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? Email relmidwest@air.org with “Ask A REL” in the subject line. 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

2021 September – AP STEM Enrollment
2019 December – Dual Enrollment Programs
2019 November – Alternative Approaches to Measuring High School Graduation Rates
2019 July – Standards-Based Grading
2019 January – Adult Basic Education Outcomes
2019 January – Science Credits via Career and Technical Education
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

2020 October – Data Use Practices and Equity
2020 October – Metrics to Measure Student Engagement
2020 February – State-Level Evidence-Based Practices for School Improvement
2020 February – Attendance Rates and High Absenteeism in the Midwest
2020 February – Developing Elementary Student Report Cards and Communicating Results
2019 January – Needs Assessment Practices
2018 October – Civic Education Outcomes
2018 April – Measuring Academic Growth

Discipline

2020 October – Zero-Tolerance Discipline Policies
2020 October – High School Student Behavior Policy Changes
2020 October – Removal of School Resource Officers
2020 October – Restorative Justice Interventions
2020 October – School Resource Officers
2018 January – Behavior Management Clip Charts
2017 April – Differentiated or Disproportionate Behavioral Interventions

Early Childhood

2020 April – Early Childhood Curricula
2020 March – Kindergarten Retention
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

2020 October – Developing Teacher Leaders and Their Effectiveness
2020 September – Aligned Systems of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
2020 September – Professional Learning and School Improvement
2020 September – Ambitious Instruction
2020 August – Teaching Special Education During Crises
2020 August – Impact of School Improvement Grants
2020 August – Earned Honors Credit Model
2020 August – External Partners in School Improvement
2020 July – School Improvement After State Support
2020 July – State-Level School Support Teams
2020 March – Statewide Systems of Support for School Improvement
2020 March – Superintendent Accountability and Evaluation
2020 February – Critical Friends Groups
2020 January – Personalized Learning and Student Engagement
2019 December – Instructional Time and Academic Outcomes
2019 November – Finance Policies for Competency-Based Education
2019 October – School Performance Rating Systems
2019 October – Equity in School Accountability
2019 October – Personalized Learning Practices and Student Outcomes
2019 August – Instructional Strategies for Gifted Students
2019 June – Middle and High School Grade Configurations
2019 May – Social and Emotional Learning, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and Mental Health
2019 March – Departmentalization in Early Elementary
2019 February – Teacher Professional Development Hours
2019 January – Executive Function Interventions
2019 January – Elementary Student Mobility
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

2021 February – Supporting English Learner Students Through Response to Intervention
2021 February – Rates of English Learner Students in Special Education
2020 May – Bilingual Education Teaching Methodologies
2017 September – English Learner Effective Strategies or Programs
2017 April – Classroom Strategies for Pairs

Literacy

2021 April – Audiobooks and Early Literacy Development
2020 August – Measuring Early Literacy Development
2020 August – Literacy Skills That Predict Future Reading Proficiency
2020 March – Early Elementary Reading Interventions
2019 May – Full-Day Kindergarten and Reading Achievement
2019 February – Literacy Grouping Strategies
2019 February – In-Class Reading Practices and Diverse Materials
2019 February – Family Literacy Engagement
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

2021 September – AP STEM Enrollment
2021 March – Measuring Early Math Development
2021 March – Math Skills That Predict Future Math Proficiency
2018 May – Middle School STEM
2017 September – Computer Science Requirements in High School Curriculum

Online Courses

2021 January – Virtual Learning and Student Engagement During COVID-19
2021 January – Adult Basic Education and Online Learning
2020 April – Student Motivation and Engagement in Distance Learning
2020 February – Building Community in Online Courses
2019 October – E-school Funding
2019 January – Authorizing Virtual Schools
2015 November – Technology Integration
2015 November – Virtual/Online Program Effectiveness in Special Education

Principals

2020 August – Governance, Management, and Operations in School Improvement
2020 April – School Leadership Role in Teacher Leadership
2020 April – School Leadership and Learning Culture
2020 April – School Leadership and Continuous Improvement
2020 April – School Leadership in Aligned Systems of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
2020 April – School Leadership Practices and Student Outcomes
2020 April – School Leadership and Mission
2020 April – School Leadership and Instructional Feedback
2019 October – Principal Evaluation Systems
2018 July – Culturally Relevant Education and School Leadership
2017 December – Principal Recruitment and Retention
2017 November – Competency-Based Education Policy

Postsecondary

2020 October – Indicators of Postsecondary Closures
2020 March – Equity in Community College Science Education
2019 November – Equity in Postsecondary Degrees and Certificates
2019 January – Strategic Enrollment Management
2018 November – Higher Education Outcomes and Students of Color

Rural

2020 February – Shared Service Models in Rural Settings
2018 September – Rural Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Research Tools

2021 July – Computational Thinking
2017 July – Frameworks for Research-Practice Partnerships or Collaborative Partnerships

Teacher Preparation

2021 January – Basic Skills Tests for Teacher Licensure
2020 September – Collaborative Teachers
2019 January – Precollegiate Teacher Recruitment
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

2021 January – Mentoring Racially Diverse Teachers
2020 December – Factors Influencing Teacher Working Conditions
2020 November – Measuring Teacher Working Conditions
2020 November – Teacher Working Conditions in Virtual Learning
2020 June – Educators and Secondary Trauma
2019 May – Measuring Teacher Retention
2019 May – Teacher Talent Management
2019 April – State Funding of Teacher Salaries
2019 April – Statewide Teacher Salary Schedules
2019 April – State Responses to Teacher Strikes
2019 April – Cost Savings on Teacher Benefits
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

2020 July – School Funding Efficiency
2020 March – District Enrollment Priority Practices
2020 February – Quality of Open Educational Resources
2019 September – Academic Measurement for Students with Autism
2019 June – Global Competence
2019 June – Out-of-School Programs
2019 May – Child Abuse Prevention in Schools
2019 January – Executive Function Interventions
2019 January – Universal Autism Screening in Schools
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