Updated April 7, 2010

New POP Grants:

About Partnership of Partnerships

POP is an acronym that accurately describes the burst of ideas and creativity that are generated when Maine’s statewide network of professional development partnership members gather to discuss issues and priorities in professional development.

Since 1986, Syntiro has provided support and professional development for educators at all grade levels and areas of specialty. The inspiration behind the Partnership of Partnerships (POP) was a dedication to deepening and broadening the infrastructure supporting Maine’s network of state and regional partnerships. POP reaches out to schools and regions by coordinating professional development activities and by connecting educators and parents to share promising practices, materials, and expertise.

POP began with four partners: Syntiro, the Western Maine Partnership, the Central Aroostook Council on Education, and the Washington County Consortium. Because many areas of Maine were not served by partnerships and had no mechanism for collaborate with other schools and regions, the Support Network has worked to expand the POP network, which now serves ten partners representing Maine’s diverse geography and cultures.

POP has laid the foundation for the implementation of a number of recent initiatives. Four POP partners (Aroostook, Washington, and northern and southern Penobscot counties) were engaged in the first year of implementing Maine’s Positive Behavior and Intervention Support Grant. This exciting project has been creating and supporting vibrant teaching and learning environments by providing professional development and direct services within these four regions. This project was designed to enhance the capacity of schools and programs to adopt and sustain the use of PBIS for all children and children with disabilities (birth-20) in their natural environments and educational programs. The projects’ first year has been highly successful, and project partners are looking forward to continuing the and expanding the project to include the Downeast Education Partnership and the Mid-Coast partnership.

The POP partners have played an integral role in identifying teachers to participate in our four Open Education Resource Project grants as well. Syntiro was awarded OER in the following content areas: Math, Health and Physical Education, World Languages, and Career Preparation. These exciting projects will bring together teams of educators representing the 9 superintendent regions, who are experts in their content fields and technology to identify OERs to support teaching, learning, and achievement of the Maine Learning Results.

Additionally, the POP partners gather everal times a year to formulate ideas for professional development initiatives. At these meetings, they discuss local priorities, which are typically identified by community stakeholders, including teachers, parents, administrators, and specialists. Most of the POP work actually occurs through the Internet and telephone. Members can log onto the Support Network’s web page, receive and send e-mails, faxes, and participate in telephone conference calling. Discussions focus on marketing strategies or searching for external funding sources, for example. Grant funding possibilities are routed by e-mail attachment, or through the mail.

Through POP networking, members learn about innovative practices as well as how to offer workshops to their school communities at a fraction of the cost through collaborative cost sharing. A greater percentage of the professional development budget can be spent on direct services rather than on travel and lodging for presenters, resulting in an expansion of the number and diversity of topics presented each year.

Since its inception, POP members have addressed a wide variety of local and statewide needs. For example, partners have addressed local topics such as learning about a rare genetic syndrome, and more generic needs, such as positive discipline, or linking Maine’s Learning Results to IEPs. There appears to be no limit to the imaginative and creative solutions to staff development challenges when educators put their heads together! The work continues to expand and the opportunities to collaborate grow richer!