The Pacific West Comprehensive Center has launched a quarterly newsletter, and the first issue is out now.
In future issues of this newsletter, we’ll share resources, practices, and milestones from our work with education agencies in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, and the Republic of Palau.
We appreciate your time and willingness to be a part of our community.
Getting to Know Our Region
Regional Activities
Since our restart in October 2025, members of our team have spent time with our partners across the region on needs-sensing trips in collaboration with REL Pacific.
Federated States of Micronesia
In November 2025, we spent time in Pohnpei, one of the four states of the nation of FSM. Our partners at FSM National Department of Education (NDOE) are prioritizing improving the quality of the nation’s education workforce. Our conversations centered on how we can best support NDOE’s efforts to update teacher and principal pay scales to help incentivize educators to seek advanced postsecondary credentials and to better recruit and retain a qualified educator workforce.
Guam
In January 2026, we also enjoyed our collaborative meeting time with our partners from Guam’s Department of Education. Their Federal Programs team is working to increase their Consolidated Grant application capacities. Our conversations centered on how we can best support these efforts, including strengthening processes for monitoring funding and designing and implementing programs to evaluate impact.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
In January 2026, we spent time in Saipan, the capital of the CNMI, where we met with our partners from CNMI Public School System. We had meaningful conversations around their desire to strengthen central office capacities for monitoring and implementing the rollout and scaling up of their career academics, as identified in their 2024–2029 Strategic Plan.
While on island again in March, Pacific West CC Deputy Director Erin D’Amelio was honored to be a part of the Library Month Proclamation Signing Ceremony at Saipan Southern High School alongside REL Pacific Director Christina Tydeman.
Palau
In Palau, our locally based team continues to meet with and support our partners at Palau Ministry of Education, focusing on strengthening college and career readiness opportunities for all Palau high schools. By expanding career pathways and increasing relevant work-based learning opportunities at the public and private high schools as well as the community college, the island is working to address a 2024 Palau presidential proclamation that identified strengthening the Palauan workforce as a national priority.
🎉 In addition, Pacific West CC Director Sinton Soalablai formally opened the Pacific West CC/NORC Palau office last month. 🎉