Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Regional Needs
REL Midwest’s ongoing needs-assessment activities involve the use of focus groups, formal interviews, surveys, and informal conversations with a variety of audiences including teachers, administrators, school board members, state education agency personnel, legislators, and legislative staff across the region. Main points of interest and recurring themes regarding the high-priority needs of our constituencies include the following:
- Effective Data Use. This includes identifying and addressing data priorities, establishing individual-level longitudinal data systems, linking data across the system, analyzing test data, using data to improve teaching by identifying teachers’ strengths and weaknesses, and using data in decision making.
- High School. This includes transition to college and workforce, dropout prevention, intervention, re-engagement, and closing achievement gaps.
- Leadership. This includes improving principal recruitment, preparation, succession, and support.
- Serving Special Populations. This includes hard-to-reach students, English language learners, special education students.
- Teaching Quality. This includes teacher preparation, recruitment, supply and demand, retention, evaluation, and professional development.
