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Regional Education Labs (Federal)

Written by Maryellen Rogusky

Thursday, 02 February 2006

Regional Education Network (http://www.relnetwork.org/) is the nation's network of support for research-based school reform. What is the REL Network? The network of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories, serving geographic regions that span the nation, works 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. This Web site is one of many ways that the network reaches out to make that information accessible. With support from the U. S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (formerly the Office of Educational Research and Improvement or OERI), the Laboratories work as vital partners with state and local educators, community members, and policymakers in using research to tackle the difficult issues of education reform and improvement. The concept of Regional Educational Laboratories as a national resource for local and state benefit was implemented by Congress over three decades ago under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. While each Laboratory has distinctive features tailored to meet the Special Needs of the geographic region it serves, the Laboratories also have common characteristics. Guided by a governing board representing stakeholders in its region—educators, business leaders, state officials, and community members—each Laboratory's work is shaped by the concerns, issues, opportunities, and special attributes of its region. The Laboratories: Conduct development and applied research resulting in models for implementing systemic reform and for achieving improvement on a broad Scale Provide information, training, and technical assistance to help states, schools, and communities to implement comprehensive School Improvement strategies Promote widespread access to information regarding research and best practice Create communities of learners who collaborate with the Laboratory in development and dissemination Cooperate with other agencies and programs to deliver services that support efforts of educators and policymakers to improve education Forge strong links to the research community to promote the creation of new knowledge to improve education In addition, each Laboratory brings particular expertise in National Leadership Areas, designated by IES/OERI, making that expertise widely and readily available to all schools and communities throughout the nation.