About NWREL's Centers of Excellence
Centers of Excellence
Working with schools and communities to improve educational results
Our mission:
To improve educational results for children, youth, and adults by providing research and development assistance in delivering equitable, high-quality educational programs.
Since 1966, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has provided
expert help to districts, schools, and communities working together to
ensure student success. Whether we're training paraeducators, offering
best practices for teaching writing, evaluating the effectiveness of
literacy programs, or helping districts align curriculum with state
standards, NWREL's 150 professional staff members translate research
into practice.
The work of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory takes us all over the United States as well as outside the country. During 2005, NWREL professionals traveled more than 818,000 miles to provide on-site trainings. They presented more than 520 workshops and institutes on best practices in 30 states and three foreign countries. However, the five Northwest states—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—remain our main focus. Other beneficiaries of NWREL work in 2005 include:
- 18,806 attended workshops and conferences or took advantage of technical assistance services
- 23,479 ordered products and publications covering topics from assessment to youth mentoring
- 936 member institutions received a wide range of materials
In addition, 155,062 copies of NWREL materials were provided at no cost to educators, policymakers, and members of the public. During 2005, NWREL's rich Web site attracted almost 4 million visitor sessions—10,959 people a day—who spent an average of more than 12 minutes accessing information from over 10 million pages.
The Laboratory—a private, nonprofit organization—primarily serves five states in the Northwest and is one of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the Department of Education. Annual resources of $17.7 million are also derived from more than 204 contracts and grants from federal and state agencies, institutions of higher learning, local and intermediate education agencies, and businesses. Through these contracts, NWREL delivered services to 218 school districts and 54 states and U.S. territories.
We believe that strong public schools, strong communities, strong families, and strong children make a strong nation. We further believe that every student must have equal access to high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed. These core beliefs drive the work of NWREL's four "centers of excellence," dedicated to classroom teaching and learning; school and district improvement; school, family, and community; and research, evaluation, and assessment.
A total of 936 agencies and organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington make up NWREL's member institutions. They are the primary clients for NWREL services and collaborate in carrying out educational research and development work. NWREL members include the five state education agencies, 589 public school districts, 32 private schools, 34 intermediate/county agencies, 80 colleges and universities, 131 professional associations, and 65 other organizations.
Four Centers of Excellence supply the scaffolding for NWREL's work with schools, communities, and other constituencies. Built on the organization's historical strengths, the centers offer leadership in areas that are critical to our goal of high-performing schools and high-achieving students.
Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning
Under the direction of Kit Peixotto, this center provides research-based resources and services enabling educators to implement high-quality curriculum, instruction, and assessments that foster improved learning, performance, and achievement for all students. As its name implies, the center is grounded in the belief that classroom teachers are the most critical element in a school's efforts to develop high-performing, productive citizens. Center staff supports the effective and appropriate use of new technology, helps schools identify and use effective mathematics and science curricula, and provides high-quality services to targeted populations, including English language learners. Other areas of specialization are:
- The Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center (NWRCC), supporting northwestern state departments of education (SEAs) in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
- The Region X Equity Assistance Center.
- Professional development and technical assistance in reading and literacy, mathematics, science, and technology.
- Evaluation and research on the impact of initiatives in mathematics, science, reading and technology.
Center for School and District Improvement
Led by Dr. James Kushman, this center builds capacity of school systems to create systemic change aimed at improving the academic and life success of children, youth, and young adults. The center works with districts, schools, and the communities they serve to ensure quality and equity in the learning of all students. Through its re-engineering national leadership area, the center offers strategies, tools, and resources that help schools reshape themselves to improve student performance. Center staff provides training and technical assistance, as well as studying ongoing, long-term school improvement efforts. The highly respected comprehensive school reform program, Onward to Excellence II, is housed within this center. Additional focus areas include:
- Applying research to practice
- Improving school systems
- Improving teaching schoolwide
- Recreating secondary schools
Center for School, Family, and Community
Headed by Dr. Eve McDermott, this center nurtures connections that promote youth success, equity, citizenship, career development, and lifelong learning. It supports contextual teaching and learning through family-focused and culturally responsive practices that encourage positive youth development. The center also works to strengthen mentoring programs and broaden the vision of where teaching and learning occur. It provides services to charter schools and support for national service programs, such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America, as well as research and evaluation services. The center is organized around the primary program areas of:
Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment
Dr. Robert Rayborn directs this center, which contributes to the educational knowledge base and helps policymakers and practitioners collect, analyze, interpret, and use research-based information to make sound decisions and improve the quality of education for all learners. Center members develop useful tools to guide and assess student learning. NWREL's acclaimed 6+1 Trait™ Writing program is also part of this center. Programmatic efforts include: