REL Pacific serves one state (Hawai‘i), three territories (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam), and three nations in free association with the United States–the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap), the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. These entities have a population of 1,680,000 people spread across 4.9 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. In addition to economic and political diversity, the Pacific islands are characterized by a multitude of indigenous cultures and languages. The languages of instruction in the region's schools include more than a dozen Pacific languages, such as Chuukese, Marshallese, and Samoan. English is the common language of instruction in all jurisdictions, but is not the language spoken at home for most students outside of Hawai‘i. Teachers' highest levels of education range from a high school diploma to a PhD.
The REL Pacific is a program of Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), whose mission is Building Capacity Through Education. The focus of the work of REL Pacific is bringing evidence–based educational interventions to practitioners in the Pacific region.
Meet REL Pacific
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) is the primary contractor for REL Pacific. PREL is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that serves the educational community in the U.S.–affiliated Pacific, the continental United States, and countries throughout the world. PREL bridges the gap between research, theory, and practice in education and works collaboratively with schools and school systems to provide services that range from curriculum development to assessment and evaluation. In addition to the main office in Honolulu, Hawaii, PREL maintains personnel at 11 service centers throughout the U.S.–affiliated Pacific. PREL service centers, which are established in partnership with local educational agencies in each of the entities PREL serves, assist in making PREL's work more timely, meaningful, and responsive to needs. In the Pacific region, with its long distances and wide diversity of cultures and languages, PREL service centers are a critical component in maximizing available resources and ensuring the appropriateness of service–what is provided and how it is provided–in order to obtain the greatest impact. PREL subcontracts with Berkeley Policy Associates (BPA), a California-based research and evaluation company. REL Pacific partners with all of the school systems in the U.S.–affiliated Pacific, as well as the institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Lab Director:
Dr. Roger J.D. Chesswas
Governing Board
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Contractor: REL Pacific at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning 900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1300 Honolulu, HI 96813-3718 Phone: (800) 377-4773 Fax: (808) 441-1385 chesswasr@prel.org http://www.prel.org |
Subcontractors/Partners:
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