Ask A REL
Ask A REL is a collaborative reference desk service provided by the 10 Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) and functions much in the same way as a technical reference library. It provides references, referrals, and brief responses in the form of citations on research-based education questions.
Want to submit a question? Visit the Ask A REL page on the IES website. For archived responses from REL Midwest, we invite you to browse the below categories.
American Indians
- 2018 June – American Indian Outcomes
Charter Schools
- 2017 September – Charter School Governance Boards
- 2017 September – Development of Charter School Leaders
- 2017 February – Effects of School Choice for Disadvantaged Students
College and Career Readiness
- 2018 May – STEM Work-Based Learning
- 2018 April – Youth Employability
- 2018 January – Effectiveness of Career and Technical Education on Student Outcomes
- 2018 January – High School Equivalency Alternative Programs
- 2017 July – Credit Recovery and Alternative Learning Centers
- 2017 June – Deeper Learning Outcomes
Data Use
- 2018 October – Civic Education Outcomes
- 2018 April – Measuring Academic Growth
Discipline
- 2018 January – Behavior Management Clip Charts
- 2017 April – Differentiated or Disproportionate Behavioral Interventions
Early Childhood
- 2018 July – Play-Based Learning
- 2018 May – Kindergarten Standards Alignment
- 2018 May – Early Childhood Assessment
- 2018 February – School Readiness
- 2018 January – Home Visiting Programs
- 2017 June – Third-Grade Retention and Academic Redshirting
- 2017 February – School Readiness Indicators
Early Warning Systems
- 2017 June – Early Warning Systems - Course Performance
- 2017 June – Early Warning Systems - Behavior
- 2017 June – Early Warning Systems - Attendance
Educator Effectiveness
- 2018 September – Social-Emotional Learning and Equity
- 2018 July – Culturally Relevant Education and Student Outcomes
- 2018 July – School Board Practices and Educational Outcomes
- 2018 July – Middle School Grade Configurations
- 2018 April – Well-Being of Staff
- 2018 April – Homeless and High-Mobility Achievement
- 2018 April – Teacher Looping
- 2018 April – Teacher Platooning
- 2018 February – Personalized Learning and Equity
- 2017 November – Competency-Based Education Practices
- 2017 October – Socio-Emotional Learning and Academic Achievement
- 2017 October – Cross-Functional Teams to Support District Improvement
- 2017 September – Balanced Calendar
- 2017 August – Cultural Competence Training
- 2017 August – Teacher Accountability Ratings and Student Outcomes
- 2017 August – Self-Regulation Skills
- 2017 August – Mindfulness Programs
- 2017 July – Student Agency
- 2017 July – School Culture and Climate
- 2017 February – Secondary School Grade Level Configurations
English Learners
- 2017 September – English Learner Effective Strategies or Programs
- 2017 April – Classroom Strategies for Pairs
Literacy
- 2018 September – Language! (Voyager) or READ180 Literacy Curriculum
- 2018 August – Secondary Literacy Instruction
- 2018 August – Secondary Literacy Leadership Practices
- 2018 July – Common Core Literacy Standards
- 2018 July – Relationship Between Third-Grade Literacy and Academic Achievement, College Retention, College and Career Readiness, Incarceration, and Dropout
- 2018 June – Beginning Reading Texts
- 2018 January – Public Library and Student Achievement
- 2017 October – Effectiveness of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
Math
- 2018 May – Middle School STEM
- 2017 September – Computer Science Requirements in High School Curriculum
Online Courses
- 2015 November – Technology Integration
- 2015 November – Virtual/Online Program Effectiveness in Special Education
Principals
- 2018 July – Culturally Relevant Education and School Leadership
- 2017 December – Principal Recruitment and Retention
- 2017 November – Competency-Based Education Policy
Postsecondary
- 2018 November – Higher Education Outcomes and Students of Color
Rural
- 2018 September – Rural Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Research Tools
Teacher Preparation
- 2018 July – Teacher Preparation Requirements
- 2018 March – New Teacher Academies
- 2017 August – Teacher Licensure and Credentialing
- 2017 July – Traditional Versus Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs
- 2017 June – Alternative Teacher Licensing
Teacher Workforce
- 2018 December – Measuring Teacher Supply and Demand
- 2018 September – Teacher Staffing by Locale
- 2018 September – Teacher Recruitment Incentives
- 2018 July – Teacher Loan Forgiveness and Retention
- 2018 July – Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color
- 2017 November – Teacher Retention in High-Poverty or High-Minority Schools
- 2017 April – Teacher Compensation
Uncategorized
- 2018 September – Family and Community Engagement in Education
- 2018 April – Well-Being of Students
- 2018 April – Well-Being of Families
- 2018 April – Collective Impact Initiatives
- 2018 January – Trauma and Mental Health
- 2017 October – Gifted Education Funding
- 2017 September – Economic and Social Impacts of the Achievement Gap