What is Pacific East CC?
The Pacific East Comprehensive Center (Pacific East CC) provides human, organizational, policy, and resource capacity-building support to educators and leaders across American Samoa, Hawaiʻi, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
Pacific East CC, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and operating as part of the national Comprehensive Center Network (CCN), partners with local education leaders and stakeholders in each member jurisdiction to deliver high-quality, intensive capacity-building services to education agencies, administrators, educators, and their communities. The Center addresses high-leverage problems (HLPs) identified by local jurisdictions it serves and helps regional educators select, implement, and sustain evidence-based policies and practices.
About the region
American Samoa, RMI, and Hawaiʻi each feature distinct geographies, language mixes, and contexts that shape their educational landscapes and Pre-K–12 systems. Further, island-based settings create unique challenges and opportunities related to communication, transportation, and locally grounded solutions.
Unlike most mainland U.S. states, all three jurisdictions operate centralized education systems that function simultaneously as state/territorial education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs). These conditions have led state/territorial education leaders and the Pacific East CC Advisory Council to direct the Pacific East CC to develop solutions tailored to each jurisdiction’s specific needs.
Learn more about each jurisdiction and the high-leverage problems it has chosen to address:
Advisory Board
The Pacific East CC Advisory Board brings together representatives from each jurisdiction’s education system, including those from higher education institutions, educators, administrators, policymakers, researchers, business leaders, practitioners, and students.
The Board advises the CC on resource allocation, strategies for monitoring and addressing educational needs, quality standards for Pacific East CC activities, and approaches that measurably improve student academic achievement.
Board members (listed alphabetically)
- Dr. Diane Barrett, professor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
- Dr. Ardis Eschenberg, chancellor, Windward Community College
- Bella Finau-Faumuina , parent and former teacher
- Dr. E. Michael Henley, post-doctoral fellow, Smithsonian Institution National Zoological Park
- Samuel Izumi, complex area superintendent, Castle-Kahuku, Hawaiʻi Department of Education
- Halia Tom-Jardine, student, Castle High School
- Herb Lee, CEO emeritus, Pacific American Foundation
- Dr. Natalie Nimmer, commissioner of education, RMI Public School System
- Dr. Ed Noh, executive director, Hawaiʻi State Public Charter School Commission
- Dr. Roxanne Sua’ava Salave’a, deputy director of instructional services, American Samoa Department of Education
- Dr. Elizabeth Switaj, vice president for academic and student affairs, College of the Marshall Islands
- Dr. Teri Ushijima, assistant superintendent, Office of Curriculum and Instruction, Hawaiʻi Department of Education
Background
The Pacific East CC is a federally funded, locally centered program that partners with schools, educators, businesses, families, students, and community members across the Pacific region to strengthen instruction and educational outcomes.
Pacific East CC is part of a network that includes 14 regional Comprehensive Centers, four Content Centers, and a coordinating national center. The CCs work closely with state, territorial, and jurisdictional education leaders in their regions to address priority needs. More specifically, they help state, territorial, and local leaders develop and implement practical solutions that help schools improve teaching and learning while using resources effectively. All CCs have been tasked with working collectively within the system and with their corresponding Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) to help schools build the internal capacity to improve their systems.
The Pacific East CC serves American Samoa, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Hawaiʻi, in partnership with REL Pacific and the many communities and stakeholders dedicated to improving the educational outcomes of students in the region.
Timeline
The contract period for the Pacific East CC is from October 2024 through September 2029.
Leadership
Co-directors: Kapono Ciotti and Christopher Mazzeo
Contact us
Want to learn more or tell us how you think we’re doing? Have a story of your own to tell? Reach out on our contact page or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
