MAEC was founded in 1991, as an education non-profit dedicated to increasing access to a high quality education for culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse learners. We are the long-time home of a regional technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The federal equity assistance centers were created to serve state departments of education, districts, and schools and help them address issues relating to race, gender, religion, and national origin (English Learners). As of 2016, MAEC’s region now encompasses 15 states and territories. Designated as Region I, the Center for Education Equity (CEE) at MAEC reaches Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia. MAEC also supports the Region II equity assistance center which stretches across the South. The Center work has led us to work on issues such as the identification and placement of English Learners in supportive and appropriate instructional environments; creating positive and safe schools; increasing participation of girls and students of color in STEM, and addressing disproportionality in discipline.