WALTHAM, MA | December 28, 2011
EDC has been chosen to continue operating the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands through 2017 with a new five-year $36 million contract awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. EDC has led the REL since 2006.
One of ten RELs around the country, EDC serves New England, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands by providing rigorous research studies, a Reference Desk service, and technical assistance to regional, state, and local education agencies. The new contract enables the REL to continue this work, placing special emphasis on helping states, districts, and schools use their data effectively, form and conduct research and evaluation through new research alliances, and help educators incorporate data into their decision-making.
“The new contract validates the hard work of EDC and our partners to serve the education research needs of the region over the past half decade,” said Director Jill Weber. “This award will enable us to expand our reach while helping states and school districts to conduct research, make sense of the data they are collecting, and develop a greater understanding of research to create sustainable school reforms.”
REL Northeast and Islands will develop and facilitate research alliances of practitioners, policymakers, and others who will work together to improve education outcomes. The structure, size, and focus of each alliance will reflect the needs of the region, with a focus in the first year on eight areas: rural districts, educator effectiveness, early childhood, quality education for English language learners, college and career readiness, dropout prevention, and longitudinal data systems.
Under the new award, EDC will continue its partnerships with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Learning Innovations at WestEd.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), is a global nonprofit organization that addresses some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. Visit www.edc.org. The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) is run by EDC in partnership with AIR and WestEd’s Learning Innovations program. REL-NEI is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. Visit www.relnei.org.
