May 2007

Educational Lab Provides Research and Resources for Schools Seeking Improvement

• How can districts reduce teacher turn-over?
• What are effective math programs for children with disabilities?
• How can high school administrators increase parent involvement?

These are just a few of the questions that state-level educators and policymakers wrestle with daily as they work to meet demanding federal requirements while also educating an increasingly diverse student body. To aid states, the federal government’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports a network of labs that develop and share the best in educational research. EDC leads the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (NEIREL), working in partnership with Learning Innovations at WestEd and the American Institute for Research.

As NEIREL begins its second year at EDC, research staff are identifying and responding to high priority education needs at the state and regional levels. To do this most effectively, NEIREL has established a liaison for each state who works with the commissioner of education.

“The liaisons help us identify pressing questions at the state level so we can provide prompt, research-based answers,” says Jill Weber, project manager of NEIREL. “These relationships make this work different from that of a traditional technical assistance provider because it allows us to drive at the issues that effect policy decisions,” she says.

For instance, in Massachusetts state leaders sought an analysis of factors contributing to the decline in reading scores among third graders. They also wanted a review of effective orientation programs for new teachers. “We worked with the commissioner to identify about 12 requests like these,” explains EDC’s Leslie Hergert, state liaison to NEIREL for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “We followed up on eight of them, providing the latest information, reports, and other resources which will serve state leaders as they make policy decisions.”

Several topics they identified warranted fuller investigation, so NEIREL researchers will also conduct a series of “fast-response” studies—original research efforts running up to a year in duration. “The topics are generated in collaboration with state leaders, but are designed to yield information relevant to educators across the region where possible,” explains Weber. There are 16 topics proposed for this year, including the study of third grade reading scores, a catalogue of drop-out prevention programs in the region, and an assessment of state intervention programs for low-performing schools.

In addition, NEIREL will direct two longer-term randomized control trials, lasting four years. The first is an evaluation of a reading comprehension program popular for struggling readers. A second study is pending approval from IES.

For more information contact Jill Weber jweber@edc.org.

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