REL West

REL West reaches out to policymakers and educators to analyze their needs, solicit their questions, and build their interest in and reliance on evidence-based work. REL West researchers then develop responsive research and development projects to help inform practice and policy decisions, as well as provide technical assistance and convene stakeholders through events that bridge research, policy, and practice.

Our research projects, which result in Institute of Education Sciences-published reports, fall into two categories: fast-response studies and long-term experimental studies. In addition, our other technical assistance work supporting evidence-based decisionmaking in the western region may result in documents of interest to a broader audience and, thus, are included here.

 

Fast Response Studies

These studies, which are completed by REL West within one year and analyze existing data, are tailored to provide the best available answers to specific education questions within the four-state region. 

1. Comparing Achievement Trends in Reading and Math Across Arizona Public School Student Subgroups Oct 2011
2. How California's Local Education Agencies Evaluate Teachers and Principals In Progress
3. An Examination of Retirement Rate Patterns Among California Educators Since 1995/96 School Year In Progress
4. Achievement Trends of Schools and Students in Arizona’s Title I School Improvement Program Jul 2011
5. Projecting the Need for California School Administrators Over 2010/11–2017/18: The Effects of Projected Retirement and Projected Changes in Student Enrollment Over Two-Year Increments Mar 2011
6. The Relationship Between English Proficiency and Content Knowledge for English Language Learner Students in Grades 10 and 11 in Utah Mar 2011
7. Do Schools in Rural and Nonrural Districts Allocate Resources Differently? An Analysis of Spending and Staffing Patterns in the West Region States Jan 2011
8. Patterns of Student Mobility Among English Language Learner Students in Arizona Public Schools Oct 2010
9. Where Do English Learners Go to School? Student Distribution by Language Proficiency in Arizona Aug 2010
10. Updated Multistate Review of Professional Teaching Standards Apr 2010
11. School-Site Administrators: A California County and Regional Perspective on Labor Market Trends Jan 2010
12. The Status of State-level Response to Intervention Policies and Procedures in the West Region States and Five Other States Aug 2009
13. A Multistate Review of Professional Teaching Standards Jul 2009
14. Examining Independent Study High Schools in California Jun 2009
15. Characteristics of California School Districts in Program Improvement: 2008 Update Oct 2008
16. Training Early Intervention Assistants in California's Community Colleges Sep 2008
17. Implementation of the Weighted Student Formula Policy in San Francisco: A Descriptive Study of an Equity-Driven, Student-Based Planning and Budgeting Policy Aug 2008
18. Characteristics of California School Districts in Program Improvement Jul 2008
19. Characteristics of Arizona School Districts in Improvement Jul 2008
20. The Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District Jul 2008
21. Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective Jul 2008
22. Examining the Links Between Grade 12 Mathematics Coursework and Mathematics Remediation in Nevada Public Colleges and Universities Jul 2008
23. Course-taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California's Public University Systems Among Minority Youth Jan 2008
24. Measuring Resilience and Youth Development: The Psychometric Properties of the Healthy Kids Survey Sep 2007
25. The Distribution of Teaching and Learning Resources in California's Middle and High Schools Sep 2007
26. An Analysis of Utah's K–3 Reading Improvement Program Jun 2007

Long-term Experimental Studies

These multi-year studies, using randomized controlled trials, examine the effectiveness of promising education interventions in critical areas with the aim of providing more solutions to persistent education challenges. REL West has designed and implemented six of these studies in the western region that will provide scientifically valid answers to pressing questions about interventions that support the development of children of all ages in many types of settings. Results of these multiyear studies, listed below, will be published and shared nationally by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and will be disseminated by REL West to policymakers and practitioners throughout the western region.

1. Accommodations for English Language Learner Students: The Effect of Linguistic Modification of Math Test Item Sets Jun 2010
2. Effects of Problem Based Economics on High School Economics Instruction Aug 2010
3. Evaluating the Impact of the Program for Infant/Toddler Care In Progress
4. Impact of the Understanding Science Professional Development Model on Science Achievement of English Language Learner Students In Progress
5. Evaluation of the Quality Teaching for English Learners Program In Progress
6. Effects of the Lessons in Character English Language Arts Character Education Program on Behavior and Academic Outcomes In Progress

Other Technical Assistance

In addition to conducting peer-reviewed studies for publication by IES, we provide technical assistance to regional educators and policymakers in order to clarify issues and answer pressing questions. This assistance comes in the form of advising on research and evaluation designs, analyzing available data to inform immediate decisions, and summarizing the literature on specific topics.