Everyone is a Learner

We are a non-profit educational service agency, committed to reaching and educating learners of all ages, and experienced in working with educators to help students learn and succeed.

We know that everyone is a learner from the day they are born, and we know how to create classrooms and other environments in which every learner can flourish. We know how to reach, inspire, support and educate children, youth and adults, and we help others to do the same.

Professional Development

CES Professional Development helps districts, schools, and individuals improve educator and student performance with open enrollment events, tailored site-based learning, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), coaching, and consulting.

Consulting at CES

First, we listen. CES provides services that build school, district, and educator capacity to support the use of effective, research-based instructional practices to engage and motivate learners of all kinds. We also work with communities, community organizations, and others to provide expertise, evaluation, and advisory services.

Children, Youth, and Families

CES offers direct, cost-effective, quality services and programs for vulnerable children, youth and families. Birth – 22 Programs at CES include educational and learning programs provided directly to students and children that address gaps for students with unique needs. CES also provides resources, teaching, evaluation and assistance to parents and families.

Business Services

CES provides a variety of cost-effective business services to districts, schools, community organizations, municipalities, and businesses. Special member pricing is typically available for these services for clients in CES member districts.

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Find Events and Courses

Browse and register for professional development, conferences, and graduate level and licensure preparation courses.

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Find Careers

CES is always growing! The CES workforce includes an average of over 800 staff members across our programs. Take a look at our many openings across the state, in our most exciting program areas.

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Explore our Expertise

CES consultants work with schools and districts, educators, and community organizations, as well as private industry. View our areas of focus and learn how our experience can benefit you.

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Learn How We Support Students

In western Massachusetts and statewide, CES manages programs and services that focus on the educational, social-emotional, and health needs of children and youth

What We Do

The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) is a public nonprofit, educational service agency that offers direct and support services to its 37 member school districts and to various state and district-level clients across New England. The work of CES divides roughly into three areas: a range of direct services for children and youth particularly those at risk; professional development and training for educators and professionals; and consulting services including community health, research and evaluation, and business services for districts, schools, and community organizations.

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Students are at the heart of our work

Founded in 1974, we are a Massachusetts educational collaborative governed by representatives from our 37-member school districts in Hampshire and Franklin Counties. We work with children, youth, and adult learners; families; schools, districts, and educators; and community members in the Pioneer Valley and across Massachusetts to create and improve educational opportunities both in and out of the classroom and ensure that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. We are a community of innovative and effective professionals dedicated to improving education.

Our Mission

The mission of the Collaborative for Educational Services is to develop and foster lifelong learning and to provide opportunities for wellbeing for all of the communities we work with, through collaboration and leadership.

Our Vision

We envision a society with equitable communities, led by the people within them. We envision a learning system within and deeply connected to those communities, which centers the histories and cultural identities of Black, Indigenous, People of color, and other marginalized groups, and supports all children and young people to discover their gifts and move boldly towards their futures.

Orange box with the following text: 6,000+ individuals received direct service from CES programs
Orange box with the following text: 5,644+ Educators participated in CES professional development.
Orange box with the following text: 164 consulting contracts.

Social Justice and Equity is critical to our mission, reflected in our organization’s Values

A Culture of Community and Care: We will look out for and support each other, celebrate each other’s successes and grieve each other’s losses. We will live out an ethic of community care, learn from mistakes, and be challenged to do better. We will foster speech and discourse, formal and informal, that promotes equity, justice, and understanding.

Equity and Inclusion: We will work to eliminate racism and other injustice and oppression, and promote inclusion and equity at CES and in our community by identifying and dismantling all forms of social oppression. Our vision of social justice is intersectional and means working to transform all types of oppression, including racism, ableism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, adultism, ageism, transgender oppression, and religious oppression. 

Self-awareness and Growth: We will continually reflect on our own cultures and identities, and how they relate to or allocate power and privilege; and we will learn about and partner with others to challenge our own biases. We will make a personal commitment to growth toward equity, inclusion, and a community of care; and know that learning happens when we commit to being brave. 

Action and Transformation: We will take action, speak up, and propose solutions when we see oppression or discrimination; knowing that saying nothing means colluding with oppression. We strive to decolonize teaching practices, learning methods, and curricula through the accurate inclusion of the voices of people and cultures most impacted by white-supremacist narratives. We will be willing to make mistakes, and learn from both our mistakes and successes, in order to grow.

 

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CES has been a tremendous resource to our schools. The opportunities you offer for administrators and teachers to gather and share experiences, resources, etc., have been enormously helpful. The workshops have been outstanding.

— Professional Development Participant

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Upcoming Offerings

The Collaborative for Educational Services provides professional development, continuing education, coaching and technical assistance online, in hybrid form, and in person. Our open enrollment courses, workshops, and other learning can also be brought on site to schools, districts and organizations, and customized to meet your organization’s needs. To the right are just a few of our open enrollment, active upcoming offerings. Please click the button below to see more.

Sep 27 2023
Educational Research

Students engage in the scientific reasoning process and reflect upon this process as it relates to the educator’s role. The goals and methods of educational research, reading, and analysis of

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Sep 27 2023
The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development

This online course will be a professional learning community style book study reading and discussing Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen's national best-selling book "The PD Book 7 Habits that

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Sep 27 2023
Intro to Augmentative and Alternative Communication

During this 2-day workshop, participants will learn how Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can provide support and increase engagement for students with little or no speech.

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Sep 27 2023
Introduction to Educational Technology

Required for License(s):  Biology/Chemistry/Earth and Space Science/English/General Science/High School Mathematics/History/Humanities/Math & Science/Middle School Mathematics/Middle School

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HEC Academy students add nutrition education to their weekly schedule

A new focus has been added to the work of the HEC Academy students over the past year, and they are responding and finding rewards in inspirational ways. Lessons in food and nutrition last year led students to develop a proposal to include weekly food education as part of the curriculum at HEC.  School administrators Pedro Gomes and Sherry ...

HEC Academy students add nutrition education to their weekly schedule

A new focus has been added to the work of the HEC Academy students over the past year, and they are responding and finding rewards in inspirational ways. Lessons in food and nutrition last year led students to develop a proposal to include weekly food education as part of the curriculum at HEC.  School administrators Pedro Gomes and Sherry ...

Johnson-Mussad brings experience and care to consulting work

On a spring morning in 2023, Albert Johnson-Mussad welcomes educators to his classroom in his usual way, with a joyful “Welcome, good people!” Johnson-Mussad begins each training, and each day, by checking in to make sure that each of the participants has what they may individually need to be fully present. This sets the stage for what can be ...
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