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Home REL Northwest About REL Northwest
About REL Northwest
Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northwest partners with key stakeholders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice. Key stakeholders include organizations with decision-making authority and the ability to influence education policy and practice, such as state and local education agencies, school boards, institutes of higher education, and student, family, and community organizations. RELs partner with these organizations on applied research and development; training, coaching and technical supports; and dissemination. Click here to learn more about the REL Program.
PARTNERSHIPS
OUR TEAM
REL Northwest is led by WestEd with support from the following partners:
- Marzano Research
- Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
- Analytica, Inc.
GOVERNING BOARD
The REL Governing Board helps REL Northwest prioritize the education needs of the region, provides strategic guidance on REL work to maximize local effectiveness, and leverages members’ regional networks to amplify and disseminate REL products. REL Northwest Governing Board members represent diverse expertise and experience.
REL Northwest is conducting a research study to provide vital information to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DEED) and key partners about the implementation of trauma-engaged practices and policies by districts as well as the use of Alaska's suite of trauma-engaged resources. AK DEED, the Association of Alaska School Boards, and the Alaska Division of Public Health within the Department of Health and Social Services will use insights from the study to bolster the suite of trauma-engaged resources for districts.
Improving student literacy outcomes is a top priority for Alaska. REL Northwest is assisting the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DEED) in developing an approach for measuring progress toward the goals outlined in its state Strategic Reading Plan. The project aims to develop evaluation questions, identify data sources for measurement, and create short- to mid-term evaluation agendas for selected activities.
REL Northwest is delivering a series of trainings to Rural Alliance partners – mostly leaders from eastern Washington rural school districts – to increase understanding and inform decisions and actions to strengthen the region's online and blended programs. The Rural Alliance aims to improve student access to course offerings associated with college and career readiness and success.
Leaders from Montana's Laurel Public Schools seek to accelerate reading outcomes by helping educators more effectively interpret literacy data and respond to trends. REL Northwest is supporting Laurel to increase the capacity and knowledge of educators to use data – including screening, progress monitoring, and formative and summative assessments – to enhance their instruction and ensure appropriate interventions are selected to improve student outcomes.
REL Northwest is helping Lower Kuskokwim School District use research and evidence to inform decisions and actions to strengthen teacher working conditions with the goal of improving retention. Through this technical support project, Lower Kuskokwim will develop an understanding of the research on teacher working conditions and develop tools to assess and monitor data to inform their teacher retention efforts and human resource decisions.
REL Northwest, in partnership with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, will conduct case studies involving Montana school districts regarding best practices in spending Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. REL Northwest will prepare brief, engaging communications materials that provide concrete examples of how districts can use data to identify core issues and focus ESSER funding on evidence-based activities that support student learning.
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has requested assistance from REL Northwest to ensure its state literacy framework includes the most recent evidence on literacy instruction and insights from literacy leaders. Additionally, ODE asked that the presentation of the evidence and insights are easy to comprehend by stakeholders to help drive improved literacy instruction and increased student reading achievement.
REL Northwest supports the work of Alaska’s Department of Education & Early Development (AK DEED) and its partners as they measure implementation related to activities in the state’s Strategic Reading Plan, aimed at raising students’ reading proficiency. In this project, REL Northwest provides technical support to AK DEED as it revises its district literacy survey related to implementation of evidence-based literacy strategies.
How are districts implementing recommendations from the Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in Alaska? REL Northwest assisted AK DEED in developing a statewide survey tool and administration plan to assess the implementation of the framework and the use of a suite of related resources. The technical support project bolstered AK DEED's capacity to carry out similar survey development and dissemination tasks in the future.
The West Central Mountains Early Learning Advisory Committee (WCM ELAC) sought to enhance the quality of early care and education in its region to increase early literacy and the readiness of children entering kindergarten. To support this goal, REL Northwest guided ELAC leaders through a capacity-building process to develop a logic model and evaluation plan to guide the initiative's work and monitor its outcomes.
REL Northwest supported Portland Public Schools partners in developing an evaluation plan to help the district use data to monitor the implementation of strategies in its High School Success Plan. The ongoing evaluation plan will enable the district to adjust resources and supports for schools with the goal of improving high school graduation rates for Black and Alaska Native students.
REL Northwest is supporting the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) in developing a student success plan framework, logic model, and set of indicators that ODE can use to guide the development, monitoring, and evaluation of its statewide Student Success Plans. This will help ODE better partner with community-based organizations, districts, and other grantees to improve outcomes for the historically underserved student populations identified in the student success plans.
REL Northwest assisted staff from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DEED) in analyzing, displaying, and discussing district survey data about reading curricular materials and assessments and publicly available statewide ELA data (e.g., early childhood data, National Assessment of Educational Progress, and Performance Evaluation for Alaska's School). AK DEED staff used what they learned to engage Alaskan leaders, educators, and parents in discussions about the strengths and areas needing improvement related to reading instruction practices, materials, and/or data-based decision-making.
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