Every five years, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) launches a new cycle of work for its Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program. REL Northwest, one of 10 regional labs in the United States, is pleased to begin this five-year cycle with new leadership and a new approach to our work – more coming on the latter in our next blog.

For nearly 60 years, the RELs have partnered with educators and policymakers to support meaningful local, regional, or state decisions about education policies, programs, and practices. We take that mission seriously, especially as the pandemic spotlighted systemic equity issues in our education system.

REL Northwest works with partners in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to develop and use evidence to inform decisions designed to improve learner outcomes. REL partners include organizations, such as:

• state and local education agencies,
• school boards,
• institutes of higher education, and
• student, family, and community organizations.

RELs also coordinate with other federally funded technical assistance providers, such as Regional Comprehensive Centers and Equity Assistance Centers, including the Western Education Equity Assistance Center that serves 13 states and three territories.

For the 2022-27 cycle, REL Northwest is led by WestEd in partnership with Marzano Research. The two organizations bring significant experience leading RELs, a deep bench of subject matter experts, and a history of successfully serving diverse clients.

Our second blog in this three-part series focuses on how REL Northwest – along with the other RELs – is approaching its work for the current cycle. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn about the work of the RELs in the 2017-2022 cycle, Liz Eisner, Associate Commissioner of the Knowledge Use Division at the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, summarized it in a March 1 blog.

REL Northwest is excited to work with key partners in the five Northwest states to help move the needle on learner outcomes through evidence-based research. We’re working with partners to finalize proposals of work and will have more information on that soon.

Please subscribe to our newsletter, reach out via email, follow us on Twitter and visit our Website to learn more about REL Northwest.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Katie Drummond is the Director of REL Northwest and is responsible for overall project and direction. She brings over 20 years of experience in education research, research-based technical assistance, and practitioner partnerships designed to improve learner outcomes, especially for underserved populations.

Jodi Davenport is the Deputy Director of REL Northwest. She brings substantial experience leading large-scale research projects focused on novel approaches to improving student outcomes, particularly for students underserved in STEM fields.