Comprehensive Centers Network

On October 20, 1994, Congress passed the "Improving America's Schools Act (IASA)," which reauthorized programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Title XIII of the IASA created 15 Comprehensive Centers to improve the integration and effectiveness of technical assistance services. These Centers became fully operational on April 1, 1996. Two offices at the United States Department of Education, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), and the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA), provide oversight and leadership to the Comprehensive Centers. The Centers are designed to serve each of the federally-funded programs under ESEA, for example, Title IV - Safe and Drug-Free Schools. The Centers work primarily with states, local education agencies (LEA's), tribes, schools, and other recipients of funds under the IASA. Legislatively, the centers support and assist states, districts, and schools in meeting the needs of children served under the IASA by supporting IASA recipients in areas such as school reform and improvement, teaching and learning, standards and assessment, parental involvement, safe and drug free schools and communities, and cross cutting issues. As programs are implemented under IASA, the Centers' services are expected to help schools and school districts focus on improving opportunity for all children to meet challenging state content and student performance standards. Comprehensive Center Network Region I -- Serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Region II -- Serving New York Region III Comprehensive Center -- Serving Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania Region IV -- Serving Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia Region V -- Serving Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi Region VI -- Serving Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin Region VII -- Serving Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma Region VIII -- Serving Texas Region IX -- Serving Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah Region X -- Serving Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming Region XI -- Serving Northern California Region XII -- Serving Southern California Region XIII -- Serving Alaska Region XIV -- Serving Florida, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands Region XV -- Serving American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau