Blog – College and Career Readiness
By Cora Goldston | December 14, 2021
REL Midwest reflects on its five-year partnership to help prepare students for college and careers in Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, and Iowa.
Taking steps toward competency-based education
By Cora Goldston | September 27, 2021
How can you tell when a student truly knows the material? Competency-based education is one approach. Find out how REL Midwest is supporting a shift to competency-based education in Minnesota.
Career and technical education: Providing pathways to increase workforce equity
By Sara Mitrano, Kyle Fagan, and Kelly Reese | August 12, 2021
Two district-level practitioners in Indiana shared how their career and technical education programs are using equity-focused strategies to increase access and prepare all students for success beyond high school.
By Maggi Ibis | July 22, 2021
REL Midwest facilitators of a virtual networked improvement community in Minnesota recently wrapped up a year of work and reflected on their challenges and lessons learned, particularly during the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Joni Wackwitz | June 28, 2021
At the request of state policymakers, REL Midwest examined whether the characteristics and outcomes of Indiana and Minnesota students who focused on career and technical education in high school differed from the outcomes of other students.
Networked improvement community celebrates progress in using data to improve student credit recovery
By Maggi Ibis | May 18, 2021
A Minnesota networked improvement community of alternative learning centers recently celebrated progress toward improving student credit recovery rates and, ultimately, high school graduation rates.
By Maggi Ibis | March 15, 2021
A new REL Midwest report examines how Indiana high school students’ performance on indicators of college and career readiness and early college success varied by the type of high school that students attended.
Gear up for college: Expanding Black and Latino students’ postsecondary opportunities and readiness
By Laura Checovich | December 3, 2020
REL Midwest provided trainings to the Chicago GEAR UP Alliance on effective and practical strategies for supporting Black and Latino students along their pathways to higher education.
Leveraging research to promote equitable learning opportunities for students of color
By Maggi Ibis | October 28, 2020
District leaders with the Janesville school district share how resources developed through the REL Midwest Achievement Gap Research Alliance are helping them close opportunity gaps and promote educational equity.
By Cora Goldston | September 28, 2020
Learn how REL Midwest, the Minnesota Department of Education, and a networked improvement community of teachers worked to improve graduation rates at alternative high schools.
By Laura Checovich | May 20, 2020
REL Midwest teamed up with the Minnesota Department of Education and four alternative learning centers to improve competency-based credit recovery and high school graduation rates.
Resource roundup: Competency-based education
By Joni Wackwitz | May 20, 2020
Competency-based education, often used in online learning and credit recovery, enables students to learn and advance at their own pace. Browse these resources from across the REL network to learn more.
Resource roundup: College persistence and completion
By Sara Mitrano | March 25, 2020
This roundup of resources from the RELs and other relevant networks highlights factors and strategies that may influence and support college persistence and completion.
Resource roundup: Career and technical education
By Sara Mitrano | February 25, 2020
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. To celebrate, we rounded up resources on CTE from across the REL network.
REL Midwest public TV documentary examines Black students’ higher education aspirations
By Laura Checovich | February 25, 2020
REL Midwest hosted two screenings of our new public television documentary High Hopes and Higher Education: Honoring Black Students’ Aspirations in Madison, Wisconsin.
Event recap: Supporting postsecondary success for students with special needs
By Cora Goldston | January 30, 2020
REL Midwest co-hosted an event with the Minnesota Department of Education on helping students in special education prepare for college and a career. Read on for the highlights.
Video: Findings from our postsecondary pathways report
October 28, 2019
This video explains the key findings from REL Midwest’s study of the education and employment pathways taken by Minnesota high school graduates.
New report finds variation in students’ postsecondary pathways
By Cora Goldston | October 28, 2019
REL Midwest examined students’ college and career outcomes one year and then six years after high school graduation. Learn more about our key findings.
Understanding the landscape of credit recovery in Minnesota
By Laura Checovich | October 28, 2019
REL Midwest worked with the Minnesota Department of Education to identify credit recovery programs and practices in use across the state to support high school students’ success.
Infographic: The state of credit recovery in Minnesota public schools
September 19, 2019
REL Midwest worked with the Minnesota Department of Education to conduct an environmental scan of practices and programs used to support students’ credit-recovery efforts. This infographic summarizes the scan’s main findings.
Closing gaps to support the future workforce
By Marguerite Huber | July 22, 2019
REL Midwest is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education to support school districts in closing opportunity and learning gaps and preparing students for the workforce.
New report examines technology use in instruction in rural schools
By Laura Checovich | July 22, 2019
REL Midwest examined rural Iowa high schools to learn more about teachers’ integration of technology into instructional practice. Read on to see what we found.
What happens when high schoolers are given school options?
By Laura Checovich | May 20, 2019
REL Midwest is conducting a study to analyze how students’ high school completion and early college success are associated with different types of high schools. The findings will help Indiana support high-quality practices that improve student outcomes.
REL Midwest public TV screenings provide a deep dive into career preparation in rural communities
By Marguerite Huber | March 20, 2019
Screenings of REL Midwest’s public television program, “Ready for the Future: Career Preparation in Rural Communities,” enable educators to explore the topic in depth with experts from the field.
Building connections to support career readiness
By Cora Goldston | September 21, 2018
Dominique Bradley, the new partnership facilitator for the Midwest Career Readiness Research Alliance, is building bridges between state and local education staff to improve career readiness for all students.
Resource roundup: Supporting career readiness in rural schools
By Joni Wackwitz | September 21, 2018
We rounded up these career readiness resources from the REL Program and the College and Career Readiness and Success Center with rural educators in mind.
Supporting the creation of a postsecondary readiness indicator
Marguerite Huber | June 22, 2018
A group of technical assistance providers, including REL Midwest, offered expertise and resources to help the Iowa Department of Education develop its Every Student Succeeds Act postsecondary readiness indicator.
Resource roundup: Summer learning
Joni Wackwitz | June 22, 2018
Grab a cold drink, find a comfortable spot in the sun, and browse our roundup of high-quality resources on summer learning from across the REL network.
Marguerite Huber | March 22, 2018
Look no further than the Ask A REL reference desk for your education research questions. Check out this compilation of our most recent Ask A REL responses across a variety of topics.
What predicts early college success in Indiana?
Marguerite Huber | March 7, 2018
REL Midwest assisted in understanding the early college success of students entering Indiana’s public two- and four-year colleges, with a specific focus on students receiving financial aid.
Personalized learning: Answering implementation questions
Cora Goldston | February 26, 2018
A new networked improvement community will examine the implementation of Personal Learning Plans for students’ postsecondary preparation.
Bringing a school counselor perspective to our career readiness work
Joni Wackwitz | February 26, 2018
The newest member of the Midwest Career Readiness Research Alliance, Leah Zimmerman, is a licensed school counselor who helps students chart their career paths amid the ever-changing world of work.
Developing future-ready students in rural areas
Marguerite Huber | February 26, 2018
Regional events help inform REL Midwest’s work around rural issues, particularly when it comes to ensuring that students graduate ready to enter the workforce.
Have you seen these recent career readiness resources?
Emily Kirkwood | February 26, 2018
You won’t want to miss these resources from the College and Career Readiness and Success Center focused on the education-to-workforce pipeline and REL Midwest on American Indian education.
Top 7 facts about REL Midwest in 2017
Meredith Lukow | November 20, 2017
For a by-the-numbers overview of the year, check out these top facts you should know about Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest’s work in 2017.
Education research resource roundup
Emily Kirkwood | November 8, 2017
In case you missed them, we compiled a list of REL Midwest reports and other resources that were published in 2017.
Policymaking in Indiana benefits from cross-agency data collaboration
Jim Lindsay | October 18, 2017
The Indiana Network of Knowledge (INK), part of the state’s Management Performance Hub, develops structures, rules, and processes for the state’s longitudinal data system. Using data from this system, REL Midwest partnered with INK to explore the relationship between financial aid and early college success for disadvantaged students.
Cultural awareness in the classroom: American Indian education and cultural competency
Sarah Rand | September 27, 2017
This post features programs implemented by the Office of Indian Education at the Minnesota Department of Education that are aiming to improve educators’ cultural competence when educating American Indian students.
Career readiness resources and events
Claire Suh | August 24, 2017
A number of high–quality resources related to career readiness are available online. We curated the following resources, including...
Project takes deeper dive into World's Best Workforce plans
Emily Loney | August 23, 2017
REL Midwest is collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to do a 'deep dive' into district World's Best...
State liaison builds coalitions among researchers and local stakeholders
Claire Suh | August 23, 2017
For Taishya Adams, the Minnesota state liaison for Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest, the North Star State is familiar...
Meet the partnership facilitator: Jenny Scala
Cora Goldston | August 17, 2017
Jenny Scala may be new to the Midwest Career Readiness Research Alliance (MCRRA), but this isn't her first collaborative...
Meet the alliance member: Paula Palmer
Joni Wackwitz | August 17, 2017
Paula Palmer, a member of our Midwest Career Readiness Research Alliance (MCRRA), is the director of career and college success...