REL Appalachia Partners

To ensure our work is informed by a broad range of perspectives and supported by specialists from diverse fields, REL Appalachia partners with organizations and experts from the region and the nation.

Click on the name of a partner to learn more:

Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia is directed by Robert C. Pianta, Ph.D., Novartis U.S. Foundation Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education. CASTL's mission is to improve the educational outcomes of America's school-age children through the scientific study of teaching, teacher quality, and student classroom learning from preschool through the high school years. CASTL places a particular emphasis on the challenges to successful teaching and learning posed by poverty, social or cultural isolation, or lack of resources in communities under stress. By integrating University initiatives, CASTL is an interdisciplinary mechanism for advancing scientifically based policy and practice in teacher education, student learning, and the quality of classroom teaching, working to ensure that all children in schools and classrooms across the country have access to high-quality teaching and learning experiences.

The collaborative work between CASTL and REL Appalachia involves a long-term randomized control study that evaluates the efficacy of a professional development intervention developed by Dr. Pianta and aimed at improving teachers instructional and social/interactional skills for the purpose of improving student achievement. The intervention is implemented by the CASTL team (Downer and Pianta) and evaluated by a CNA team (Friedman, Cavalluzzo & Lopez).
^Back to Top

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is a private, nonprofit organization working to improve communication through better understanding of language and culture. CAL is headquartered in Washington, DC. The organization has earned a national and international reputation for its contributions to the fields of bilingual education, English as a second language, literacy, foreign language education, dialect studies, language policy, refugee orientation, and the education of linguistically and culturally diverse adults and children. CAL's experienced staff of researchers and educators conducts research, designs and develops instructional materials and language tests, provides technical assistance and professional development, conducts needs assessments and program evaluations, and disseminates information and resources related to language and culture.

CAL brings its expertise of language and language learning to REL Appalachia's fast response research studies that are addressing the rapidly rising enrollments of English Language Learners in the region. CAL also provides guidance in the planning and development of REL Appalachia projects.
^Back to Top

The Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP) at the University of Memphis is an organization known for exemplary research throughout the nation. CREP conducts scientific research associated with educational policies and practices in pre-K through 12th grade schools, and it disseminates research findings that inform education officials at all levels of government. CREP works with over 2000 schools to evaluate school climate and to evaluate both the implementation progress of new instructional programs and their overall effect on student achievement. Led by Dr. Marty Alberg, Director, and Dr. Deborah Lowther, Senior Associate Director, CREP’s diverse and experienced staff has gained national recognition for their contribution to discussions of issues such as reform of teacher education, educational equity, educational technology, school reform and restructuring, urban and multi-cultural education, interventions for at-risk students, and using formative evaluation methods for school improvement decision making.

The CREP team is collaborating with the REL Appalachia on a long term longitudinal randomized control study examining whether the use of high quality online course coupled with teacher training improves teacher and classroom quality and student outcomes (Cavalluzzo, CNA and Lowther, CREP)
^Back to Top

Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies children at all stages of development. Its mission is to improve outcomes for children by providing research, data, and analysis to the people and institutions whose decisions and actions affect children, including program providers, the policy community, researchers and educators, and the media. Founded in 1979, Child Trends helps keep the nation focused on children and their needs by identifying emerging issues; evaluating important programs and policies; and providing data-driven, evidence-based guidance on policy and practice.
^Back to Top

The Collaborative for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is a nonprofit, national educational consulting organization based in Louisville Kentucky. Founded in 1994, the corporation provides customized and targeted consultation and professional development that emphasizes leadership for instructional excellence, literacy within and across all disciplines, and the arts as a strategy to fully engage the whole learner. The CTL approach is firmly grounded in sound educational theory and research, and provides educators with practical tools and strategies to create sustainable capacity. With a professional staff that has extensive experience in education at all levels, the organization is committed to providing high-quality programs that make a difference in the lives of learners.

CTL is a partner with REL Appalachia on one of the multi-year randomized control studies: The Effects of Kentucky Virtual High School's Hybrid Course in Algebra I on Teacher Practices, Classroom Quality, and Adolescent Learning. In addition, CTL staff provides assistance with Needs Assessment, and have proposed several Fast Response Studies for the second year work.
^Back to Top

CommunicationWorks develops innovative ways to shape and inform public attitudes and debate, primarily in the areas of education, youth, and social policy. We build close relationships with our nonprofit, business, and government clients; help them identify their needs; and work with them to deliver cost-effective strategies for promoting their ideas, products, and services. The firm has in-depth content knowledge in K-12 education, higher education, and social policy issues. Based in Washington, D.C., CommunicationWorks benefits from its close proximity to numerous national education and policy organizations.
^Back to Top

Education Research Group, LLC (ERG), was founded in 2009 to provide program research and evaluation, technical assistance, and professional development services to schools, school districts, state education agencies, and the Regional Education Laboratories funded by the US Department of Education. Dr. Anna Grehan, the president of Education Research Group, has been involved in literacy research and school reform initiatives since 1996, conducting research projects and providing professional development in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and New York. ERG provides a research-based system of services to help pre-k through 12 schools, plan, assess, and improve performance. To assist schools in accomplishing goals ERG, with a cadre of professional associates, provides customized research design and instrument development, onsite data collection and observation, coaching, mentoring, reporting, statistical services, and strategic planning.
^Back to Top

The EdVenture Group is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that creates and delivers client specific solutions through its core services of consulting, curriculum development, professional development/training and technology integration. Headquartered in Morgantown, WV, The EdVenture Group serves customers across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other areas of the East Coast. Based on knowledge and expertise, The EdVenture Group focuses on business and education processes, making them more efficient, more cost effective, and more productive for the customer.

The EdVenture Group plays a multifaceted role within REL Appalachia's work by facilitating dialogue between researchers and stakeholders for the needs assessment and contributing to the planning, design, and implementation of fast response studies.
^Back to Top

Forum One is a digital communications firm focused on driving progress on issues of importance such as health, education, the environment, and international development. Forum One provides internet strategy, online community and collaboration, user experience and design, and innovative web site development for influential organizations around the world. Check out our services.

Founded in 1996, Forum One has completed over 1,000 projects for 300 organizations. Forum One’s clients include foundations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and companies. Forum One's staff has rich personal and professional backgrounds that marry sector expertise with technical sophistication. Forum One’s 40 staff members have collectively worked in over 40 countries, possess a variety of advanced degrees and professional certifications, and speak 12 different languages.
^Back to Top

Insight Policy Research, Inc. (Insight), located in Arlington, Virginia, is a national organization specializing in comprehensive, non-partisan, objective, high-quality data-driven evaluations of education and health programs and initiatives. Insight has a highly experienced staff that offers the capacity to provide a full range of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analytic services for a wide scope of government, non-profit, and private sector clients. Insight provides expertise in evaluating program effectiveness and preparing policy analyses to assist clients in making decisions about their programs. Insight is a certified woman-owned, small disadvantaged business. Insight consults on Needs Assessment for the REL Appalachia project.
^Back to Top

The Rural School and Community Trust is a national nonprofit organization addressing the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. Our mission is to help rural schools and communities get better together. Working in some of the poorest, most challenging places, the Rural Trust involves young people in learning linked to their communities, improves the quality of teaching and school leadership, and advocates in a variety of ways for appropriate state educational policies, including the key issue of equitable and adequate funding for rural schools.

The Rural Trust provides a variety of services—training, networking, technical assistance, coaching, mentoring, research—and materials to increase the capacity of rural schools, teachers, young people, and communities to develop and implement high quality place-based education.

We encourage rural people through education, research, organizing and advocacy to become knowledgeable, persistent, and effective citizens who are actively engaged in policy issues that directly affect the quality of education in their communities. We also serve as a resource for educators and policymakers at the state and national levels—identifying and analyzing policies and practices that strengthen rural education, and changing policies that are detrimental to rural schools.

The Rural Trust publishes the monthly newsletter Rural Policy Matters, which provides news of interest to citizens and community groups working on state-level policy issues affecting rural schools. In addition, the Rural Trust maintains a Web site. We have an active publications program that includes Why Rural Matters, a biennial snapshot of the condition of rural education in each of the 50 states, and numerous special reports and white papers.
^Back to Top