Left to right: Amy Feygin, REL Southwest director; and Robyn Madison, SECAT partnership co-lead

From the warm riverside views of New Orleans, Louisiana, to the high desert adobe architecture in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest experts experienced the region's natural splendor while connecting with educators across our region this spring. At gatherings such as the Louisiana Department of Education's (LDOE's) Teacher Leader Summit, the New Mexico Association of Bilingual Education's annual conference, and Regional Convenings to Support State Action to Advance the Education Professions, REL Southwest shared evidence-based practices to support teacher and student success.

Gathering at state conferences in New Mexico and Louisiana

To develop presentations informed by local context, REL Southwest collaborated with local educators for the New Mexico Association of Bilingual Education's (NMABE's) annual conference and the Teacher Leader Summit. On April 5, REL Southwest staff from the Southwest English Learner Literacy (SWELL) partnership and educators from Rio Rancho Public Schools held a workshop in Albuquerque at NMABE's annual conference featuring Write to Succeed, a no-cost professional learning program that helps teachers develop their students' writing and literacy skills. REL Southwest worked with instructional coaches who had participated in the first year of Write to Succeed, Renee Byrum and Erin Lucero, to organize the conference session.

During the session, SWELL partnership members demonstrated a set of evidence-based literacy practices that help all students develop writing skills and help English learner students develop oral and written language skills. The interactive text jumble activity was a standout moment during the workshop. REL Southwest senior advisor, Brenda Arellano, shared, "Participants were able to put themselves in the shoes of English learner students during the text jumble exercise. In small groups, they had to figure out the order of the text, so it was a great learning session facilitated by our two coaches Renee and Erin." One participant reflected that the text jumble activity "gives kids the opportunity to interact and help each other out." Another educator mentioned that they "can adjust instruction to meet individual needs with this instructional workshop and use the Teaching Tips [to help with] the writing process."

Left to right: Guy Morgan, teacher; Robyn Madison, SECAT partnership co-lead; and Raven Lindsey, teacher

The following month, more than 7,000 educators gathered for the Teacher Leader Summit in New Orleans on May 28–30. Through the Supporting Early Career and Aspiring Teachers (SECAT) partnership, REL Southwest and representatives from LDOE organized a session focused on evidence-based practices for supporting early career teachers, Early Career Stories: Real Testimony from Exceptional School Leaders and Early Career Teachers.

The session featured LDOE's New Teacher Experience program, a comprehensive new teacher induction program designed to increase teacher effectiveness, enhance skills, and reduce attrition among novice teachers. After a brief presentation about the program, REL Southwest partnership lead Robyn Madison facilitated a conversation with a panel of education leaders and teachers. The panelists included Kimberly Eckert, dean of undergraduate studies at Reach University; Lamont Cole, Chief Academic Officer at Community School for Apprenticeship Learning Middle School; Alisa Welsh, principal at Madison Preparatory Academy; Raven Lindsey, teacher at East Baton Rouge Parish School System; and Guy Morgan, teacher at West Baton Rouge Schools. A school leader who attended the session said, "[It was most helpful] listening to the experiences of the panel. It was very insightful and really opened my eyes to what my new teachers need from me as their leader." At the workshop in New Mexico and the panel discussion in Louisiana, local educators learned about of evidence-based programs and tools, at the same time, informing how we craft future learning events and resources.

Lessons learned at Regional Convenings to Support State Action to Advance the Education Professions

While Madison was connecting with educators and students at the Teacher Leader Summit, Arellano was attending the first of three U.S. Department of Education hosted Regional Convenings to Support State Action to Advance the Education Professions where she met with superintendents and state education agency representatives. These convenings were designed to bring together cross-sector state teams representing diverse perspectives from a range of education leaders, including state agency directors, local education agency representatives, technical assistance providers, and researchers with the goal of providing time for state teams to dig deeper into shared challenges related to teacher recruitment and retention.

On May 29–30, 2024, Arellano met with representatives from western states at the convening in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she worked closely with the education leaders from New Mexico to facilitate a discussion on educator diversity. The team focused on strategies for ensuring that every classroom has an effective teacher who represents the community in which they teach. The goal is to create a teacher workforce that is 20 percent Hispanic, 7 percent Native American, and 3 percent African American. To help achieve this goal, the team explored modifying New Mexico's higher education certification licensure pathways to track the teacher-to-student diversity gap through the 2025/26 school year. 

REL Southwest applied research lead Yinmei Wan attended the Jackson, Mississippi, convening on June 20–21, 2024, with education leaders from southern states. Wan reflected, "The convening crystallized the fact that we can never overcome [education] challenges without the involvement of stakeholders at all levels. It is great to hear success stories from multiple states about increasing teacher compensation and innovative strategies to promote high-quality and affordable pathways [to teaching]. I came out of the convening feeling encouraged and energized."

Strengthening local connections to improve research and coaching

REL Southwest is always looking for ways to connect within and across our states to ensure that our work is designed to meet the education priorities of our partners. At state conferences, REL Southwest experts can share resources and evidence-based instructional practices while local educators provide insight into each community's cultural context. At smaller education leader gatherings, state education agency staff provide guidance on shifting state priorities and help our partnerships adjust research questions or implementation evidence-based strategies. After events like these, REL Southwest gains clarity about our region's unique cultural assets, communities, and educational needs. This perspective helps us identify immediate needs, develop solutions informed by education leaders, and guide our partnerships' use of culturally and linguistically responsive research practices.

Related resources

• Blog: Strengthening the educator workforce: A Q&A with education leaders in Louisiana
• Infographic: Diversifying the teacher workforce: Promising strategies from the Regional Educational Laboratories and Comprehensive Centers
• Infographic: Evidence-based writing practices to support English learner students
• Infographic: Strategies to support new teachers in Louisiana
• Descriptive Study: Early progress and outcomes of a grow your own grant program for high school students and paraprofessionals in Texas
• Events: REL Southwest Archive