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REL Central

Putting Research into Action
The Regional Educational Laboratory Central translates research to practice with policymakers and practitioners in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

What’s New at REL Central

Oct29

New Infographic: Snapshot of Dual Enrollment in the REL Central States

REL Central partnered with stakeholders in seven states to examine dual enrollment access and participation. Overall, students had high levels of dual enrollment access, but there is room to improve student participation. This infographic visualizes the key takeaways from the study.

Oct15

New Resource: Program Evaluation Toolkit

Build your understanding of program evaluation with our new toolkit. Videos, handouts, worksheets, and other tools provide step-by-step support from the planning stages of an evaluation to the presentation of findings to stakeholders.

Sep27

New Report: Variations in District Strategies for Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A new report from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central shows remote learning plans developed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic varied by Internet connectivity, rurality, and district poverty level. The report includes a review of school district plans submitted to state education agencies in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming in Spring 2020.

Latest from the REL Central Blog

REL Central Launches Program Evaluation Toolkit

REL Central’s Joshua Stewart shares how the Program Evaluation Toolkit was developed and provides a rundown on what readers will find as they explore this new, user-friendly resource.

Study Shows Remote Learning Plans Were Limited by Internet Access, Rurality

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person learning last year, a wide range of strategies to support virtual classrooms were implemented in schools and districts. REL Central examined remote learning plans from four states to better understand the differences in strategies and the relationships between proposed strategies and district characteristics.

REL Central Tool Can Help Early Childhood Education Professionals Optimize Their Data Use

The Early Childhood Data Use Assessment Tool was designed to identify and improve data use skills among early childhood education (ECE) program staff so that they can better use data to inform, plan, monitor, and make decisions for instruction and program improvement. This blog post discusses the importance of data use in ECE programs, especially in a post-pandemic learning environment.

Reframing Learning Loss: Nebraska’s Framework for School Renewal & Acceleration

In a special guest blog post, leaders from the Nebraska Department of Education share how the agency is reframing the narrative around “learning loss” and setting the stage for success in the 2021/22 school year and beyond.


Works in Progress

Learn more about the research projects currently underway. More on our Works in Progress.


Ask A REL

Ask A REL is a collaborative reference desk service provided by the ten Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) and functions much in the same way as a technical reference library.

Featured Publication

Image handout: Program Evaluation Toolkit Pathway

Program Evaluation Toolkit

Build your understanding of program evaluation with our new toolkit. Videos, handouts, worksheets, and other tools provide step-by-step support from the planning stages of an evaluation to the presentation of findings to stakeholders.

Family & Caregivers

Image handout: Early Child Learning Math

Teaching Math to Young Children for Families and Caregivers

These family and caregiver resources and activities include research-based and easy-to-follow steps to help you support your child’s math skills.


Featured Video


Integrating Program Evaluation into Your School Improvement Work: Exploring the Program Evaluation Toolkit

This REL Central webinar walks viewers through the Program Evaluation Toolkit, highlighting key resources and handouts.


Featured Event


Improving Civic Readiness Through Research, Policy, and Practice

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.