency
Planning - Community Living Programs
- Follow-up Surveys
- Parent Partnerships
- Recognition Programs
- Funding Strategies.
24Strategies to Sustain the Community
- Developing mutually defined goals.
- Redefining roles.
- Sharing of power and expertise.
- Welcoming diversity.
- Supporting professional development over time.
- Developing a shared language.
- Providing opportunities for practice/practical
knowledge. - Focusing on effects of implementation on youth
and young adults. - Willingness of members to take risks.
- Building personal relationships.
- Considering alternative points of view to expand
perspectives.
25PA Communities of Practice Future Strategies
- Strategic Planning
- Needs Assessment
- Capacity Building
- Policy Practice
- Third Annual PA Transition Conference Reaching
Our Outcomes Together. - Two-Year Local Transition Coordinating Councils
and Teams Outcome Strategies. - Developing Potential Cross-System Funding
Strategies.