By Emily Kirkwood
November 8, 2017
With so many great education research resources coming out in 2017, some of them may have slipped under your radar. But we’re here to help! Check out the list below to find reports and other resources from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest that were published in the past year.
Achievement gap
Cultural awareness in the classroom (September 2017): In a three-part blog series, REL Midwest took an up-close look at cultural competency in education.
- Cultural awareness in the classroom: Kennedy Elementary
- Culturally responsive instruction: Best practices and supports
- Cultural awareness in the classroom: American Indian education and cultural competency in Minnesota
Career readiness
- State strategies to facilitate adult learners’ transitions to postsecondary opportunities
(January 2017): This study catalogued the array of strategies that Midwest states use to support adult learners’ transitions to postsecondary opportunities. - Characteristics and postsecondary pathways of students who participate in acceleration programs in Minnesota
(February 2017): This study examined participation in the various acceleration programs available to Minnesota high school students, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework, postsecondary enrollment options, concurrent enrollment, and other/unknown programs. (Need a quicker overview? Check out the infographic [PDF].) - Impacts of Ramp-Up to Readiness™ after one year of implementation
(March 2017): This study examined whether the Ramp-Up to Readiness program affected high school students’ college enrollment actions and personal college readiness following one year of program implementation. The study also looked at Ramp-Up’s impact on more immediate outcomes, such as the emphasis placed on college readiness and the amount of college-related teacher-student interactions taking place in high schools. - Postsecondary education expectations and attainment of rural and nonrural students
(March 2017): This study examined rural-nonrural differences in postsecondary educational expectations and the attainment of expectations for grade 10 students attending high schools in the REL Midwest region and how these differences compare with those in the rest of the nation. - Getting students on track for graduation: Impacts of the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System after one year
(April 2017): This study examines the impacts of the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System, a systematic approach to early identification and intervention with students at risk of not graduating on time. (We created an infographic [PDF], too!)
Early childhood
- The “I” in QRIS Survey: Collecting data on quality improvement activities for early childhood education programs
(February 2017): Working closely with the former Early Childhood Education Research Alliance and Iowa’s Quality Rating System Oversight Committee, REL Midwest developed a new tool to help states collect data on the improvement activities and strategies used by early childhood education providers participating in a Quality Rating and Improvement System. - Quality improvement efforts among early childhood education programs participating in Iowa’s Quality Rating System
(March 2017): This study examined the use and outcomes of quality improvement activities among early childhood education programs participating in the Iowa Quality Rating System.
Research models and methods
- Reflections from a professional learning community for researchers working in research alliances
(March 2017): This publication shares lessons learned about the challenges that REL Midwest researchers brought to a professional learning community and the strategies and tools that they used to overcome them. - Establishing and sustaining networked improvement communities: Lessons from Michigan and Minnesota
(April 2017): This report shares lessons learned by REL Midwest researchers as they worked with educators in Michigan and Minnesota to establish and sustain two networked improvement communities. - Workshop on survey methods in education research: Facilitator’s guide and resources
(April 2017): This training resource can help staff in schools, districts, and state agencies more effectively design and conduct surveys on education topics.
Teacher preparation
Michigan Department of Education seeks to create a plan to expand clinically oriented teacher preparation programs in the state with REL Midwest training
(October 2017): This blog post recaps the training on clinically orientated teacher preparation programs that REL Midwest conducted at the Michigan Department of Education in July 2017.
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