September 2021
This REL Midwest study examined the effect on student reading achievement of being in schools that received enhanced coaching supports as part of Chicago Public Schools’ P–2 Balanced Literacy Initiative to improve literacy instruction and looked at the successes and challenges of implementation.
February 2021
This REL Midwest study describes trends and gaps in reading achievement across kindergarten and grade 1 in two diverse Illinois school districts: the 2016/17 kindergarten cohort of District U–46 (Elgin Area Schools) and the 2017/18 kindergarten cohort of District 186 (Springfield Public Schools). Drawing on a different reading assessment in each district, the study revealed gaps in reading achievement. Related infographics share key findings for each district.
October 2019
This REL Midwest study analyzed the psychometric properties of the survey’s 14 required
items and examined average skills and the variation in skill levels at kindergarten
entry. It also interviewed teachers and principals about administration barriers
and suggestions for improvement. A related infographic [229 KB
] highlights the study’s key findings.
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.
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.
Development and Implementation of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Midwest Region States
June 2016
This study examined quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) in use across the Midwest Region to describe approaches that states use in developing and implementing a QRIS. The purpose was to create a resource for QRIS administrators to use as they refine their systems over time.
March 2015
This study described how early childhood programs were rated in Michigan's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and examined how alternative approaches to calculating ratings affected the number of programs rated at each quality level.
July 2009
Following an increase in full-day kindergarten funding, the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana State Board of Education requested assistance from REL Midwest to analyze Indiana administrative data so that the agencies could report to the legislature. This technical brief describes Indiana’s full-day kindergarten enrollment patterns before and after the legislation (in 2006/07 and 2007/08) both in the state at large and in individual school corporations (equivalent to school districts).
