Striving for Success: Insights from Succeed 2020 Partners
Third Report of the Succeed 2020 Documentation Project
Caitlin Rose Dailey and Monica Mean
FHI 360
July, 2016
Table of Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction and Background .............................................................................................................................. 3
Methodology ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Findings ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Organizational Capacity ................................................................................................................................ 6
Implementing Succeed 2020 ...................................................................................................................... 8
Relying on Data...............................................................................................................................................11
Impact of Succeed 2020 ..............................................................................................................................13
Planning for Sustainability.........................................................................................................................15
Shifting toward Sustainability ............................................................................................................................19
D
Disclaimer: The Succeed 2020 documentation team is separate and
independent from the FHI 360 technical assistance team that works directly
with REAs and other Succeed 2020 partners. The findings and opinions
contained in this report are solely those of the documentation team and are
not meant to represent the FHI 360 technical assistance team.
Executive Summary
Since 2011, Succeed 2020 has helped North Dakota students transition from school
into college and careers. Eight Regional Education Associations (REAs) have led this
effort, working with each other and with their member schools and districts, local
businesses and higher education institutions, a statewide steering committee, and FHI
360. The 2014–2015 school year was the first in which all eight REAs had entered the
full implementation phase of the initiative.
This report is the third in a series of annual documentation reports and features stakeholders’
perspectives on continuing progress and hurdles in Succeed 2020 during the 2014–2015 academic year.
REAs have been able to offer more and, they believe, better professional development services to their
member districts because of Succeed 2020 resources. They have recognized the need for collecting and
analyzing data on these services to make decisions about their priorities. While they are negotiating these
programmatic decisions, they are also working to strengthen their management acumen and become
stronger organizations.
The information presented in this report derives from interviews with REA staff members, FHI 360
technical assistance providers, and steering committee members as well as surveys of school and district
leaders from North Dakota’s public schools. Data was collected from December, 2015 to March, 2016,
meaning that respondents were reflecting on the previous school year.
Key findings from this report follow.
Organizational Capacity
 Increased staffing levels have enabled REAs to develop their capacities to deliver services to
member districts.
 REAs were working to become more strategic and develop stronger planning skills to
conceptualize their services as a cohesive body of work.
 Succeed 2020 has prompted many REAs to develop greater organizational complexity to meet the
demands of the initiative.
 Succeed 2020 has invested significantly in helping REAs develop their capacities for human
resources management.
 REAs were developing a stronger collective identity and ability to advocate for themselves.
Implementing Succeed 2020
 REAs have developed a strong grasp of the Succeed 2020 strategies. Their progress was evident in
stronger professional development services for their members and more sophisticated requests
for technical support.
 REAs continued to struggle with staffing issues.
 With experience, REAs were refining their understanding of the Succeed 2020 strategies and the
activities in each. REAs also abandoned some activities or priorities they deemed unsuccessful.
 The specific types of technical assistance from FHI 360 that REAs requested and received varied.
 REAs addressed a variety of topics in their professional development. School and district staff
members reported that professional development that focused on using data was both the most
available and the most useful to them.
1
Relying on Data
 The collection and use of data has simultaneously been one of the greatest areas of progress for
the REAs and the greatest area of need.
 FHI 360 has increasingly provided targeted support for developing REAs’ data capabilities.
 REAs struggled to link their activities directly to student outcomes. They relied on several
alternative sources of information to understand the effectiveness of their professional
development.
 Succeed 2020 stakeholders recognized REAs’ progress in relying on data but acknowledged that
they have a long way to go.
Impact of Succeed 2020
 Succeed 2020 helped some REAs provide services to new audiences.
 School and district leaders reported that REAs effectively addressed their needs. Their satisfaction
with REA services increased during the grant period.
Planning for Sustainability
 REAs were still in the beginning stages of planning for sustainability, but many were beginning to
think about potential future funding sources. Almost all the REAs would like to receive technical
assistance around grant writing and identifying additional funding sources in the final years of
Succeed 2020.
 REA staff members hoped to maintain their growth in using data.
 REAs needed support in using data to help them determine which services to sustain.
 Professional development, events for students, and project staff emerged as the features of
Succeed 2020 REAs most hoped to sustain.
 Collaboration among the REAs has increased dramatically because of Succeed 2020 and most
REAs would like to sustain this stronger collaborative spirit.
 There was consensus among Succeed 2020 stakeholders on the different roles each should play in
planning for sustainability.
Over the course of Succeed 2020, REAs have strengthened their own organizations and the services they
offer member districts. They are responding to calls to enhance their data capabilities, both to plan their
ongoing work and to prove its worth. School and district leaders have recognized the growing strength of
their REAs. This report concludes with continuing challenges and questions, many centered on data and
REAs’ roles, that will need to be addressed as the initiative pivots to focusing on sustainability.
2
Introduction and Background
Since 2011, Succeed 2020 has helped North Dakota students transition from school
into college and careers. Eight Regional Education Associations (REAs) have led this
effort, working with each other and with their member schools and districts, local
businesses and higher education institutions, a statewide steering committee, and FHI
360. The 2014–2015 school year was the first in which all eight REAs had entered the
full implementation phase of the initiative.
REAs have been developing improved services for educators in their regions in each of Succeed 2020’s
strategies:
 Ongoing college and career counseling and planning
 Access to and success in rigorous academic and CTE programs
 Targeted and coordinated supports
In tandem with efforts to improve their professional development services, REAs have been building their
capacities to collect and analyze data that will help them understand the efficacy of these services. With
considerable prompting from the Succeed 2020 steering committee and FHI 360 and significant technical
support they have recognized the importance of relying on data for their programs and developed their
skills in doing so. Likewise, many REAs have been pushed to quickly strengthen their organizational
capacities to manage and support complex programs like Succeed 2020.
REAs received Succeed 2020 planning grants in the fall of 2011. Implementation of Succeed 2020 began in
the 2012–2013 school year with four REAs: Missouri River Education Cooperative (MREC – Mandan);
Northeast Education Services Cooperative (NESC – Devils Lake); Roughrider Education Services Program
(RESP – Dickinson); and South East Education Cooperative (SEEC – Fargo). After an intensive planning
phase, the remaining REAs moved into implementing Succeed 2020 programming. Three REAs entered
the full implementation phase in the 2013–2014 school year: Great Northwest Education Cooperative
(GNWEC – Williston); Mid Dakota Education Cooperative (MDEC – Minot); and North Central Education
Cooperative (NCEC – Bottineau). Red River Valley Education Cooperative (RRVEC – Grand Forks) began
full implementation in the 2014–2015 school year.
The Succeed 2020 steering committee comprises representatives of state agencies, the gubernatorial
administration, professional organizations, and the legislature and advises on the initiative. FHI 360, a
nonprofit organization, provides technical support to REAs and manages the Succeed 2020 grant from the
Hess Corporation.
The Succeed 2020 documentation project collects and records information on the progress of Succeed
2020 as it unfolds. To document progress toward Succeed 2020 goals, the documentation team collects
information from REA staff members, FHI 360 staff members, steering committee members, and school
and district leaders. The documentation project seeks to:
 Capture perspectives on progress toward the goals of Succeed 2020 from multiple stakeholders
 Communicate this progress to the Hess Corporation, stakeholders involved in Succeed 2020, and
the North Dakota public
 Inform and improve program implementation by REAs and the technical assistance provided to
REAs
This report is the third in a series of annual documentation reports. The first report, Succeed 2020:
Perspectives on Progress, featured findings from the Succeed 2020 planning phase, begun in 2010, through
the first full year of implementation in the 2012–2013 school year. The second report, Succeed 2020:
3
Perspectives on Continued Progress, highlighted continuing successes, challenges, and questions that
emerged in the 2013–2014 school year as most REAs moved into Succeed 2020 implementation. That
report detailed a set of ongoing challenges facing the REAs and their partners, including:
 Staffing shortages in REAs and their member districts
 The need to develop stronger organizational policies and procedures in many REAs
 The need to develop stronger data collection and analysis skills among REA staff
members
 Concern about maintaining REAs’ current level of services for member districts
after Succeed 2020 grant funding ends
 Encouraging more substantive engagement from businesses and higher education
 Ensuring REAs’ have access to technical assistance from the entire FHI 360 team
 Clarifying the role of the steering committee
 Assessing the impact of Succeed 2020 within the constraints of the grant period
This report features stakeholders’ perspectives on continuing progress and hurdles in the 2014–2015
academic year. REA staff members’ understanding of Succeed 2020 and its strategies has become deeper
and more substantive as they move further into implementation. Although they continue to grapple with
ongoing challenges, with continued support REAs have made significant progress. They and their
members are recognizing positive changes in the level and efficacy of services they are able to offer North
Dakota educators.
Methodology
The information presented in this report derives from interviews with REA staff members, FHI 360
technical assistance providers, and steering committee members as well as surveys of school and district
leaders from North Dakota’s public schools. Data was collected from December, 2015 to March, 2016,
meaning that respondents were reflecting on the previous school year.
Now that all eight REAs have progressed in implementing Succeed 2020, this report explores five interim
research questions:
 Where have REAs made the greatest progress in implementation? What progress have REAs made
in addressing implementation challenges?
 What impact has Succeed 2020 had on REAs’ organizational capacities, individually and
collectively? What have they been able to do and provide because of Succeed 2020?
 Who do REAs’ regard as the primary target/audience for their services? How has Succeed 2020
affected school and district administrators? Counselors? Teachers? Students?
 What Succeed 2020 services/activities do REAs plan to sustain after the initiative, individually and
collectively? Why these services/activities?
 What plans are in place to fund these continuing services/activities and what role should Succeed
2020 partners play in planning for sustainability?
Data sources for this report include:
 Interviews with REA staff members: REA or Succeed 2020 directors from each of the eight REAs
participated in interviews. They shared their perspectives on implementation progress and
challenges, work with their FHI 360 liaisons, developments in their organizational capacities, the
impact thus far of their Succeed 2020 activities, and their plans for sustainability.
 Interviews with FHI 360 technical assistance providers: Ten FHI 360 staff members, including REA
liaisons and members of the initiative’s leadership team, participated in interviews with the
research team. They were asked to share their perceptions of REAs’ progress, the overall impact of
Succeed 2020, and the effectiveness of FHI 360’s technical assistance strategies.
4



Interviews with steering committee members: Ten members of the steering committee gave
interviews; seven were randomly selected from the committee and an additional three
volunteered to participate. They were asked about Succeed 2020’s impact across the state and
how or whether Succeed 2020 services and activities could be sustained after grant funding.
Surveys of school and district administrators: Sixty-eight district and school administrators, nearly
all principals or superintendents, from the state’s 179 school districts responded to surveys. They
answered questions on their relationship with their REA and the effectiveness of REA services.
Respondents came from 54 different school districts and included members of all eight REAs.1 This
is the second year school and district leaders have been surveyed, meaning that results from the
2013–2014 and 2014–2015 school years can be compared.
Document review: The documentation team reviewed documents including REA progress reports,
work plans, and meeting agendas and presentations.
Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed for key themes related to the research questions above.
The report presents these themes from a cross-REA perspective because study participants were
promised anonymity.
1
Survey respondents may not be a representative sample of all North Dakota school and district leaders.
5
Findings
REAs have been able to offer more and, they believe, better professional
development services to their member districts because of Succeed 2020
resources. With considerable prompting and support from the steering
committee and FHI 360, they have also recognized the need for collecting
and analyzing data on these services to make decisions about their
priorities.
While they are negotiating these programmatic decisions, they are also
working to strengthen their management acumen and become stronger
organizations. Although these efforts are accompanied by ongoing
challenges, Succeed 2020 stakeholders reported that REAs have made,
and continue to make, significant progress toward Succeed 2020
priorities.
This section highlights findings on key topics including:
 Efforts to strengthen REAs’ organizational capacities
 REAs’ activities in Succeed 2020’s strategies challenges they have encountered, and
strategies they have used to address those challenges
 REAs’ developing abilities in collecting and using data
 Succeed 2020’s impact to date
 Nascent plans for sustaining some of the REA services developed or expanded
under Succeed 2020 after grant funding ends
Organizational Capacity
The programmatic and reporting requirements of Succeed 2020 have helped many
REAs identify structural challenges within their organizations. FHI 360 has
increasingly provided specific support for developing each REA’s organizational
capacities to manage larger staffs and more complex programs.
 Increased staffing levels have enabled REAs to develop their capacities
to deliver services to member districts.
Professional development services for member districts have historically been
REAs’ “bread and butter”; Succeed 2020 has enhanced their capacities to deliver
those services. Succeed 2020 has allowed most REAs to hire additional staff
members to deliver services. Put simply, they have been able to “hire more staff who
can do more things.” Grant resources have also helped REA staff members deepen
their individual expertise. The grant has increased REAs’ capacities both in sheer
numbers of staff and in the knowledge and experience of those staff members.
Consequently, REAs are now able to offer more, and more robust, services to their
member districts. REA staff members take pride in the availability and utility of
their professional development offerings under Succeed 2020. Succeed 2020
directors reported that their member districts were increasingly recognizing the
value of their services and turning to the REAs as important regional resources.
According to one REA Succeed 2020 director, “Our members are used to an
extremely high level of service right now, as far as we have kind of become the one-
“We've been
able to spread
our wings and
find a niche of
where we can
really help
schools really
well [by]
getting our
people trained.”
-REA staff member
6
stop shop for member schools. We're the first entity they call for support, for
answers to their questions, for guidance, for professional learning services, for
resources, you name it.”
 REAs were working to become more strategic and develop stronger
planning skills to conceptualize their services as a cohesive body of
work.
Many REA and FHI 360 staff members described how they were moving away from
providing “one and done” professional development offerings. Instead they were
planning and offering coherent series of professional development sessions that
followed on one another, collecting information on the effectiveness of their
services, conducting on-the-ground follow-up in schools, and seeking to tailor
subsequent offerings in response to the information they collected on professional
development sessions.
As one FHI 360 staff member portrayed it, REAs were becoming less “knee jerk” in
planning their professional development and making strides toward incorporating
individual projects into a larger vision and overall goals for their organizations.
Some FHI 360 staff members speculated that this development was at least partly a
result of the comprehensive Succeed 2020 work plans required by the grants and
the intensive technical assistance FHI 360 has offered over the years in
strengthening these plans. Where in prior years some REA staff members appeared
to view these work plans as merely a compliance exercise or a paperwork burden,
now many have come to see them as useful living documents helping to guide their
work.
Some REAs also requested and received technical assistance from FHI 360 on
developing strategic plans for their organizations as a whole. One FHI 360 staff
member with significant experience in strategic planning has provided this
assistance for several individual REAs as well as for North Dakota Regional
Education Associations (NDREA) as a collective entity.
 Succeed 2020 has prompted many REAs to develop greater
organizational complexity to meet the demands of the initiative.
Although REA staff members highlighted increased staffing as perhaps the most
positive feature of Succeed 2020 funding, added people and added work had also
made managing their organizations more complicated. Some were grappling with
balancing their programmatic work—delivering services to their members—with
the administrative and managerial tasks of running the REA. Increased
organizational complexity under Succeed 2020 drew attention to missing or
inadequate policies and procedures for financial systems, managing employees, and
working effectively with their governing boards.
 Succeed 2020 has invested significantly in helping REAs develop their
capacities for human resources management.
Based on their developing knowledge of REA needs and specific requests from some
REA staff members, FHI 360 has provided ongoing and intensifying support for
REAs to develop their capacities for human resources (HR) management. In earlier
years, FHI 360 offered workshops during regular cross-REA meetings; this year the
Succeed 2020 team invested more heavily by hiring two consultants to work with
REAs to assess their HR needs and develop individual plans for meeting those needs.
“The capacity
has definitely
been increasing
in what we’ve
been able to
provide, but the
way that we
operate has not
grown as
quickly.”
-REA staff member
7
The consultants conducted thorough assessments, aligned with AdvancED
standards, of needs related to HR and organizational systems for five REAs. REAs’
needs assessments highlighted the necessity of focusing on performance
management, including establishing clear job descriptions, clarifying lines of
reporting and authority, and instituting systems for performance assessment and
accountability. The assessments also underscored the need for leadership
development within REAs. Executive coaching was offered to REA directors who
agreed to implement specific recommendations from the assessment and pay a
portion of the cost as one avenue for growth following their needs assessment.
Based on finding from these needs assessments, some REAs will also need help on
effective communication and collaboration with their governing boards.
This support was helping REAs develop policies and procedures that account for
their increased organizational complexities. The push to develop their
organizational capacities and strategic acumen has also helped the REAs begin to
plan for the optional AdvancED accreditation process, which will require them to
meet standards for organizational systems.
 REAs were developing a stronger collective identity and ability to
advocate for themselves.
Nearly all REA staff members reported that building stronger individual capacities
has helped make the REAs stronger partners to one another. They were becoming
less isolated and more collaborative even as they focused on meeting the particular
needs of their respective regions. According to one REA director, “It’s definitely
more of a collaborative atmosphere. Everybody seems more willing to work
together and actually wants to work together to improve not only their own REA but
other REAs and education in general. That has definitely changed for the better.”
This commitment to stronger collaboration is evidenced by the development of a
new strategic plan for NDREA, the REAs’ collective organization.
“As we are able
to provide
opportunities
for REAs to
really showcase
and
demonstrate
what value they
play, their role
will be valued
even more.”
-Steering committee
member
Many REA staff members, and some steering committee members, reported that
these changes mean that REAs are potentially positioned to be more prominent
players in the statewide education infrastructure. One steering committee member
noted that REAs will need “to continue to focus on the long range plans of a
systematic NDREA system and how that NDREA system fits within all of the other
systems…in the state that contribute to K-12 education.” Most of the REAs were
making efforts to align their activities with broader statewide priorities and make a
case for how they are suited to advancing statewide priorities.
Implementing Succeed 2020
In the 2014–2015 school year, all eight of North Dakota’s REAs had received full
grant funding and moved into implementation of Succeed 2020. After intensive
collective efforts toward planning and developing shared resources (for example,
the NDSS Implementation Guide and the Work Based Learning Manual) in the early
years of Succeed 2020, the REAs are now comfortably established in running
Succeed 2020 programming in their own regions. They have turned to a focus on
fine-tuning and improving the programming delivered to their members and are
beginning to rely more heavily on using data in these efforts.
 REAs have developed a strong grasp of the Succeed 2020 strategies.
Their progress was evident in stronger professional development
8
services for their members and more sophisticated requests for
technical support.
A major theme across interviews was the positive progression in the quality of
REAs’ services afforded by Succeed 2020. First, the REAs have been able to provide
higher quality professional development to their member districts than before
Succeed 2020. Additional staff and better communication with their member
districts have allowed REAs to align their professional development offerings with
districts’ needs. The result is that the member districts now see the REAs as very
valuable sources of teacher and administrator improvement.
Second, REAs have improved their grasp of reporting requirements for Succeed
2020 and have begun to focus their requests for technical support more on the
content of their Succeed 2020 work. Many respondents shared their perception that
the level of depth in REAs’ technical assistance requests, either in formal written
reports or more informally in conversation with their liaisons, has increased over
the years. Many FHI 360 liaisons noted that earlier technical assistance requests
from REAs were often focused on administration of the grant, compliance with
reporting requirements, and understanding the strategies of Succeed 2020. There
were more requests in 2014–2015 for content-based training, strategic planning,
and collecting better data for decision making. These perceptions are illustrated in
Figure 1.
“[REAs are]
getting much
more
sophisticated with
their questions.
They’re becoming
good questioners
to make sure they
are doing what
they want to be
doing.” -FHI 360
staff member
Figure 1. Perception of Succeed 2020 Technical Assistance Requests by Year
Year 1
Reporting and
Adminstration
Year 2
Understanding
Succeed 2020
Strategies
Year 3
Collecting Data
and Strategic
Planning
In addition, the quality of the quarterly reports and work plans that REAs submitted
to FHI 360 has increased substantially. Succeed 2020 leaders were pleased with the
more robust information and data REAs were including in these reports. Although
the quality of data still needs improvement, FHI 360 and the REAs have made sure
that including data on the progress of Succeed 2020 activities is part of the normal
process of completing these reports.
 REAs continued to struggle with staffing issues.
Some REAs struggled with staff turnover and finding a robust candidate pool to fill
open positions. This was particularly problematic with leadership positions, as the
turnover of leadership had a significant impact on the progress of Succeed 2020
implementation in some REAs. As a result, there has been uneven implementation of
Succeed 2020 programming across the REAs; staff turnover was associated with
slower progress.
 With experience, REAs were refining their understanding of the
Succeed 2020 strategies and the activities in each. REAs also
abandoned some activities or priorities they deemed unsuccessful.
All REAs had challenges with at least one of the strategies of the Succeed 2020
initiative. Implementation of the strategies was also inconsistent across the REAs.
 In college and career planning, despite their best intentions and efforts, some
REAs were stymied in institutionalizing college and career planning in their
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

member schools. They have found that counselors in schools are already
preoccupied with social and emotional counseling and lack the necessary
time and training to do college and career counseling. As one REA staff
member explained, “In none of our schools do we have an identified
counselor as just a college and career counselor. They are…counselors of
emotional-behavioral issues, emergency situations, and then academic
counseling as well.” There appears to be limited buy-in from some school
and district leaders to focus on college and career counseling. REA staff
members were developing and delivering some direct student services—for
example, college or career fairs—to fill the gaps. In contrast with previous
years, REA respondents made little mention of the Roads to Success college
and career readiness curriculum, perhaps reflecting the difficulty in
establishing it in schools.
In academic and CTE preparation, respondents across REAs reported that
REA services focused on academic preparation were robust and shared a
focus on the North Dakota State Standards. CTE, however, had not received
the same level of focus especially in REAs where it had not historically been
a priority. An FHI 360 team member described one REA’s challenge as, “They
just don’t have a handle across the REA of what their CTE offerings are and
how people are using them. They don’t even have the gaps identified.” Some
REAs were doing little or no work around CTE and staff members noted that
they did not have the capacity to support CTE.
Targeted and coordinated supports appropriately varied widely according to
the needs of students in each REA. For example, some of the REAs have large
Native American populations and have provided targeted supports to that
subgroup while others have concentrated on other areas. Many reported
struggling with this strategy, in part because there was no consistent
understanding of what targeted and coordinated support looks like. As a
result, there was little consistency across REAs.
 The specific types of technical assistance from FHI 360 that REAs
requested and received varied.
Each REA is assigned a liaison from the FHI 360 technical assistance team who fields
their questions and requests and offers the first line of technical support. The
liaisons’ level of involvement and the extent to which REA staff members considered
their liaisons a crucial part of Succeed 2020 decision making varied quite a bit.
Some REAs had strong relationships with their liaisons and communicated with
them often while others communicated more minimally or were less likely to
request technical assistance and involve their liaison in making decisions. As one
REA staff member explained, “I don’t really think that the challenges that we’ve had
are anything that we could have taken advantage of FHI [360]’s resources in order
to [address].” In some instances, REAs saw growth in precisely the area that was
their liaison’s greatest strength. Because of different needs and requests by
individual REAs and different strengths of individual liaisons, the support provided
across REAs has not been entirely consistent.
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 REAs addressed a variety of topics in their professional development.
School and district staff members reported that professional
development that focused on using data was both the most available
and the most useful to them.
Results from the survey administered to school and district leaders indicated that
82 percent of those surveyed received professional development from their REA
around the use of data, as indicated in Table 1. Other common topics for
professional development included reading and writing in content areas (81
percent), North Dakota State Standards (78 percent), and teacher evaluations (78
percent). In addition, use of data (50 percent) and reading and writing in content
areas (50 percent) ranked as the most useful professional development topics
covered by REAs, as indicated in Table 2. The North Dakota State Standards (41
percent) and teacher evaluations (37 percent) were also reported as useful
professional development topics.
“This year we
have seen a big
increase of
courses that are
offered for our
teachers...we are
very
appreciative for
this.”
-School/district
leader
Table 1. Results from the School and District Leadership Survey—Professional
Development Topics Covered by REAs
Professional Development Services
Percent of Respondents (N= 68)
Received from REA
Use of data
82%
Reading and writing in content areas
81%
North Dakota State Standards
78%
Teacher evaluations
78%
Table 2. Results from the School and District Leadership Survey—Most Useful
Professional Development
Professional Development Services
Percent of Respondents (N= 68)
Received from REA
Use of data
50%
Reading and writing in content areas
50%
North Dakota State Standards
41%
Teacher evaluations
37%
Relying on Data
Succeed 2020 has pushed the REAs to develop their capacities for collecting,
analyzing, and using data as a means to both plan their services and demonstrate
their own effectiveness. The steering committee has focused heavily on
accountability by REAs for the results of their Succeed 2020 work, while FHI 360
has put significant investment into helping REAs build a “culture of evidence.”
 The collection and use of data has simultaneously been one of the
greatest areas of progress for the REAs and the greatest area of need.
Many Succeed 2020 stakeholders spoke about the progress REAs are making with
data and how this has become part of an ongoing, regular culture within REAs. Not
only were they collecting more data in general, they were more strategic about the
types of data they were collecting. The REAs were seeking more technical assistance
specifically around data and improving their evaluation tools; during this period FHI
360 hired a new staff member largely to respond to these requests.
“We have never
had the capacity
prior to Succeed
2020 to really
triangulate the
data to the extent
we are now, or to
be collecting data
on our members
so that we can
better design our
services and plan
for more efficient
and more
successful
opportunities.” REA staff member
11
Going forward, REA and FHI 360 staff members posited that the REAs would need to
focus more closely on using the new data they are collecting to drive decisions. They
would also need to consider how best to use the data to communicate about their
effectiveness to various audiences.
 FHI 360 has increasingly provided targeted support for developing
REAs’ data capabilities.
FHI 360 technical assistance providers have offered training on how to collect and
analyze data and use it for making decisions. During this period, the FHI 360 team
provided a series of ongoing trainings for REAs across the state. With this
assistance, REAs were planning their assessment tools and calendars more carefully.
This work was also helping to promote more consistency across REAs in data
collection and use.
According to an FHI 360 staff member, FHI 360’s data work with the REAs has
focused on “creating evaluation instruments and using them effectively… That need
[for REAs to strengthen their data capabilities] probably would have emerged on its
own, but because we’ve [FHI 360] really made it a focus, they’ve been very open
about needing help.” REA staff members valued this support; according to one, “help
with the data has been, at least to me, the most useful in terms of …[realizing] we
can work with our schools, and learn what they need, and try something and figure
out if it’s working or not working.”
 REAs struggled to link their activities directly to student outcomes.
They relied on several alternative sources of information to
understand the effectiveness of their professional development.
REAs deliver the bulk of their services to educators, rather than directly to students,
so it is difficult to attribute demonstrable changes in student outcomes to their
activities. While they were building their capacities to analyze student data, REAs
were also relying heavily on perception data from educators to assess their services.
REAs’ have relied on data sources including:
 Follow-up surveys from professional development participants: With technical
assistance, REAs have developed improved surveys asking educators how
useful they find professional development and how they have implemented
their learning in the classroom. Many teachers have responded to the
implementation surveys positively, indicating that they have made changes
in classroom practice as a result of professional development. Some REAs
have also conducted focus groups with educators to understand what they
need from professional development and how useful they find it.
 Participation rates in professional development: Several REA staff members
reported that they have seen increasing enrollments in their professional
development both by individual educators and entire districts. They take
these increases as evidence that their services have increased in quality.
 Classroom observations: REA staff members conducting school visits have
observed changes in classroom practice that they ascribe to their
professional development. According to one Succeed 2020 director, REA
staff members were “seeing the benefits of that professional learning [that
we provide]. They’re seeing the teachers using the framework, providing
objectives, and pushing the students toward what we would consider best
practices.”
“[Our] ultimate
goal is that our
impact is on the
students, by
changing the
practice of those
in the classroom
and those
heading up the
leadership of the
school.”
-REA staff member
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 Succeed 2020 stakeholders recognized REAs’ progress in relying on
data, but acknowledged that they have a long way to go.
REA staff members reported that they were collecting more data and relying on it
more heavily in their decision making. They also described how they were
beginning to use data from their members to plan and deliver services, instead of
going on “gut.”
Some steering committee members were frustrated by the lack of concrete data
showing the impact of REA services, but others saw growth in REAs’ data literacy.
According to one steering committee member, “[REAs are] using data in a much
better way to drive their decisions. They’ve really grown in their understanding
over the last 14 or 15 months of how important it is.”
Impact of Succeed 2020
With REAs now comfortably settled in running their Succeed 2020 programming,
and becoming more comfortable with collecting and using data, they were
increasingly focused on the impact, or perceived impact, of their professional
development. Their feedback from educators has been largely positive, as were the
results of the survey of school and district leaders collected for this report. It
appears that REAs’ member districts were increasingly coming to value the services
provided by their REA.
“Once you’ve
been pushed to
really start
thinking…from
that perspective
of, ‘What are our
outcomes and
how are we
going to
measure it?’ I
don’t think you
can ever go
back.”
-REA staff member
 Succeed 2020 helped some REAs provide services to new audiences.
Ultimately, REAs’ activities are intended to improve student outcomes in North
Dakota, but with some exceptions their services are focused on teachers and school
administrators and, to a lesser extent, counselors. Most REA staff members regarded
teachers as the primary audience for their services; Succeed 2020 resources have
enabled REAs to offer services to more teachers in their regions but also to new
audiences. In at least one REA, Succeed 2020 enabled them to offer professional
development to administrators and counselors, where before they had only worked
with teachers.
 School and district leaders reported that REAs effectively addressed
their needs. Their satisfaction with REA services increased during the
grant period.
Survey responses collected from school and district leaders for this report indicated
that their satisfaction with REA services increased from the 2013–2014 school year
to the 2014–2015 school year. Although it is not possible to link this increased
satisfaction directly to Succeed 2020 services, it is worth noting that members’
satisfaction with their REAs increased as Succeed 2020 implementation deepened.
Reinforcing REA staff members’ reports that they were working hard to pinpoint the
specific needs of their member districts using data, survey respondents indicated
that REAs were effectively identifying schools’ needs. According to one school or
district leader, “The [REA] does an excellent job of collaborating with us to address
the need specific to our district as well as other schools. We appreciate their
willingness to get direct input [from] us when making programming decisions.”
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Figure 2. How effectively do REA staff members work with your school
and/or district to identify needs of students and teachers?
Percent Who Answered Very Effectively
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
59%
39%
0.1
0
2013-2014
2014-2015
Correspondingly, as REAs’ became better at identifying their members’ needs, they
were also addressing those needs more effectively.
Figure 3. How effectively do REA staff members work with your school
and/or district to address needs of students and teachers?
Percent Who Answered Very Effectively
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
57%
39%
0.1
0
2013-2014
2014-2015
Compared with the 2013–2014 school year, in 2014–2015 more school and district
leaders were very satisfied with the services they received from their REA.
14
Figure 4. How satisfied are you with the quality of services that your REA
provides to your school and/or district?
Percent Who Answered Very Satisfied
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
56%
68%
0.2
0.1
0
2013-2014
2014-2015
These survey results dovetail with REA staff members’ perceptions that member
districts were increasingly seeing the value of their services. Hopefully REAs will be
able to capitalize on their increasing facility with data and stronger professional
development capabilities to maintain this upward trend in members’ satisfaction
with their services.
Planning for Sustainability
REAs were beginning to think of what Succeed 2020 services they would or could
sustain after grant funding, and potential avenues of funding for doing so. In spite of
their growing reliance on data for programmatic decisions, they had not yet turned
to those data in identifying priorities for sustainability, although many hoped to do
so. Technical assistance from FHI 360 also began to focus on planning for
sustainability during this period. The need to plan for sustainability will become
increasingly urgent as the end of the Succeed 2020 grant approaches.
 REAs were still in the beginning stages of planning for sustainability,
but many were beginning to think about potential future funding
sources. Almost all the REAs would like to receive technical assistance
around grant writing and identifying additional funding sources in the
final years of Succeed 2020.
Although none of the REAs had developed full sustainability plans, there was some
variation in their thinking about sustainability. Some REAs were still in the
“conversation” phase of planning for sustainability, meeting with their staff and
their board to discuss options and alerting staff about how the end of Succeed 2020
might affect them. Other REAs had brainstormed additional funding sources and
were beginning to decide which services to sustain. Staff members from these REAs
shared some ideas about potential sources of future funding, including:
 Dedicated funding from the state legislature
 Increased member dues from districts
“We haven't had
the full-blown
[sustainability
planning
discussions yet].
We…just started
saying, ‘Okay,
here's where
we're at. We got
to start thinking
about this
[sustainability]
and what are we
going to do.’"
-REA staff member
15




Establishing or expanding fee-for-service charging members for specific
services
Funding through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
External grants
Shared services among several REAs
It appeared that most of the REAs have little to no experience applying for external
grants. REA staff members posited that FHI 360 would be in the best position to
help them identify external funding sources and assist with effective grant writing.
REAs would be interested in workshops around this topic and many were
committed to learning more about applying for external grants. Most REA staff
members mentioned developing their grant writing capability as a priority for their
final years of the project.
 REA staff members hoped to maintain their growth in using data.
Although many respondents did not explicitly reference data to help them
determine what REAs should sustain, REA staff members themselves have
recognized the importance of data and would like to continue to sustain a data
culture beyond the duration of Succeed 2020. Many continuously acknowledged
how far they had come in their ability to collect and use data.
Specific practices they hoped to sustain included continuously collecting data about
their services, keeping data experts on staff, accessing and using the statewide
longitudinal data system, and using data to improve programs and services.
However, among the items listed as services the REAs would like to sustain, more
than half of the respondents did not use data to help them determine what those
services should be.
 REAs needed support in using data to help them determine which
services to sustain.
Several FHI 360 liaisons highlighted the need for REAs to use data to be more
strategic in selecting which services to sustain. FHI 360 staff members were also
pushing for REAs to develop a plan reflecting their vision for the future of their
organizations. Among the REAs, there was as yet little clarity on how to accomplish
this task. REAs will need support around using data to help them determine which
services to sustain. Many REA staff members understood that they should use data,
but it was unclear whether they knew how to do so effectively. FHI 360 is planning a
set of technical assistance tools and strategies to help the REAs in this effort.
 Professional development, events for students, and project staff
emerged as the features of Succeed 2020 REAs most hoped to sustain.
Several REA staff members noted how much their member districts appreciated the
improved and aligned professional development services the REAs were providing
under Succeed 2020. They hoped to maintain this level of service beyond the
Succeed 2020 initiative.
Most REAs also listed at least one of their annual events as something they hoped to
sustain. These included events like the Scrubs Camp and career expos. These events
were very popular among their member districts and communities, and thus worth
sustaining according to REA staff members. Many were also fairly certain that they
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would find the resources to sustain these events because of their relatively low cost
and buy-in from regional business communities.
A few REA staff members described their desire to maintain current staffing levels
in order to sustain the services they provide for their member districts, particularly
with professional development and maintaining their data culture. Few REAs had a
plan in place for funding these positions beyond Succeed 2020 but acknowledged
the need to start looking for alternative funding. FHI 360 staff members were less
optimistic about the REAs’ ability to keep current staffing levels, but all offered
support in helping the REAs find additional funding sources.
 Collaboration among the REAs has increased dramatically because of
Succeed 2020 and most REAs would like to sustain this stronger
collaborative spirit.
A common theme among respondents was how much more the REAs were
communicating and working with each other because of Succeed 2020. The REAs
operated in silos before, but now worked with other REAs on an ongoing basis. Not
only has the amount of collaboration increased, but most REA staff members spoke
of the importance of collaboration going forward for sustainability. Specifically,
nearly all REA respondents mentioned sharing resources with each other and their
support for the strengthening of NDREA. Some specific services or positions they
believed could be shared among the REAs included professional development
offerings, data staff, and technical expertise in various subjects.
 There was consensus among Succeed 2020 stakeholders on the
different roles each should play in planning for sustainability.
When prompted about what role each of the Succeed 2020 partners would play in
sustainability, most respondents agreed about what those roles should be. Succeed
2020 stakeholders hoped that each partner would fulfill their roles as follows:
 Steering committee: Many respondents saw the steering committee as
advisors to the REAs and advocates and champions for the REAs to the state
legislature. They hoped that REAs’ development under Succeed 2020 and
the outcomes of their Succeed 2020 work would help make the case to the
legislature that REAs were vital to education in North Dakota. External
budget realities may impact the likelihood of REAs obtaining additional
funding from the state legislature.
 State agencies: Steering committee members, some of whom represent state
agencies, reported that Succeed 2020 has helped them realize the value of
REAs. A slight majority of steering committee respondents reported that
REAs should make sure they are contributing to state-level collaboration
and goals. Some REA staff members believed that a partnership with DPI
would be beneficial. A few steering committee members went further and
suggested that DPI or some other agency should provide oversight to the
REAs. There were mixed feelings about this idea from REA leadership, with
some strongly opposing the idea. Some REA staff members were content
with their current organizational structure and would prefer reporting to
their board versus an entity like DPI.
 FHI 360: REA staff members overwhelmingly reported that FHI 360 should
provide technical assistance around writing grant proposals and identifying
funding sources to assist with sustainability. Some REA staff members also
mentioned that FHI 360 should continue to provide assistance with
collecting and using data to help with sustainability purposes.
“The other
greatest aspect of
this work is the
collaboration
across REAs. It
gave us all
something in
common to talk
about, beyond
what we had in
common before.”
-REA staff member
“[REAs need to]
continue to focus
on that state level
collaborative
contribution.”
-Steering committee
member
17

NDREA: Most REA staff members saw the value of operating as a cohesive
unit as NDREA. They referenced NDREA as an entity that could provide a
common voice for the REAs in the search for additional funding as well as
providing future services. However, some REA staff members were more
committed to the idea than others, perhaps because REA directors have
been most involved in NDREA while some of the REA staff members that
were interviewed have not.
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Shifting toward Sustainability
Over the course of Succeed 2020, REAs have strengthened their own organizations
and the services they offer member districts. They are responding to calls to enhance
their data capabilities, both to plan their ongoing work and to prove its worth. School
and district leaders have recognized the growing strength of their REAs. Nonetheless,
REAs and their partners contend with continuing challenges and questions, many
centered on data and REAs’ roles, that will need to be addressed as the initiative
pivots to focusing on sustainability.
 REAs were developing a stronger collective identity and working to strengthen NDREA as a vehicle
for their communal voice. Most REA staff members hope to maintain this collaborative spirit, and
NDREA may become an important channel to advocate for the REAs’ relevance as the state
considers future funding for REAs.
 Increased staffing levels have allowed REAs to enhance the level of services they provide to their
members. As grant funding ends, REAs and their partners may need to consider new staffing
models if they hope to maintain a similar level of services.
 REAs struggled to link their activities directly to student outcomes. If they plan to seek further
funding, they and their partners will need to determine how to demonstrate the effectiveness of
REA services.
 While Succeed 2020 has invested heavily in developing REAs’ data capacities, it was universally
acknowledged that most REAs have significant room to grow. They will need to continue
developing their skills in collecting, analyzing, and using data to drive their decisions. Crucially for
sustainability, they will also need support in learning how to use data to share their successes.
 Most REA staff members hoped to continue at least some of their Succeed 2020 services and
activities, perhaps in a reduced or somewhat different capacity, with new sources of funding.
Almost all the REAs would like to receive technical assistance around grant writing and identifying
additional funding sources in the final years of Succeed 2020.
 It is likely that REAs will not be able to sustain every facet of Succeed 2020 programming they
currently provide. REAs will need support in using data to help them determine the most effective
services to sustain.
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