The No Child Left Behind Act requires each state to provide a statewide system of support services to districts in need of improvement around the basic four stages in the reform process, as identified by the US department of Education. They are:

Ohio has developed a comprehensive Statewide System of School Improvement Support through which it fulfills this requirement and partners with Educational Service Centers (ECSs) and districts to build their capacity to plan and implement school improvement processes that close achievement gaps for all students. The 16 State Support Teams (SSTs) are responsible for the regional delivery of

• school improvement,
• literacy,
• special education compliance, and
• early learning and school readiness services

to districts. Cuyahoga County was named
Region 3-State Support Team.


Field Relations Manager

Beth Hargreaves, beth.hargreaves@ode.state.oh.us
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front St., MS 307
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
Phone: (614) 387-7580
Fax: (614) 728-9300

Single Point of Contact

Michele Gaski, Michele.Gaski@esc-cc.org
Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County
5811 Canal Road
Valley View, OH  44125-3000
Phone: (216) 524-3000

State Support Team Region 3 Goals

The goal of State Support Team Region 3 (SST3) is to build capacity within the region. This will be accomplished by coaching, assisting, and disseminating information through professional development and technical assistance in the following areas:

Leadership ...
collaboratively develop a shared vision and expectations for implementing a standards-based educational system;

Curriculum ...
evaluate, plan, and design curriculum to improve academic performance of all students;

Assessment ...
utilize formative and summative assessments;

Instruction ...
development of an integrated system for academic and behavioral supports; and

Condition / Climate ...
create a safe and supportive climate.