Program Office: Office of School Support and Technology Programs

CFDA Number: 84.283B
Program Type: Cooperative Agreements

This program supports 21 comprehensive centers to help increase state capacity to assist districts and schools meet their student achievement goals. By statute, the Department is required to establish at least one center in each of the 10 geographic regions served by the Department's regional education laboratories.

Grantees are required to develop five-year plans for carrying out authorized activities that address State and regional needs.

The 16 regional centers provide services primarily to State Education Agencies (SEAs) to enable them to assist school districts and schools, especially low performing schools. At a minimum, each regional center provides training and technical assistance in the implementation and administration of programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the use of research-based information and strategies.

The five content centers focus on specific areas, with one center in each of five areas: assessment and accountability, instruction, teacher quality, innovation and improvement, and high schools. These centers supply much of the research-based information and products in the specific area that regional centers use when working with SEAs.

This program awards discretionary grants to establish comprehensive technical assistance centers to help low-performing schools and districts close achievement gaps and meet the goals of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Section 203 of Title II of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (TA Act) authorizes the Department to establish not fewer than 20 comprehensive technical assistance centers to provide technical assistance to States to benefit school districts and schools, especially those in need of improvement.

The Secretary has awarded a total of 21 comprehensive centers in two categories:

• Sixteen Regional Centers provide technical assistance to States within defined geographic boundaries.


• Five content focused centers to provide expert assistance to benefit States and districts nationwide on key issues related to the goals of NCLB.

Regional Centers

Regional Centers provide frontline assistance to States to help them implement the ESEA and other related Federal school improvement programs and help increase State capacity to assist districts and schools meet their student achievement goals. Regional Centers are embedded in their regions and responsible for developing strong relationships and partnerships within their regional communities.

Content Centers

Together, the five Content Centers cover a spectrum of school improvement and technical assistance areas. Each of them is responsible for providing in-depth knowledge, expertise, and analyses in their focal areas to Regional Centers and the States they serve. Content Centers disseminate information about scientifically based research on effective practice and research-based products in their area of specialty and provide expertise that Regional Centers can use in delivering technical assistance to States.

The five content centers are:

• Center on Accountability and Assessment
• Center on Teacher Quality
• Center on Instruction
• Center on Innovation and Improvement
• National High School Center
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