REL Central

Colorado

Kansas

Missouri

Nebraska

North Dakota

South Dakota

Wyoming

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in Colorado 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.

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Partnerships

Strengthening student pathways to success in 9th grade math in Denver Public Schools

REL Central will work with core district leaders and a subset of district schools to better understand what factors may contribute to or hinder student success in grade 9 math.

Advancing Colorado’s Strategic Education Goals

REL Central is partnering with the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education to advance priorities in Colorado’s 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, which focuses on increasing student engagement, improving outcomes, and strengthening the educator workforce. REL Central’s work includes helping the state identify and learn from high-performing “bright spot” schools and districts and supporting local strategies to recruit and retain teachers through community-based Grow Your Own programs.

Read More Advancing Colorado’s Strategic Education Goals

Teacher Diversity in Colorado (Historical)

This partnership will work closely with Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) to promote increased diversity within the teacher workforce by helping CDE and CDHE to examine the teacher pipeline and pathways and use this information to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers of color.

Read More Teacher Diversity in Colorado (Historical)

Colorado School Improvement Research Partnership (Historical)

The Colorado School Improvement Research Partnership (CO School Improvement RP) comprises researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who share a common goal of supporting school improvement efforts throughout the state of Colorado in order to improve student learning outcomes. To meet this goal, the partnership advances technical support projects focused on building SEA and district capacity to evaluate education programs, analyzing the cost of programs relative to their benefits to schools, and developing a library of resources that teachers and administrators can leverage to better understand student and school data. The CO School Improvement RP shares project resources and challenges to advance practices among workgroups within the state.

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Early Childhood Education Research Alliance (Historical)

The Early Childhood Education Research Alliance (ECE RA) brings together stakeholders from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and North Dakota to work on initiatives to increase kindergarten readiness. The alliance has two areas of focus: Data Use; and Preparation and Support. Overall, alliance objectives include determining ways to use data to inform early childhood practices, policies, and programs; and supporting effective instruction and classroom environments. The long-term goals of the alliance involve increasing kindergarten readiness and quality early childhood environments.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in Kansas 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.

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Partnerships

Supporting postsecondary and workforce readiness of students in Kansas

This partnership will work closely with Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to support sustainable, systematic organizational change by helping KSDE revitalize Individual Plans of Study (IPS) practices to effectively help prepare students for postsecondary education and the workplace.

College and Career Readiness Research Alliance (Historical)

The College and Career Readiness Research Alliance (CCR RA) is a cross-state group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who share a common goal of ensuring that all students graduate from high school prepared to enter the workforce or enroll in postsecondary degree or certification programs. To meet this goal, the alliance has two areas of focus: Postsecondary Success and Algebra I Readiness and Success. Specifically, the CCR RA aims to increase the capacity of educators in participating states to gather and use data to promote the postsecondary success of their students.

Read More College and Career Readiness Research Alliance

Educator Pipeline Research Alliance (Historical)

The Educator Pipeline Research Alliance (RA) is a cross-state group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who share a common goal of supporting the development and retention of effective educators, which in turn will lead to improvements in student academic outcomes. To meet this goal, alliance members in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming concentrate on three focus areas within the educator pipeline: Educator Preparation; Educator Evaluation; and Educator Mobility.

Read More Educator Pipeline Research Alliance

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in Missouri 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.

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Partnerships

Improving early-career teacher retention in Missouri

This partnership works closely with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and select school districts across Missouri to enhance mentoring and other supports for early-career teachers so that they are more likely to continue teaching in their district.

Read More Improving early-career teacher retention in Missouri

Missouri Equity Research Partnership (Historical)

The Missouri Equity Research Partnership (MO Equity RP) comprises a group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who share the common goal of examining the implementation and outcomes of initiatives stemming from the Missouri Equity Plan. The plan focuses on the supply, distribution, and development of effective educators, which in turn result in improvements in student outcomes across the state. To meet the goal, the MO Equity RP advances work within two focus areas of the partnership: Access to Quality Teachers; and Leadership Development. Partnership members share project resources and challenges in order to further practices and policies in Missouri.

Read More Missouri Equity Research Partnership

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in Nebraska 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.

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Partnerships

Increasing equitable access to and success in honors courses in Lincoln Public Schools

This partnership works with Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska to help identify and remove barriers preventing secondary students from accessing honors courses and support students’ overall success in these courses, especially for students of color, to reduce its disproportionate rates of enrollment and achievement.

Nebraska School Improvement Research Partnership

The Nebraska School Improvement Research Partnership (NE School Improvement RP) assembles a group of Nebraska stakeholders whose objectives include identifying evidence-based practices for school improvement, determining strategies for implementing such practices, and exploring ways in which education agencies can sustain and scale up programs for schools in need of improvement. The partnership has three areas of focus: Evidence-Based Practices; Scaling Intensive Support; and Data-Informed Decision-Making. Overall, partnership objectives include supporting NDE in creating a coherent system of support for continuous school improvement and in building internal capacity for data-driven decision-making. The long-term goal is to increase NDE’s capacity to provide coordinated, coherent, and high-quality support to Nebraska schools.

Read More Nebraska School Improvement Research Partnership

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in North Dakota 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.

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Partnerships

Accelerating math achievement in North Dakota

The goal of this partnership is to accelerate student math growth and proficiency in North Dakota.

Read More Accelerating math achievement in North Dakota

Designing and Piloting Project-Based Math Modules in Standing Rock Schools

This partnership works with educators in Standing Rock, Sitting Bull College, and the Standing Rock Tribal Education Department to improve student interest in math and math achievement through project-based learning. Project-based learning is intended to make learning relevant to students and to increase student engagement through collaboration in and outside of school.

North Dakota Innovative Schools Research Partnership (Historical)

The goal of the North Dakota Innovative Schools Research Partnership (ND Innovative Schools RP) is to support the development and implementation of innovative schools in the state. The work of the partnership focuses on collecting and analyzing data to understand the implementation of, and outcomes related to, innovative school reform initiatives. This work supports the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) goals to improve the delivery and administration of education and academic success of students.

Read More North Dakota Innovative Schools Research Partnership

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in South Dakota 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.

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Partnerships

Designing and Piloting Project-Based Math Modules in Standing Rock Schools

Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline in South Dakota to Alleviate Teacher Shortages

This partnership focuses on addressing teacher shortages through the development and implementation of new pathways into teaching for candidates such as paraprofessionals and others already in South Dakota.

Rural Education Research Alliance (Historical)

In six of the seven states in the REL Central region, at least 25 percent of the population is designated as rural. The Rural Education Research Alliance (RA) brings together stakeholders from across our region to work on initiatives and issues in rural districts. The alliance has two areas of focus: Teacher Recruitment and Retention; and Closing the Achievement Gap The goals of the Rural Education RA are to provide assistance in examining these issues in rural districts as well as to provide coaching, technical support, and applied research to support partners in addressing these challenges.

Read More Rural Education Research Alliance

American Indian Education Research Alliance (Historical)

Research has repeatedly shown that schools serving American Indian (AI) students face myriad challenges and have lower educational outcomes than schools serving non-Native student populations. Issues such as low postsecondary readiness, low achievement, and high rates of absenteeism are pervasive in many AI schools. The REL Central region is home to many AI tribes, and SEAs are focusing on closing these persistent gaps in outcomes. The American Indian Education Research Alliance (RA) focuses on projects supporting South Dakota and North Dakota in better understanding the issues facing schools as they implement solutions. The alliance has two areas of focus: Needs Assessment; and Culturally Responsive Instructional Strategies. These areas of focus work together to support the long-term goal of connecting AI students and communities to schools in order to reduce disparities in outcomes.

Read More American Indian Education Research Alliance

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Central partners with key stakeholders in Wyoming 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.

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Partnerships

Mitigating Teacher Shortages in Wyoming through a Teacher Apprenticeship Program

The REL Central Wyoming partnership works closely with state partners, including the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), University of Wyoming (UW), Wyoming Community College Commission (WCCC), Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB), and local education and workforce partners, on a teacher apprenticeship program to mitigate the state’s teacher shortage.

Wyoming State Support Research Partnership (Historical)

The Wyoming State Support Research Partnership (WY State Support RP) brings together stakeholders from across the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to focus on state education reform and initiative support. WDE leadership and staff are designing and implementing a variety of guidance and initiatives to support districts and schools in providing high-quality education to all students.

Read More Wyoming State Support Research Partnership

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Featured Report

Descriptive Study

Factors Associated with Grade 9 Math Success in Denver Public Schools

Publication number: REL 2026–008