archived information
Publications
REL Appalachia partners with policymakers and practitioners to conduct applied research studies and develop tools that address high-leverage needs in our region. This work culminates in published reports that are rigorously peer reviewed for technical soundness, readability, and relevance to the concerns of stakeholders. Our publications below are categorized by topic area and ordered by date. Looking for more publications? Search publications from all ten RELs.
Interested in additional resources such as infographics, videos, and presentations? Visit our Additional Resources page.
Featured
Mastery of early math concepts is associated with such later achievements as middle school grades, high school graduation, and career opportunities (Garcia & Weiss, 2017). Given the importance of early math, REL Appalachia created the Community Math Night Facilitators' Toolkit as a detailed resource for K–5 elementary school educators to plan and implement a Community Math Night event. Community Math Nights use research-based, interactive math activities to engage families in building positive math attitudes, facilitate their participation in children's math learning, and build a community of educators, students, families, and other caring adults to support students. This toolkit includes planning and organizational resources, step-by-step instructions and printable materials for the interactive math activities, as well as a workbook that can be used as a professional learning resource on key math-learning research findings and how to apply them in practice.
Online, blended, and digital learning programs in K–12 schools in the United States are growing in popularity and include an assortment of programs, courses, tools, and resources. Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia researchers developed the Cost Feasibility Analysis (CFA) Toolkit to help education leaders estimate whether implementing supplemental online programs is affordable, given a school or district's available resources. The CFA Toolkit guides users through a four-stage process that yields cost information to support decisionmaking about program implementation. The toolkit includes guidance, helpful resources, and an Excel cost-estimation tool that supports users with planning (stage 1), collecting data (stage 2), estimating program costs (stage 3), and determining the feasibility of implementing the supplemental online program (stage 4).
College and Career Readiness
January
2021
2021
This study examined the career technical education (CTE) credentials Virginia high school graduates most commonly earned from 2011 through 2017 across different student groups.
May
2020
2020
This report quantitatively assesses the alignment between West Virginia's high school CTE programs and the labor market, focusing on regional high-demand occupations.
June
2016
2016
REL Appalachia undertook a descriptive study of participation in and completion of dual enrollment courses for Kentucky students in grades 11 and 12 from 2009/10 through 2012/13.
June
2016
2016
REL Appalachia researchers identified six districts in consultation with Kentucky College and Career Readiness Alliance representatives. Profiles describing each district's dual credit programming were created using data from 45 individual interviews conducted with seven distinct stakeholder groups.
January
2015
2015
The purpose of this study was to examine Kentucky high school students' participation and pass rates in college preparatory transition courses, which are voluntary remedial courses in math and reading offered to grade 12 students in the state.
Data Use
July
2021
2021
Online, blended, and digital learning programs in K–12 schools in the United States are growing in popularity and include an assortment of programs, courses, tools, and resources. Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia researchers developed the Cost Feasibility Analysis (CFA) Toolkit to help education leaders estimate whether implementing supplemental online programs is affordable, given a school or district's available resources.
October
2016
2016
The Teacher Data Use Survey and accompanying guide provide district and school leaders with a survey instrument that will enable educators to learn more about teachers' use of data, teachers' attitudes toward data, and teachers' perception of supports for using data.
Literacy
March
2020
2020
Most states use a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) or response to intervention (RTI) framework for improving the quality of instruction for all students and addressing the needs of students at risk for poor learning outcomes. Many states have developed tools to help districts and schools calibrate their MTSS/RTI implementation to their state's expected practices. This report describes the features of 31 tools that 21 states have developed or adapted to assess key MTSS/RTI practices that are informed by the research literature. The report may be useful to state and district staff who are interested in selecting or adapting a tool to assess MTSS/RTI implementation and in learning how other states support districts and schools in using these tools.
Math
November
2021
2021
Mastery of early math concepts is associated with such later achievements as middle school grades, high school graduation, and career opportunities (Garcia & Weiss, 2017). Given the importance of early math, REL Appalachia created the Community Math Night Facilitators' Toolkit as a detailed resource for K–5 elementary school educators to plan and implement a Community Math Night event. Community Math Nights use research-based, interactive math activities to engage families in building positive math attitudes, facilitate their participation in children's math learning, and build a community of educators, students, families, and other caring adults to support students. This toolkit includes planning and organizational resources, step-by-step instructions and printable materials for the interactive math activities, as well as a workbook that can be used as a professional learning resource on key math-learning research findings and how to apply them in practice.
October
2020
2020
This study examined Algebra I outcomes and attainment of college preparatory diplomas among different student groups by their grade 5 math proficiency level and when they completed Algebra I (grade 7, 8, or 9). The report can help policymakers in Virginia and other states review and refine Algebra I placement policies and practices that may unintentionally contribute to differences in student access to Algebra I and subsequent outcomes.
January
2015
2015
The purpose of this study was to examine Kentucky high school students' participation and pass rates in college preparatory transition courses, which are voluntary remedial courses in math and reading offered to grade 12 students in the state.
Online Courses
July
2021
2021
Online, blended, and digital learning programs in K–12 schools in the United States are growing in popularity and include an assortment of programs, courses, tools, and resources. Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia researchers developed the Cost Feasibility Analysis (CFA) Toolkit to help education leaders estimate whether implementing supplemental online programs is affordable, given a school or district's available resources.
Postsecondary
February
2017
2017
This study will describe six-year postsecondary outcomes for all students who graduated from Tennessee high schools in 2007. The study will: (1) examine first-year postsecondary performance (i.e., GPA and credits earned) for those who have enrolled, (2) examine enrollment patterns every semester over six years for all students, and (3) report degree completion and persistence rates at 2-year, 4-year, and 6-year intervals.
February
2017
2017
This study will describe six-year postsecondary outcomes for all students who graduated from a Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) high school in 2007. The study will: (1) examine enrollment patterns every semester over six years for all students, (2) examine first-year postsecondary performance (i.e., GPA and credits earned) for those who have enrolled, and (3) report degree completion and persistence rates at two-year, four-year, and six-year intervals.
June
2016
2016
Kentucky is using dual enrollment as one strategy to improve access to postsecondary education for its high school students, particularly after passage of Kentucky Senate Bill 1 in 2009, which focused on improving college and career readiness. The REL Appalachia undertook a descriptive study of participation in and completion of dual enrollment courses for Kentucky students in grades 11 and 12 from 2009/10 through 2012/13.
June
2016
2016
Districts across Kentucky are implementing dual credit programs, but there is little sharing of information about the implementation of these programs. REL Appalachia researchers identified six districts in consultation with Kentucky College and Career Readiness Alliance representatives. Profiles describing each district's dual credit programming were created using data from 45 individual interviews conducted with seven distinct stakeholder groups.
Rural
June
2016
2016
Districts across Kentucky are implementing dual credit programs, but there is little sharing of information about the implementation of these programs. REL Appalachia researchers identified six districts in consultation with Kentucky College and Career Readiness Alliance representatives. Profiles describing each district's dual credit programming were created using data from 45 individual interviews conducted with seven distinct stakeholder groups.
Teacher Workforce
August
2016
2016
Due to increasing evidence that high rates of teacher and administrator turnover adversely affect student academic outcomes, stakeholders in West Virginia were interested in learning more about retention, mobility, and attrition rates in their public school districts. The REL Appalachia partnered with the West Virginia School Leadership Research Alliance to conduct a descriptive study examining the average rates of retention, attrition, and mobility for teachers and administrators in West Virginia public school districts for the academic years 2008/09-2012/13.
January
2016
2016
The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the rates of retention, mobility, and attrition for classroom teachers in Kentucky public schools, as well as how those rates might vary by various teacher and school characteristics. The study looks at retention, defined as teachers returning to their same classroom ("stayers"); mobility, when teachers change schools within the school system ("movers"); and attrition, when teachers leave the system ("leavers") from one year to the next.