1. Created as resource presentation for the New Hampshire Transition COP Transition Summit IV – November 16, 2010

2. Community of Practice “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis” (Wenger, 2002)

3. Where are Local/Regional CoPs in New Hampshire? Monadnock Region Greater Seacoast Greater Nashua Area Lakes Region South Central (Professional Development Workgroup)

4. Using the Community of Practice (COP) Approach at the Local Level Not a taskforce, interagency team, committee, transition team Grounded in a community development perspective Helps “connect the dots” Capitalizes on the collective wisdom of the group Uncovers hidden resources and networks Connects to a “higher” movement - state and national Alphabet soup: NSTTAC, OSERS, OSEP, MIG/GSEP, CMS, VR, IHE, IDEA (to name a few)

5. Accomplishments of the NH CoP Annual Summits Networking across “silos” Program development and replication Awareness of relevant grant opportunities Local attendance at national conferences Supporting regionalization of CoP strategy Statewide effort that supports local initiatives

6. What do CoPs do? Identify and share resources Network Identify and carry out collaborative work tasks Identify needs, problem solve, and action plan Share new practices Invite guest presenters

7. What are some challenges to the CoP strategy? Sharing facilitation Exploring ways to increase participation and multiple perspectives- who’s not at the table? Orienting and educating new members Time and energy Maintaining momentum when membership varies

8. Tips to a Successful Local NH COP Have strong facilitation and leadership Find ways to empower community members (e.g., invite community members to present) Build knowledge Share real and practical resources that inform transition work Find other “transition-focused” initiatives to connect to the local COP

9. Tips to a Successful Local NH COP Keep asking: Who is not here? Hold regular face-to-face meetings Design an efficient electronic communication network Maintain two-way supports with the NH Transition COP Coordinating group Have representation at state level meetings Help us make sharedwork.org a useful tool Use the language of COP

10. Transition Community of Practice MCST is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CFDA 93.768). Transition Community of Practice in Monadnock

11. Monadnock Transition COP Started in 2005, spurred on by small group interested in transition issues Facilitated and hosted by Keene State College Special Education Dept and MCST Meets one afternoon a month 4:00 – 5:30 pm. Resources shared with 130+ via email. Attended by K-12 special ed teachers, local agency personnel, and KSC staff Attendance 6-16 people Typical agenda items: What’s on your mind? Share new resources Topical discussions: Transition IEPs, Assistive Technology, etc. Invited speakers Upcoming professional development opportunities Demos of online tools

12. Greater Seacoast CoP How did it start? In 2008: a cross- stakeholder advisory board for a transition grant decided to continue as a Community of Practice when grant funds no longer required board meeting Who facilitates? Transition Resource Network at Stafford Learning Center facilitates Meets once a month at the McConnell Center in Dover in a free community meeting room Who attends? Workforce development professionals from vendor agencies, community college business and training center, transition specialists and job coaches from regional high schools, area agency staff Currently, the group is focused on a project: developing the Greater Seacoast Workforce Coalition…

13. Greater Seacoast’s Local CoP Project: Greater Seacoast Workforce Coalition Professional Standards of the Coalition: Signatories to the Greater Seacoast Workforce Coalition Professional Standards strive to achieve professional practices in workforce development, believing that coordinated, standardized practices by those of us in the workforce development field will lead to: Increased employment for people with disabilities, and Increased employer satisfaction when we provide qualified candidates to fill job openings. Members: Career Visions Community Partners Dover High School Easter Seals NH Farmington High School Great Bay Community College Great Bay Services Living Innovations Support Services Newmarket Junior /Senior High School One Sky Community Services Oyster River High School Seacoast Mental Health Center Strafford Learning Center UNH Institute on Disability New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation- Portsmouth Office Winnacunnet High School Work Opportunities Unlimited

14. Greater Nashua CoP How it began School committee formed in 2007 for MIG initiatives. Adopted CoP structure in 2009 to expand efforts and held workshop (with support of State Coordinating group) to build interest and educate stakeholders. Who facilitates: LinkAbilities ; meetings are hosted at Gateways Community Services. Typical schedule: A new structure is now being experimented with due to a demand for increased depth of conversation and desire for action! The first hour will be dedicated to updates and general discussion and the second hour dedicated to sub groups, which will focus on specific subject areas. Who attends: Schools – Alvirne High School; Hollis Brookline High School; Campbell High School; Nashua High School South; Litchfield High School; Merrimack High School; Souhegan High School Community Based Organizations – Plus Company; Greater Nashua Mental Health Center at Community Council; LinkAbilities; Gateways Community Services; Chamber of Commerce Local Government – Vocational Rehabilitation Topics have included: - Issues surrounding at-risk youth - Transitional living - Extended Learning Opportunities - Working with particular diagnoses - Improvement and expansion of Nashua area CoP

15. Lakes Region-How We Started Introduced to the idea of COP at a workshop in Nashua Held a introductory workshop with support of Coordinating group at Meredith Community Center. 40 people attended from schools, DCYF, Technical Centers, youth with disabilities, VR, BDS, Area Agencies, Libraries, Driver’s Education, ATECH, and families of youth with disabilities. Strengths and challenges to successful transitions were identified, as well as identifying who is missing. The group decided to move ahead with creating a Transition Community of Practice in the Lakes Region.

16. Lakes Region- Where we are now Who attends? At our first meeting, 16 attendees with 8 different organizations represented. Since then, 5 different organizations are regularly represented and various others that come when they can. Monthly “working lunch” meetings held at Community Health and Hospice Facilitator and notetaking varies, among a few regular attendees Topics include: sharing information, determining a mission, who is missing and how to get them here, what is working/what we need to work on, organizing a group of youth who are going through, or have been through transition. Progress is slow but steady. Biggest benefit: information is shared among various organizations and relationships are being established among these organizations. Our challenge? Keeping representation from the school districts attending.

17. Central NH Transition Work Group Began as a group of professionals attempting to create common understanding of IDEA 2004 transition requirements Attendees are Special Education Professionals Agenda includes Transition Planning Compliance and Best Practices Consideration of becoming a CoP

18. …They accumulate knowledge, they become informally bound by the value that they find in learning together. (Wenger, 2002)