What is the Western Region Education Service Alliance (WRESA)?
The concept of a collaborative approach to education in Western North Carolina began among regional educators and administrators in in the 1970s. WRESA is a collaborative created by Western NC school systems in 1996 -97 under the direction of Dr. Roger Metcalf. Since 1998, all 18 school systems in Western North Carolina have been active members of the collaborative. In 2016, the collaborative evolved to become a 501 C3 nonprofit organization, the Western North Carolina Regional Education Foundation DBA WRESA or WRESA for short. WRESA is governed by a Board of Directors and is one of eight regional education service alliances operating throughout the state.
In 2007 Dr. Jan Webster joined WRESA as the secondary coordinator and in 2008 was hired as the director. Today WRESA employs experienced elementary and secondary coordinators who create, design, and provide professional development and other programming for the region’s teachers and administrators. The staff is supported by a program coordinator and finance officer.
Our Vision and Mission
Our vision is to serve as a catalyst to enhance the quality and effectiveness of public-school education in western North Carolina. As a 501 C3 nonprofit organization, our mission reflects our regional, collaborative approach toward education: Working together for the children of Western North Carolina.
Our Purpose
Since 1998 WRESA has leveraged resources and provided services in support of quality instruction and efficiency delivered to children in Western North Carolina’s 19 public school systems. For more than two decades WRESA has enhanced regional education through facilitating peer support groups, sharing best practices, offering high-quality professional development programming throughout the region, on-site at our Asheville offices, and virtually.
WRESA offers programming taught by regional faculty who are highly experienced and proficient in their field of expertise. We coordinate job-alike groups such as curriculum staff, human resource and finance officers, and others. Through our annual Summer Leadership Conference WRESA leverages resources to bring national and international educators and speakers to western North Carolina.
Grant History
Since 2000 WRESA has coordinated over $10 million in grants for the region’s school systems.
| Project | Fiscal Agent/Coordinator | Source | Timeframe | Amount Funded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Strategies Program | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Local School Systems | 2000-2003 | $2,180,000 |
| WNC EdNET Broadband* Fiber Deployment | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | CPFdn - $1.7 million Golden LEAF - $2.2 million NC Rural Center - $40,000 Appalachian Regional Commission - $700,500 BETA - $1.2 million Local School Districts - $205,500 | 2005-2008 | $6,000,000 |
| Instructional Technology Awareness Conference (iTAC) at WCU | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | CPFdn - $5000 Golden LEAF $40,000 | 2007 | $45,000 |
| Technology Application Local School Based Training | WNCREF/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2008-2009 | $100,000 |
| CSI MSP Grant | WRESA | NCDPI | 2008-2010 | $600,000 |
| Student Engagement in Technology Programs | Southwestern Commission / WRESA/WNCREF | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2009 | $30,000 |
| Exxon Mobil | WRESA | Exxon Mobil | 2009 | $15,000 |
| Instructional Technology Awareness Conference (iTAC) at WCU at Cherokee Middle School | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2010 | $50,000 |
| WAN Engineering Services | Southwestern Commission / WRESA/WNCREF | CPFdn - $80,000 Local School Districts - $200,000 | 2010 | $280,000 |
| Technology Application Regional Training Sessions and the Institute at Cherokee Middle School | WNCREF/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2010 | $220,000 |
| Brain Friendly Instruction | WNCREF / WRESA | CPFdn - $20,000 ASCD - $2,000 | 2011 | $22,000 |
| Abstinence Grant NCDPI | WRESA | NCDPI | 2011-2014 | $40,500 |
| Student Entrepreneurial STEM Project | Swain County Schools/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2012 | $20,000 |
| WNC EdNet STEM-E Project | WNCREF/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation (CPFdn) | 2013 - 2014 | $398,000 |
| LASER | WNCREF | Golden LEAF - $600,000, NCSMT - $100,000 | 2014 | $700,000 |
| Appalachian Waves | WNCREF/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2014-2015 | $100,000 |
| STEM-E Next Steps | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2014-2015 | $324,500 |
| Abstinence Education | Swain County Schools/WRESA | Federal Grant - NCDPI | 2015-2016 | $82,000 |
| Focus on the Future with STEM-E | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2015-2016 | $288,530 |
| Abstinence Education | Swain County Schools/WRESA | Federal Grant - NCDPI | 2016-2017 | $65,000 |
| STEM-E and CTE Coordinator Position for Cherokee Central Schools | WNCREF / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2016-2017 | $63,800 |
| FarWest North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) Competition | NCSO /WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2016-2017 | $19,998 |
| STEM-E Groups Unite | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2016-2017 | $341,620 |
| Digital Learning Grant | WRESA | NCDPI | 2016-2017 | $26,656 |
| Growing Up with STEM-E | Southwestern Commission / WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2017-2018 | $240,296 |
| Abstinence Education | Swain County Schools/WRESA | Federal Grant - NCDPI | 2017-2018 | $76,000 |
| Digital Learning Grant | WRESA | NCDPI | 2017-2018 | $13,328 |
| Makerspace Planning Grant | WNCREF/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2018-2019 | $16,346 |
| Reaching Out with STEM-E | Southwestern Commission/WRESA | Cherokee Preservation Foundation | 2018-2019 | $374,627 |
| NCDPI Safety Grant | WRESA/HCPS | NCDPI | 2018-2019 | $62,880 |
| Total $12,796,081 |
Session Highlights:
- Summer Leadership Conference
- Junior Great Books
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (2 certified trainers on staff)
- Poverty Training (1 certified trainer on staff)
- Thinking Maps
- Legal Updates
- Leadership Institutes
- Literacy Institutes
- Fall Leadership Conference
- Technology Conference
- Project GLAD
- Aspiring Principals Institute
- Mountain Teacher Job Fairs
- BioTech Awareness Conference
- STEM Leadership Academy
- Math Trainings K-12
- Beginning Teachers’ Orientation
- Early Childhood Institute
- Mentor Training and Support
- NC Wildlife Commission (Project Catch, Project Wild, Advanced Wild Bears & Aquatic Wild)
- Differentiation Institute
- Administrators’ Institute
- Coordinated and arranged presentations by NCDPI staff
- NCSELP Masters in Education Leadership and PMC degree program with WCU
- STEM Technology Conference
- SMART Tank
- Breakout EDU Sessions
National/International Presenters:
- Rick Wormeli
- Dr. Joe Sanfelipo
- Dr. Mark Benno
- Becky DuFour
- Lynn Canady
- Harry Wong
- Amie Dean
- Eric Jensen
- Christopher Canyon
- Barry Lane
- Marcia Tate
- Susan Zimmerman
- Kathy Nunley
- Lucy Calkins
- Debbie Miller
- Stephanie Harvey
- Cris Tovani
- Kathy Bumgardner
- Ralph Fletcher
- Carl Anderson
- Katie Wood Ray
- Laura Candler
- Richard Allington
- Sue Nelle DeHart
- Marcy Cook
- Lester Laminack
- Todd Whitaker
- Ron Clark
- Milton Chen
- Michael Fullan
- Yong Zhao
- Carol Ann Tomlinson
- Kristina Doubet
- Eric Carbaugh
- Sean Covey