REL Midwest is currently working with partners in Iowa on additional projects to address state and local educational priorities.
Current Projects
REL Midwest is collaborating with the Iowa Department of Education and the Midwest Comprehensive Center to codevelop a simple, practical tool for estimating the costs of attendance interventions. The tool will provide Iowa schools and districts with information that may factor into their decisions about which attendance interventions to adopt. REL Midwest will draft, refine, and finalize the cost tool based on feedback from the Iowa Department of Education and school leaders, who will pilot the tool.
REL Midwest is supporting the Iowa Department of Education to better understand the implementation of its Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant and monitor subgrantees’ progress toward improved literacy outcomes. By developing evaluation questions, data collection protocols, and analytic strategies aligned with the grant’s objectives, this project will help the Iowa Department of Education reach its broader goal of improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the state’s literacy initiatives.
REL Midwest is working with the Iowa Department of Education (IDE) to better understand the implementation of its Charter School Programs grant and monitor subgrantees’ progress. REL Midwest and IDE are developing evaluation questions, data collection protocols, and analytic strategies aligned with the grant’s objectives to support IDE in reaching its broader goal of improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the state’s charter school initiatives.
REL Midwest is working with the Iowa Department of Education to improve its Novice Administrator and Administrator Supervisor Surveys to more effectively capture valid, useful information about administrator preparation. REL Midwest is reviewing and refining existing surveys based on feedback from administrator preparation program leaders representing nine universities in Iowa. REL Midwest also will develop an action plan to help the Iowa Department of Education administer the surveys and use the survey findings to improve administrator preparation in Iowa.