about the project

WestEd's Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) has designed and begun implementing a number of rigorous experimental studies that will provide causally valid answers to pressing questions about what works in supporting the development of children of all ages in many types of settings.

Like educators across the nation, those in the western region — Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah — are under intense pressure to raise student achievement and close entrenched achievement gaps. Never have education decision-makers been more in need of scientifically based education research that addresses their high-priority issues.

To provide such scientifically based information that meets the highest standards, REL West has initiated experimental research studies of WestEd and other agency interventions — professional development in science, instruction for middle school English learners, problem-based instruction for high school students, curriculum-based character education, assessment accommodations for English learners, and professional development for infant/toddler caregivers in preschool settings.

Results of these multiyear studies will be published and shared nationally by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and will be disseminated by REL West to policymakers and practitioners throughout the western region.

REL West also conducts short-term, fast response research studies to inform immediate action.