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NWREL's Increasing Impact on Student Achievement
As well as marking the beginning of a new century, 2000 was a milestone year for the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
Among the milestones highlighted in this year's NWREL Annual Report are the completion of the final year of our current five-year Regional Educational Laboratory Program contract to serve the Northwest region; the award of new multiyear grants to assist schools in mathematics and science education, use of technology, and school reform; and the operation of major national centers to assist local safe schools, education mentoring, and service learning projects.
The results of our work are reported in impressive numbers: 87,000 people benefited directly from NWREL activities; 39,300 participated in workshops and conferences; nearly 350,000 copies of publications and products were disseminated; and NWREL's Web site received 5 million accesses in 2000.
The impact of these activities on student achievement can be seen in data reported by schools:
- Reynolds School District in Oregon used NWREL's Onward to Excellence model and other activities to increase by 9 percent the number of students meeting state standards, at the same time its ESL student enrollment increased by 85 percent.
- Dorothy Fox Elementary School in Camas, Washington, reported after a yearlong implementation of NWREL's Mathematics Problem-Solving Model: "Our fourth-graders' test scores went through the roof in mathematics; we went from 26.2 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in 1999 to 71.1 percent this year."
- After eight years of stagnant writing scores, students using NWREL's 6+1Trait writing assessment model at Baker Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama dramatically improved: the number of students in range 1 (the lowest scores) decreased from 30 to three, students in range 3 increased from 7 to 69 percent, and for the first time three students were in range 4.
Teams from 25 schools working with regional educational laboratories across the nation--including five from the Northwest--shared best practices and strategies for raising student achievement at the Kids First: Sharing Solutions conference this spring in Washington, D.C., organized under NWREL leadership.
During 2001, NWREL will expand opportunities for Northwest educators to obtain resources and understanding leading to proven, effective educational practices in the classroom. In addition to our premier regional conference, Education Now and in the Future, to be held in Portland October 29-30, 2001, we will conduct many professional development institutes across the Northwest region that make it convenient for local teachers and administrators to participate.
Dr. Ethel Simon-McWilliams
Executive Director/CEO |
