Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central

Prepared for REL Central in 2016 and 2017

From 2012-17 APA co-led the federal regional education laboratory for the central region of the country (REL Central). REL Central serves state and local education leaders in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. APA staff also led research alliances with state and local education leaders on teacher mentoring, teacher quality, and teacher professional development, while also leading work on return on investment (ROI) analysis in education studies.

APA was the principal investigator on a multi-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) study of a program to mentor new teachers in high need schools using recently retired, master teachers. The study examined impacts on student reading and math test scores and included a return on investment (ROI) analysis to help districts understand the costs and benefits of implementing the program.

APA also led a multistate survey on how school districts mentor new teachers. The survey was designed in collaboration with state education agency leaders in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Nearly 1,000 school districts across responded to the survey which covered numerous topics, such as who provides mentoring, how time spent mentoring changes after the first year for teachers, whether mentors are required to observe mentees, and more.