About the REL Program
REL Midwest is part of a network of ten regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Each REL serves a designated region of the country and focuses on the national priority of helping states and districts use data and analysis to address important policy and practice issues with the goal of improving student outcomes. REL Midwest serves the educational needs of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. American Institutes for Research (AIR) administers REL Midwest.
What We Do
REL Midwest helps districts and schools systematically use their data systems; conducts and supports high-quality research and evaluation; and assists educational practitioners and policymakers to incorporate data-based inquiry practices into their decision making. Four priority areas emerged from a variety of needs-sensing activities across the Midwest. Underlying all of them is the need for better understanding and use of the application of data. Our work focuses on the following areas:
- College and career readiness
- Early childhood education
- Educator effectiveness
- Low-performing schools and school improvement
What's New
New in the 2012-2017 REL contract are research alliances that are intended to drive research, evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination strategies. All RELs will establish research alliances in their regions and work with them in carrying out the contract’s scope of work. Together, RELs will identify opportunities for coordination and collaboration with each other and with other federal technical assistance providers to help ensure development of a coherent and potentially deep body of knowledge and expertise.
Resources
Publications, technical assistance, and events are all part of REL Midwest’s service menu. And if what you need is outside our scope of work or area of expertise, we’ll put you in touch with an appropriate provider. Here are some of the federally funded resources available to you:
- Regional Educational Laboratory Program
- Regional Comprehensive Centers
- Great Lakes East Comprehensive Center
- Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center
- North Central Comprehensive Center
- Institute of Education Sciences
- National Content Centers
- Assessment & Accountability Comprehensive Center
- Center on Innovation & Improvement
- Center on Instruction
- National High School Center
- National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Doing What Works