REL Northeast & Islands

Connecticut

Maine

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

New York

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

Vermont

Virgin Islands

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Connecticut 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

Connecticut Partnership to Support Multilingual Learner Mathematics Outcomes

This partnership aims to build the capacity of Connecticut teachers to use research-based instructional strategies to facilitate mathematics learning for middle grade multilingual learners (MLLs), with the long-term goal of increasing middle grade MLLs’ mathematics achievement.

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Teacher Preparation Research Alliance (Historical)

The Teacher Preparation Research Alliance brings together state education agency leaders responsible for teacher education program review and credentialing, representatives of traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs, and district leaders engaged in teacher preparation partnerships. Alliance members develop and use research to increase the readiness of teachers entering the profession, better understand the relationship between teacher preparation and teacher and student outcomes, and inform policy and practice related to preparing teachers for the workforce.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Maine 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

Maine Partnership to Strengthen Numeracy

This partnership aims to strengthen numeracy from early childhood to adult learning by supporting the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to evaluate activities aligned with the state’s Numeracy Action Plan.

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Maine Partnership to Support Innovative and Equitable Educational Opportunities (Historical)

This partnership will address the need to understand original and inventive approaches to persisting problems of practice to help ensure that all students have access to rich and rigorous learning opportunities to improve student absenteeism, engagement, and social-emotional learning.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Massachusetts 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

Massachusetts Partnership to Strengthen State Capacity for Family Engagement

The Massachusetts Partnership aims to build the capacity of the Office of Student and Family Services within the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to design and implement a program evaluation process for family engagement activities and programs.

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Massachusetts Partnership to Support Student Learning through Math Intervention (Historical)

Through this partnership, district leaders are seeking ways to bolster students’ mathematics learning by providing intervention in addition to core instruction.

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Early Childhood Workforce Development Research Alliance (Historical)

The Early Childhood Workforce Development Research Alliance brings together early childhood leaders from across the region to identify and use evidence to refine programs and policies aimed at increasing early childhood teachers’ degree attainment, credentials, and compensation, and to strengthen professional development plans and activities.

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Massachusetts School Turnaround Research Partnership (Historical)

The Massachusetts School Turnaround Research Partnership is working with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to examine the turnaround practices and indicators of the lowest performing schools in the state in order to improve them. The Partnership is also exploring how to best share information about effective turnaround practices with a broader audience, including districts and schools.

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Professional Learning and Development Research Alliance (Historical)

Evidence suggests that school districts invest significant resources in teacher professional learning and development (PLD). Given this substantial investment, districts need to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to improve instruction. Yet many district officials report they find it difficult to evaluate their PLD efforts effectively and rigorously. The Professional Learning and Development Research Alliance supports district leaders from across the region in making evidence-based decisions regarding the selection, adaptation, scale up, and/or discontinuation of PLD programs and interventions.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in New Hampshire 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

New Hampshire Partnership to Increase Early Learning Outcomes through Play

This partnership aims to improve kindergarten readiness and early elementary outcomes for students by supporting the adoption, scale-up, and evaluation of play-based learning practices in kindergarten classrooms across the state.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in New York 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

New York Partnership to Support Participation in Early College Programs

This partnership aims to better understand the extent to which students from underrepresented groups have access to and are enrolling in New York’s early college programs, as well as the outcomes experienced by participating students.

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New York Partnership to Strengthen Personalized Learning for Equity (Historical)

This partnership strengthened partners’ capacity to collect data on personalized learning programs to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement.

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New York Research Partnership for Alternative Pathways (Historical)

New York State education leaders seek to address racial and socioeconomic gaps in high school graduation rates, as well as rates of remedial mathematics placement among those who do graduate and attend college. In 2015, New York began offering alternative pathways to a high school diploma that allow students to use approved assessments in the arts, career and technical education, and other subject areas as a way to meet some graduation requirements. The New York Research Partnership for Alternative Pathways collaborates on research focused on these alternative graduation pathways and other problems of practice, including the rate of remediation among state college students.

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Social and Emotional Learning Research Alliance (Historical)

Research suggests a positive association between students’ social and emotional skills—such as self-awareness and responsible decision making—and their academic and career outcomes. Reflecting these findings, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows states and districts to use federal funds on evidenced-based programs that promote students’ social and emotional learning (SEL). Yet information about evidence-based SEL interventions and reliable measures are not easily accessible to practitioners. In response, the Social and Emotional Learning Research Alliance supports state and district leaders as they seek to identify and synthesize emerging evidence about SEL measures and interventions to inform their own policies and practices. Alliance members’ priority research topics include measurement, supports for SEL in and out of school (family and community engagement), instructional strategies, and professional learning.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Puerto Rico 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

Puerto Rico Partnership to Engage Families in Data Use

This partnership aims to improve student outcomes by building educators’ capacity to design and implement clear, data-driven communication with families about students’ academic and behavioral progress.

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Puerto Rico Research Partnership to Promote the Use of Education Data (Historical)

As part of its efforts to promote a culture of data use in education decision making, the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) is increasing the presence and expanding the role of newly assigned data coaches for each of the island’s seven school regions. The Puerto Rico Partnership to Promote the Use of Education Data provides technical support to the PRDE data coaches as they become familiar with their role and learn to incorporate the data inquiry cycle as part of their role. In addition, the partnership will also help educational (K–12) practitioners use data to inform and differentiate classroom practices.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Rhode Island 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

Rhode Island Partnership to Support Early College Opportunities

This partnership aims to reduce opportunity gaps among historically and currently underserved student groups in terms of the number of high schools offering early college opportunities and the percentage of students earning college credits and participating in early college opportunities.

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Rhode Island Pipelines to College and Career Research Partnership (Historical)

The Rhode Island Pipelines to College and Career Research Partnership uses data from the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to support state and local education agencies in making data-informed decisions regarding college and career readiness (CCR) and career and technical education (CTE) initiatives with a particular focus on equity. The partnership values a coordinated, integrated approach to funding, delivering, and studying CCR and CTE secondary-school initiatives and their impact on postsecondary and workforce outcomes. The partnership consists of representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner (OPC), and Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Vermont 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

Vermont Partnership to Strengthen Implementation Capacity in Education Systems

This partnership aims to strengthen implementation capacity and continuous improvement processes throughout the state’s education systems.

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Vermont Partnership to Strengthen Flexible Pathways for College and Career Success (Historical)

This partnership identified and addressed opportunity gaps in access to and participation in career and technical education and work-based learning, particularly for students in underrepresented groups and those in rural locations.

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Vermont Universal PreK Research Partnership (Historical)

This partnership addressed research questions to assist the state in successfully implementing the universal preK model.

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Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Virgin Islands 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

U.S. Virgin Islands Partnership to Strengthen the Early Childhood Workforce

This partnership aims to improve kindergarten readiness and elementary outcomes for all PreK–3 students—particularly in literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning—by strengthening the early childhood educator workforce.

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Regional English Learner Research Alliance (Historical)

Building on more than 10 years supporting educators in providing high-quality instruction to English learner students, REL Northeast & Islands launched the Regional English Learner Research Alliance in Fall 2019. The Alliance expands the Connecticut English Learner Research Partnership, which for three years focused on supporting stakeholders at all levels in Connecticut districts to have a shared understanding of how to provide high-quality, evidence-based instruction to English learner students. The Alliance includes members from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island. These members are refining and expanding on the partnership’s goal to address regionwide issues around culturally relevant instruction, increasing collaboration across educational content areas, improving graduation rates, and appropriately serving the diverse population of English learners.

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Featured report

Descriptive Study

Exploring Implementation of Play-Based Learning in New Hampshire’s Kindergarten Class...

This descriptive study examined New Hampshire kindergarten teachers’ and elementary school administrators' familiarity with and impleme...

Publication number: REL 2026-013