To target and ensure the relevance of its work, REL West relies heavily on outreach and engagement in the field. A State Liaison for each of the four states in the region, and content experts that work across states, regularly and systematically assess needs by reaching out to education stakeholders and policymakers at all levels of the system. Needs, requests, and responses are tracked in a database and routinely analyzed. Information gleaned helps determine both the research REL West undertakes and the dissemination strategies it employs.
State Liaisons, content experts, and other team members work closely with our Board of Directors and Regional Comprehensive Centers, as well as stakeholders such as state education agencies, regional support providers, district administrators, teachers’ associations, universities, and legislators, to develop deep understanding of the educational needs of the region and how best REL West can target its support and resources.
Priority regional needs identified through this comprehensive and thorough needs assessment process, and that informed establishment of the eight initial Research Alliances in the West, are:
- Increasing college and career readiness and persistence
- Strengthening educator effectiveness
- Strengthening school climate and student achievement in low-performing schools
- Accelerating achievement among English learner students