REL Mid-Atlantic

Delaware

District Of Columbia

Maryland

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in Delaware 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.

Map of the REL Mid-Atlantic region with Delaware highlighted

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Partnerships

Accountability Community of Practice

This community of practice brings state agencies and measurement experts together to develop and improve school performance measures that are robust, valid, reliable, and useful for decisionmaking now and in the future.

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Evidence to Refine and Implement a Teacher Evaluation System in Delaware (Historical)

This partnership worked closely with Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to create sustained, systematic organizational change by helping DDOE implement a revised teacher evaluation system statewide that effectively helps teachers improve their instructional practice.

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Supporting High-Quality Career and Technical Education Opportunities in Delaware

REL Mid-Atlantic is partnering with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to improve how the state gathers and uses information about its career and technical education (CTE) programs. Together, we are building capacity to collect and use data that can help the state and local districts better understand what’s working well, where gaps exist, and how students move through CTE pathways. This work will help Delaware make more informed decisions so all students can access pathways that lead to economic self-sufficiency. Partnership organization: Delaware Department of Education

Creating More Supportive Learning Conditions for Students in Delaware: Current

REL Mid-Atlantic is partnering with the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to strengthen how the state collects, reports, and uses school discipline data. This work aims to help state leaders, districts, and schools better report and interpret discipline data and implement practices that create more supportive learning conditions for all students.

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in the District of Columbia 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

A Toolkit to Support Evidence-Based Writing Instruction in Grades 2 Through 4

A set of free professional development materials designed with busy educators in mind. The toolkit builds on the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, to promote collaborative learning and planning among teachers. The Toolkit is a one-stop shop for those interested in improving students’ writing quality and offers guided activities and practices that teachers can implement throughout the school year. The toolkit was informed by teachers, school leaders, and professional development coaches from four charter schools in the District of Columbia.

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Accountability Community of Practice

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Enhancing Multi-Tiered System of Supports for District of Columbia Public Schools

COVID both exacerbated pre-existing inequities in student performance and social-emotion well-being as well as brought COVID emergency relief funding. DCPS is leveraging these funds to improve the aforementioned inequities in part through its Multi-Tiered System of Supports, MTSS@DCPS. The REL is conducting both applied research and technical support projects to partner with DCPS in leveraging evidence-based approaches as it embeds MTSS district-wide.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in Maryland 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.

Map of the REL Mid-Atlantic region with Maryland highlighted

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Partnerships

Accountability Community of Practice

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Improving Post-High School Transitions for Students with Disabilities in Maryland

This partnership will work with the Maryland Department of Disabilities to support and improve the coordination and tracking of services for students with disabilities, to increase connection to career readiness and post-school career services and to post-secondary education opportunities. This partnership will also collaborate with the Center for Transition and Career Innovation at the University of Maryland, and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Rehabilitation Services, and Charles County Public Schools.

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Building Evidence to Strengthen Computer Science Education in Maryland

REL Mid-Atlantic is partnering with the Maryland Center for Computing Education and St. Mary’s County Public Schools to study how implementing an introductory computer science course, required for all eighth-grade students, supports students’ computational thinking, mathematics achievement, and interest in advanced computer science coursework. The partnership will build local capacity to design computer science intervention studies that can meet evidence standards under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. This work will help Maryland education leaders generate and use evidence to promote, monitor, and strengthen computer science instruction. Partnership organizations: Maryland Center for Computer Science Education and St. Mary’s County Public Schools

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in New Jersey 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.

Map of the REL Mid-Atlantic region with New Jersey highlighted

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Partnerships

Accountability Community of Practice

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Increasing Teacher Diversity in New Jersey (Historical)

This partnership will work with NJDOE, building on prior REL work, to use research and data to increase the number of teachers of color hired in the state and eventually improve student outcomes.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in Pennsylvania 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.

Map of the REL Mid-Atlantic region with Pennsylvania highlighted

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Partnerships

Accountability Community of Practice

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Using Data to Foster Supportive Learning Environments in Pennsylvania Schools

REL Mid-Atlantic is partnering with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to help strengthen the quality and usefulness of its school climate and safety data and improve how that data is shared with schools. The partnership will also build state, regional, and local leaders’ capacity to interpret insights from data and use them to guide strategies that foster supportive learning environments for students and staff.

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Using Measurement and Evidence to Promote Racial Equity in the School District of Philadelphia (Historical)

Acknowledging persistent disparities in student outcomes and a history of structural racism in the district, in 2021 the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) announced its goal to become a more equitable school district by examining and disrupting inequitable processes and practices.

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Latest blogs

Research insights

Supporting State Literacy Priorities with Evidence-Based Tools

Mar 03, 2026 by Laura Dyer

Blog

A Solution for Promoting Accuracy and Equity in Measures of School Performance

Nov 07, 2024 by Morgan Rosendahl

Blog

Beyond the Scoreboard: Accountability for Processes Can Help Schools Make the Right P...

Sep 25, 2024 by Brian Gill

Blog

Collaborative Approaches to the Educator Workforce Crisis

Sep 05, 2024 by Jenny Fitzsimons

Featured report

Descriptive Study

Stabilizing School Performance Indicators in New Jersey to Reduce the Effect of Random Error

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 requires states to use a variety of indicators, including standardized tests and atten...

Publication number: REL 2025 009