Coordination of Migrant Education Resource Center Programs (MERC)

Description of Project Goals:
ENCOMPASS was engaged as a subcontractor by the Center for Human Services for this U.S. Department of Education contract to help improve the interstate and intrastate coordination of Title I, Part C, Migrant Education Programs (MEP).  This project entails: 1) to provide expert technical assistance and support of migrant child identification and recruitment (ID&R) activities; 2) to facilitate a peer-to-peer network to improve the knowledge and skills of migrant educators on MEP-specific requirements; 3) to create a Web-enabled library that will allow state and local migrant educators to electronically share MEP document and products; and 4) to develop an ID&R curriculum, instructional design, and training program.

Description of Methodologies Employed and Activities Undertaken:
For the Office of Migrant Education, Department of Education (ED), ENCOMPASS is responsible for all aspects of conference management, from venue selection to facilitation. ENCOMPASS facilitates planning meetings for the annual National Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) Forum, an annual conference designed to provide approximately 500 participants an opportunity to learn new skills, exchange best practices, and discuss current policy issues.  ENCOMPASS also provides leadership and management workshops, as needed, for all levels of ID&R personnel, and leads a team of Migrant Education Resource Center (MERC) and CHS staff in designing and developing the ID&R training program.

ENCOMPASS provides technical assistance to CHS with conference, event planning, instructional design and training program development on the MERC project in the following areas:

• Design and management: proposing agenda design; identifying suitable meeting rooms and facilities based on the specifications provided by ED’s Office of Migrant Education and CHS; reporting on meeting proceedings and outcomes
• Assessment and reporting of event evaluation data
• Reserving the appropriate meeting space and audio-visual equipment
• Facilitation prior to and during the conference (including on-site management by the Event Planner)
• Meeting supplies

ENCOMPASS provides design, logistical activities, and facilitation for the:

• ID&R coordinator’s meetings for up to 150 participants
• Forum planning meeting for up to 20 participants
• National ID&R Forum for up to 500 participants

Description of Accomplishments:

• Designed, planned, facilitated and conducted all logistical activities for an ID&R mini-Forum; wrote proceedings report.
• Designed and provided logistical support and facilitation of two Forum planning meetings for up to 20 participants; wrote proceedings reports of these sessions.
• Designed, provided logistical and facilitation support for four ID&R coordinator’s meetings; published summary and assessment reports for these sessions.
• Provided design, logistical activities, facilitation and on-site management of two national ID&R Forums; collected data and wrote proceedings reports for both events.
• Collected evaluation data, analyzed results, and wrote evaluation report for a national ID&R Forum.
• Designed a training program layout for ID&R curriculum to include development of goals, objectives, levels and sequence for 27 modules; created format for modules.

Led a team of MERC subject matter experts and CHS editing/graphics design staff in completing 15 modules to date.

 

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