Events
Throughout the year, REL Central provides public events that target the needs of our state and local stakeholders and the larger education community. Designed to bridge research, policy, and practice and to support evidence-based decision-making across the region, our events include webinars, workshops, conference presentations, and other capacity-building activities. For REL events nationwide, visit the IES Calendar of Events.
No upcoming events at this time. Please check back soon!
Putting REL Research into Action: Exemplars for Rural Practitioners
Webinar | Oct 28, 2021
Summary: This multi-session webinar event will explore rural education research and tools the Regional Education Laboratories have released over the last five years. The event will feature nine short presentations from RELs across the country, followed by discussion on how rural educators can take this work and make it actionable locally.
Integrating Program Evaluation into Your School Improvement Work: Exploring the Program Evaluation Toolkit
Webinar | Oct 15, 2021
Summary: This webinar will explore ways to integrate program evaluation into your school improvement work using REL Central’s the newly released Program Evaluation Toolkit. Program evaluation is important for assessing the implementation and outcomes of state and federally funded programs. However, school and state education agency personnel may not have the resources and tools to conduct effective program evaluations. The Program Evaluation Toolkit includes a series of eight modules that begin at the planning stages of an evaluation and progress to the presentation of findings to stakeholders.
Broadening the Benefits of Dual Enrollment: Strategies to Increase Program Access and Participation
Webinar | Sep 16, 2021
Summary: This webinar will explore strategies to increase access to and participation in dual enrollment programs. REL Central will share research findings from the recently released report Understanding Access to and Participation in Dual Enrollment by Locale and Income Level. Guest speakers include the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships and local education leaders from Colorado and Nebraska. Panelists will participate in an interactive Q & A session and address strategies to expand access for underserved students.
Improving Civic Readiness through Research, Policy, and Practice
Webinar | Aug 17, 2021
Summary: This webinar explores how students’ civic readiness can be developed and measured. REL Central provides an overview of research on recent trends in civic education and participation and shares their tool Measuring Civic Readiness: A Review of Survey Scales. Partners from the Wyoming Department of Education, Nebraska Department of Education, and Eugene 4J School District in Oregon also discuss how they are building civic readiness in their students at the state and local level through policy and practice.
District-Level Strategies to Advance Equity in Career and Technical Education Programs
Webinar | Jun 15, 2021
Summary: This REL Central webinar explores strategies to address equitable access, participation, and success in career and technical education (CTE) programs. The webinar also provides an overview of current research on the impact of CTE on college and career readiness while guest speakers from Rapid City Area Schools, Huron School District, and Portland Public Schools share insights into strategies they’ve been using to enhance and improve the CTE programs in their districts.
Predict and Prepare: Taking Action to Address the Teacher Supply Chain
Webinar | Apr 15, 2021
Summary: This REL Central webinar is about the Teacher Predictor Model, a tool to examine and predict patterns of teacher shortages in Missouri. Presenters describe the development and use of the model by state leaders, describe how the model might be adapted in other states, and share strategies for addressing predicted shortages at the state, district, and educator preparation program levels.
Leveraging Community Partnerships to Address Unfinished Learning in Kindergarten Through Grade 3 Due to COVID-19
Webinar | Apr 07, 2021
Summary: This REL Central webinar explores the development and rollout of Rocky Mountain PBS’s innovative Colorado Classroom programming, which addresses unfinished learning for students in kindergarten through grade 3. Presenters introduce strategies and resources that participants can use to proactively address unfinished learning in their districts, schools, classrooms, or homes.
Understanding Administrator Retention, Mobility, and Attrition
Webinar | Feb 25, 2021
Summary: This REL Central webinar presents key findings from the report Retention, Mobility, and Attrition Among School and District Leaders in Colorado, Missouri, and South Dakota as well as an overview of importance of administrator retention, particularly in the current employment environment. The webinar also presents evidence-based examples of state and local policies and programs that address administrator mobility.
Evidence-Based Strategies to Foster Student Agency
Webinar | Nov 20, 2020
Summary: Join a REL Central webinar that will share evidence-based strategies to develop student agency and personalize learning. The webinar will include a discussion of how Legacy High School, in Bismarck, North Dakota, uses a flexible-time system to develop student agency as well as concrete, evidence-based strategies to develop student agency.
Ingredients for a Successful Algebra Program in Middle School
Webinar | Sep 23, 2020
Summary: We invite you to join a REL Central webinar that will present elements of a successful middle school algebra program, including findings from a newly released study on using Grade 7 state math assessment results to help identify students who are ready for Algebra I. In addition, district representatives will discuss the realities of making decisions to accelerate middle school students into Algebra I and the ways in which the research findings might inform future decisions.
Personalizing Instruction to Address COVID-19 Learning Gaps
Webinar | Jun 11, 2020
Summary: You are invited to take part in a virtual quick chat that will share options and supports for personalizing instruction to meet the needs of students who have had their learning disrupted. The Westminster Public Schools executive director of teaching and learning, and Westminster elementary and secondary teachers will discuss topics including installing building supports, analyzing data, and defining student expectations, and actionable personalized instructional strategies for teachers.
Using Assessments to Identify and Address COVID-19 Learning Gaps
Webinar | Jun 04, 2020
Summary: Join REL Central for a virtual quick chat presentation sharing methods and strategies for using assessments to identify the needs of students following social distancing measures taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Presenters will discuss assessment considerations and share strategies used to develop their assessment administration plans, with an eye to both virtual and in-person schooling this fall. The presentation will share strategies to support SEA and LEA participants in developing a back-to-school assessment plan.
Strategies to Support Remote Learning Along a Continuum of Internet Access
Webinar | Apr 16, 2020
Summary: This REL Central Quick Chat discusses strategies school districts can use to bridge the digital divide and support student learning at home. During this 30-minute discussion, participants hear from presenters who will share strategies to consider in the development of remote learning plans that require and do not require internet access.
Teacher Qualifications Associated with Success in Algebra I
Webinar | Feb 19, 2020
Summary: This REL Central webinar discusses new research on teacher qualifications associated with greater student success in Algebra I. Presenters provide an overview of the REL Central report Associations Between the Qualifications of Middle School Algebra I Teachers and Student Math Achievement.
Understanding What Influences Teacher Mobility
Webinar | November 15, 2019
Summary: This REL Central webinar discusses trends in educator workforce mobility. Presenters from REL Central provide an overview of two REL Central reports: Teacher Retention, Mobility, and Attrition in Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota; and Factors Related to Teacher Mobility and Attrition in Colorado, Missouri, and South Dakota. In addition, Carolyn Haug from the Colorado Department of Education shares insights as a practitioner interpreting the reports to inform policy and program. Finally, Desiree Carver-Thomas from the Learning Policy Institute offers examples of state and local programs and initiatives supported by research to improve teacher retention.
Delivering Work-Based Learning in Rural Schools
Webinar | October 15, 2019
Summary: Join REL Central for a webinar providing an overview of research on work-based learning (WBL), challenges to WBL implementation, and research-based frameworks for WBL development and implementation. Representatives from two rural districts, identified as successfully implementing WBL programs, will describe the components of their programs and the opportunities they provide to students.
Supporting the Evaluation of Early Childhood Educators
Webinar | August 14, 2019
Summary: Summary: This webinar presents state evaluation and support systems for early childhood educators. During the webinar, Jana Martella, Co-Director at the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes, presents the report State Teacher Evaluation Systems: Fifty State Scan on Resources for Early Childhood Teachers. Martella explains how states have addressed evaluating and supporting the knowledge and skills of their early childhood educators. Finally, REL Central, in partnership with presenters from the Colorado Department of Education, provides a review of a recent project to create a resource supporting the evaluation and growth of early childhood educators in Colorado.
The Growth of English Learners in Rural Areas: Research on Challenges and Promising Practices in Schools
Webinar | May 09, 2019
Summary: Given the growing need in this area over the past two decades due to changing demographics in rural areas, particularly an increase in EL populations, this webinar helps to provide an important foundation for REL researchers to move forward with this work in their support of rural partners.
Diversifying and Widening the Teacher Pipeline with Grow Your Own Programs
Webinar | March 19, 2019
Summary: This webinar presents an overview of current research on Grow Your Own programs that help to address educator shortages, retention, and diversity. The presenters share examples of current evidence-based Grow Your Own programs in the REL Central region.
Examining the Reliability and Validity of Teacher Candidate Evaluation Instruments
Webinar | February 13, 2019
Summary: This webinar presents the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards, which require that educator preparation programs use evaluation instruments with evidence of reliability and validity. The presenters share examples of methods used to examine and ensure the reliability and validity of a sample of widely administered teacher candidate evaluation instruments.
Using Digital Tools and Social Media to Engage Families in School Improvement Initiatives
Webinar | October 23, 2018
Summary: In this webinar, Ceri Dean, Tammy Mitchell and Jay Scott present research-based strategies to engage families in school improvement initiatives. Presenters discuss tools, resources, and strategies from Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships (2013) and BSCP Center Strategic Communications Toolbox for State Education Agencies (2017) that support the communication, through a thoughtful and coordinated process, of key messages related to school improvement goals and strategies. The webinar highlights digital tools and social media used by state and local education agencies to engage families in order to support school improvement initiatives.
Supporting Emotion Regulation in Early Childhood
Webinar | August 30, 2018
Summary: This webinar includes research-based strategies for creating supportive environments and using specific teaching strategies to foster the development of emotion regulation skills in early childhood settings. Crystal Day-Hess, assistant director for the Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy at the University of Denver, presents strategies to implement Recommendations 2 and 3 from the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom.
Language, Discussion, and Questions in Early Math
Webinar | April 18, 2018
Summary: This webinar presents research-based strategies that support early childhood language development and mathematical thinking through posing rich mathematical questions. It focuses on recommendation 4 – “Teach children to view and describe their world mathematically” – from the IES practice guide Teaching Math to Young Children.
Using Questioning Strategies to Support Struggling Math Students
Webinar | November 3, 2017
Summary: In this webinar, presenter Barbara Dougherty, director of the Curriculum Research & Development Group at the University of Hawaii, introduces questioning strategies as an instructional approach to improving mathematics outcomes in the middle grades. Dougherty discusses questioning strategies outlined in the practice guide Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention for Elementary and Middle Schools.
Studying Educational Effectiveness in Rural Settings
Webinar | October 18, 2017
Summary: The webinar highlights strategies for promoting productive research partnerships between practitioners and researchers working in rural settings.
Assisting Struggling Students with Mathematics: What Works for Tiered Interventions in Elementary and Middle Schools
Webinar | September 28, 2017
Summary: In this webinar, presenters Russell Gersten and Robin Schumacher discuss research-based approaches to assisting students who struggle with mathematics. They provide resources and actionable knowledge that viewers can implement, highlighting recommendations from the practice guide Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention for Elementary and Middle Schools.
Cost-Effectiveness, Cost-Feasibility, and Cost-Benefit Methods: What Are These Methods? And How Can School Districts Benefit from Using Them?
Webinar | September 26, 2017
Summary: This webinar introduces cost-benefit, cost-feasibility, and cost-effectiveness analysis methods that decision-makers can use to guide the selection of instructional strategies, interventions, and curricula that are not only effective but also fiscally more efficient.