For more than 50 years, the RELs have collaborated with school districts, state departments of education, and other education stakeholders to help them generate and use evidence and improve student outcomes. Read more
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Christina Tydeman serves as the director of REL Pacific. To this role, Dr. Tydeman brings more than 30 years of experience improving outcomes for K–12 and postsecondary students as a teacher, administrator, and program leader in California and Hawai‘i. As director, Dr. Tydeman works closely with education system leaders across the Pacific region partnering with the REL team on research-based systemic improvement projects. In addition to her expertise in formative learning and large-scale assessments, educational data systems, program evaluations, and professional development, she has served on the development teams for several practitioner guides with the National Forum for Educational Statistics. Dr. Tydeman can be contacted at ctydeman@mcrel.org.
Dale Lewis is the interim deputy director of REL Pacific, assisting and managing staff who are providing research, training, coaching, and technical support across the region in collaboration with partnership members and stakeholders. Dr. Lewis has decades of experience managing large, multi-year grants and programs in K–12 education. He also currently serves as director of the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, a U.S. Department of Education-funded program serving the state education agencies in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. Dr. Lewis can be contacted at dlewis@mcrel.org.
Katie Gao is REL Pacific’s overall partnership lead, coordinating partnership projects and major activities across the region’s seven jurisdictions. Based in Hawai‘i, Dr. Gao has supported REL Pacific partners since 2018, managing partnership communications and collaborative activities and organizing and facilitating meetings with key partners and system leaders, including the REL Pacific Governing Board and locally based consultants. She has also coordinated cross-REL activities and events on social and emotional learning. Dr. Gao can be contacted at kgao@mcrel.org.
Meagan Taylor is REL Pacific’s lead for training, coaching, and technical support for evidence use, working with educators and school system leaders across the region. Based in Hawai‘i, Ms. Taylor has supported educator effectiveness and early learning for REL Pacific since 2019. Ms. Taylor gained knowledge of the research-based skills and strategies that have the highest impact on student learning during her 14 years teaching at the elementary level. Following her years in the classroom, she was a consultant and professional learning facilitator, working with teachers and instructional coaches on how to most effectively help all students learn. Ms. Taylor can be reached at mtaylor@mcrel.org.
Sheila Arens is the lead for REL Pacific’s applied research and peer-reviewed research-based development projects. Dr. Arens has worked in partnership with Pacific Region stakeholders to conduct applied research and provide training, coaching, and technical support for more than six years and has served as a principal investigator on multiple studies aimed at understanding the predictors of college success and teacher outcomes in the region. Dr. Arens can be reached at sarens@mcrel.org.
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