MENLO PARK, Calif.—January 13, 2022— SRI Education has been awarded a new, five-year, $23 million dollar contract from the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education to fund the continued leadership of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia through 2026. SRI has led REL Appalachia since 2017 and will continue to partner with regional educators and leaders to improve equitable access to learning opportunities and strengthen outcomes for all students.
One of 10 RELs around the country, REL Appalachia serves educators and leaders in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia by addressing high-leverage needs in education. These regional partnerships combine rigorous research and training, coaching and technical support with practitioner-focused dissemination to ensure that evidence informs practice in a timely manner to benefit students.
“Over the past five years, our partnerships with schools, districts, state agencies, institutions of higher education and other education service providers have supported a variety of initiatives, from building the capacity of educators to implement evidence-based and equity-focused practices in schools to informing statewide virtual learning teaching practices and college and career readiness policies,” said SRI’s Deborah Jonas, director of REL Appalachia. “With the new contract, we will continue to help educators and leaders use data and evidence to solve critical problems of practice and address locally relevant needs.”
The new REL Appalachia will contribute to positive outcomes for educators and students from pre-kindergarten through post-secondary education and workforce development. The REL will focus on key areas of policy and practice, including accelerating learning in math and literacy, strengthening students’ preparation for college and careers, supporting equitable employment outcomes, and building safe, caring, and trauma-informed schools.
SRI leads REL Appalachia with experts from our business partners at the Education Development Center, Erikson Institute, Insight Policy Research, L-evation, Magnolia Consulting and Plus Alpha Research & Consulting.
SRI International
SRI International creates world-changing solutions making people safer, healthier and more productive. SRI, a research center headquartered in Menlo Park, California, works primarily in advanced technology and systems, biosciences, computing and education. SRI brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, spin-off ventures and new product solutions.