Regional Educational Laboratories [REL]:

A network of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education, serving geographic regions that span the nation, working to ensure that those involved in educational improvement at the local, state, and regional levels have access to the best available information from research and practice.  REL Web Site  [opens in a new window]

• Regional Lab Appalachia - CNA  [opens in a new window] - REL Appalachia, which is headquartered at CNA in Alexandria, Virginia, is responsible for conducting work that pertains to the education needs of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. REL Appalachia is composed of a team of nationally recognized educational research scientists employed by CNA in Alexandria, Virginia as well by research scientists and other education experts in partner organizations located in the REL Appalachia region. CNA is a 63 year-old non-profit organization with a tradition of providing high quality research, analysis and technical assistance to federal, state and local agencies.
• Regional Lab Central- McREL  [opens in a new window] - REL Central is administered by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) and is responsible for conducting work that pertains to the education needs of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming. McREL, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Denver, Colorado, has served the Central Region as a regional laboratory for more than 40 years. REL Central's portfolio of short-term research projects includes studies that address rural education needs, the needs of special student populations, assessment and accountability issues, and concerns about high schools. The laboratory's long-term rigorous research studies focus on classroom assessment, English language learners, and school improvement.
• Regional Lab Mid-Atlantic- PSU  [opens in a new window] - The Regional Educational Lab Mid-Atlantic (REL Mid-Atlantic) is a true collaboration among five partners working together to meet the research needs of educational leaders and policy makers in our region. The Pennsylvania State University; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Caliber, an ICF International Company; The Metiri Group; and ANALYTICA are collaborating to provide the expertise and broad geographic base required to serve educators in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
• Regional Lab Midwest- Learning Point Associates  [opens in a new window] - REL Midwest at Learning Point Associates-serving the seven states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin-provides policymakers and practitioners with resources based on the highest quality evidence as defined by scientifically valid research principles. REL Midwest's work includes short-term, fast-response applied research and development projects based on annual needs-sensing data as well as studies conducted over a five-year period using randomized controlled trials.
• Regional Lab Northeast and Islands - EDC  [opens in a new window] - Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and WestEd are pleased to serve as the new Northeast and the Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (REL Northeast and Islands), under a five-year contract from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) beginning in March, 2006. The REL Northeast and Islands region includes the six New England States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont), New York State, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
• Regional Lab Northwest - Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory  [opens in a new window] - The REL Northwest is currently being administered by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, an organization with approximately 40 years experience as a REL. The current work planned by REL Northwest reflects the needs identified in its region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, & Washington. Some of the topics being explored this first year include literacy coaching; professional development in science and mathematics; improving school leadership; supplemental education services; parental choice; and providing support to schools identified under NCLB as schools in need of improvement.
• Regional Lab Pacific - Pacific Resources for Education and Learning  [opens in a new window] - REL Pacific serves American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, & Republic of Palau. These entities have a population of 1,680,000 people spread across 4.9 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. In addition to economic and political diversity, the Pacific island entities are characterized by a multiplicity of indigenous cultures and languages. The languages of instruction in the region's schools include English, as well as more than a dozen Pacific languages, such as Samoan, Chuukese, and Marshallese. Teachers' highest levels of education range from a high school diploma to a PhD. The focus of the work of REL Pacific is scientifically-based research, technical assistance, and professional development in reading comprehension for the purpose of improving and strengthening reading instruction and English language learner achievement.
• Regional Lab Southeast - SERVE  [opens in a new window] - The REL Southeast is operated by SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and serves the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. SERVE Center has supported its region's education community for over fifteen years through research, development, evaluation, technical assistance, training, and dissemination efforts. The portfolio of work planned by the REL Southeast is based on its region's most pressing needs for scientifically based information as identified through annual assessments, market research analysis, and by direct requests for technical assistance by local and state education leaders and others in the education community.
• Regional Lab Southwest - Edvance Research  [opens in a new window] - REL Southwest is operated by Edvance Research and serves the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas and works for the benefit of over 6.5 million students, over 400,000 teachers in approximately 14,000 schools in grades pre-kindergarten through college in this five-state region.
• Regional Lab West - WestEd  [opens in a new window] - Education in the western region, and nationwide, can be substantially improved through better use of research evidence. This mission drives REL West in its work with policymakers and educators in the four Western states — Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. Like all the regional educational laboratories in this contract period, REL West engages in both long-term rigorous evaluations of promising interventions and short-term, fast response projects to inform immediate action. REL West will communicate research-based information to the region and the nation in ways that are understandable and tailored to the needs of the audience, through both print publications and online events. Staff will provide technical assistance on interpretation of evidence and evaluation methods.