Commissioner Pender Makin and Maine Department of Education (MDOE) leadership have identified the importance of supporting the whole student, recognizing the importance of students feeling physically and emotionally safe, being well nourished, and having rich and relevant learning experiences to develop the skills and knowledge for academic and future career success. R1CC is working with the MDOE to articulate how Maine’s Whole Student Approach (WSA) will serve as a roadmap for the MDOE’s strategic efforts and investments to improve outcomes for Maine’s learners and educators. This project will focus on WSA articulation, supporting the internal organizational change necessary for implementing WSA, and understanding MDOE’s assets that can be leveraged in this organizational redesign.