Bradley Rentz

About

Bradley Rentz is the lead for REL Pacific’s applied research and peer-reviewed, research-based development projects. Dr. Rentz has led a variety of REL Pacific applied research studies and technical assistance projects since 2018 on topic areas—such as Indigenous culture and language instruction, education language policy, culturally sustaining instructional models, college and career readiness, teacher preparation, and education research methods. Prior to REL Pacific, he was a middle school teacher on Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Dr. Rentz can be reached at brentz@mcrel.org.

Associated IES Content

report Descriptive Study

Teacher Certification, Retention, and Recruitment in Palau: Understanding Graduation Patterns of Teacher Education Students at Palau Community College

To strengthen teacher preparation in the Republic of Palau, Public Law 10-32 (enacted in 2018) requires all teachers in the country to hold an associate's degree in education or in the subject area they will teach by the end of 2023. This policy change required many current teachers and those interested in the teaching profession to enroll in an associate's degree program at Palau Community College (PCC), the country's only postsecondary institution. To support policymakers' understanding of ...
Dec 01, 2024

About REL Pacific

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Pacific partners with key stakeholders in American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice.
report Descriptive Study

Associations between High School Students' Social-Emotional Competencies and Their High School and College Academic and Behavioral Outcomes in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

This study addressed the need expressed by education stakeholders in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to better understand their high school students' social-emotional competencies and how those competencies might be associated with students' academic and behavioral outcomes in high school and college. Social-emotional competencies refer to the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors that help students recognize and manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and make respo...
Jul 01, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Using High School and College Data to Predict Teacher Candidates' Performance on the Praxis at Unibetsedat Guahan (University of Guam)

Policymakers and educators on Guahan (Guam) are concerned about the persistent shortage of qualified K-12 teachers. Staff at the Unibetsedat Guahan (University of Guam, UOG) School of Education, the only local university that offers a teacher training and certification program, believe that more students are interested in becoming teachers but that the program's admissions requirements--in particular, the Praxis(r) Core test, which consists of reading, writing, and math subtests--might be a b...
Jul 01, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Using High School Data to Explore Early College Success on Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

As of 2010, about 15 percent of residents older than age 25 on Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) had completed an associate degree or higher. To increase the number of college graduates, the Pohnpei Department of Education and the College of Micronesia--FSM are working together to improve the early college outcomes of their students. They noted that in 2018, 42 percent of applicants from Pohnpei to the College of Micronesia--FSM were not admitted or were admitted to a one-ye...
Jun 22, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Demographic and Academic Characteristics Associated with College Readiness and Early College Success in the Republic of the Marshall Islands

In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, college readiness and early college success are major concerns. More than 75 percent of a recent cohort of incoming students at the College of the Marshall Islands placed into developmental courses, which suggests that students might not be academically prepared to take postsecondary coursework. A lack of research on predictors of college readiness and early college success for Marshallese students makes it difficult to develop and implement targeted i...
Apr 12, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Using High School Data to Predict College Readiness and Early College Success on Guahan (Guam)

On Guahan (Guam), the large percentages of students enrolling in non-credit-bearing courses at Kulehon Kumunidat Guahan (Guam Community College) and Unibetsedat Guahan (University of Guam) have raised concerns about college readiness and early college success. Without adequate research on predictors of college readiness and early success among students on Guahan, educators and other stakeholders find it difficult to identify and support students at risk of being underprepared for college. Thi...
Apr 12, 2021
report Descriptive Study

Using High School Data to Predict College Success in Palau

The Palau Ministry of Education and Palau Community College are aligning their education systems to better prepare students for college. Research on the high school academic preparation variables that predict college success is limited for students in Palau. Using data from Palau's Ministry of Education and Palau Community College, this study examined factors that predict early community college success and college completion. The study found that 60 percent of Palau High School graduates who...
Jan 01, 2021
Blog

Supporting Students' First and Second Language Acquisition in the Kosrae State Department of Education

The role of the education system in supporting both the development of a student's first language or heritage language as well as access to and fluency in a global language, like English, is at the forefront of discussions on language maintenance and revitalization across the Pacific region. Education and community leaders on Kosrae, an island state in the Federated States of Micronesia, are looking closely at current policy guidelines, teaching practices, and student outcomes in their educat...
Date published:
Sep 30, 2019