Partnering With You to Improve Student Outcomes in Washington

Thank you for collaborating with REL Northwest to put research into action! We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you and stakeholders across Washington to use data and evidence to improve education practice and policy.

As the current Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) contract draws to a close, it’s a great time to review some resources and research we produced together during the five years of this contract cycle. We hope you can continue to use and share these materials to make data-driven decisions in 2022 and beyond.

Thanks again for working with us. Please contact Jason Greenberg Motamedi with any questions.

Building a Strong and Diverse Teacher Workforce

REL Northwest, the Professional Educator Standards Board, and other stakeholders are using data to better understand the state’s teacher shortage. These partners are also collaboratively developing strategies to cultivate and retain a teaching force that reflects the racial/ethnic and linguistic diversity of Washington's students and is responsive to their learning needs. This partnership produced research and resources including:

• Using Data and Research to Support Policy Creation about Teacher Diversity in Washington State
• Examining Teacher Diversity, Testing, and Pathways in Washington State
• Can Grow-Your-Own Programs Help Diversify the Teacher Workforce?
• The Potential Role Limited Certificated Teachers Can Play in Addressing Teacher Shortages
• 9 Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Teachers
• Increasing Diversity in the Teacher Workforce: The Importance and Potential Impact of Authentic Change
• Identifying Evidence-Based Practices for Recruiting, Training, and Retaining a Diverse Educator Workforce
• Visualizing Washington's Teacher Workforce: Using Maps to Understand the Trends of Teacher Recruitment and Retention
• Special Feature: "If You Want to Make a Difference, Come Here"

Increasing Equity in SEL and School Discipline

The Equity in School Discipline Collaborative brings together education leaders in Washington and Oregon to address the equity in school climate and discipline. In addition, REL Northwest has been working with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to build districts’ capacity to support high-quality, equitable social and emotional learning programs. Research and resources from these partnerships include:

• Improving Racial Equity in School Discipline through Culturally Responsive SEL
• Using Data to Promote Equity in School Discipline
• Building Districts' Capacity to Implement Equity-Focused SEL
• Washington Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Capacity Building Series
• What Is Social and Emotional Learning, and What Does It Have to Do with Response to Intervention?
• Shifting the Current School Climate: Sense of Belonging and Social and Emotional Learning

Supporting Native Student Success

The Northwest Tribal Educators Alliance is a collaboration between the Education Committee of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and REL Northwest. The Alliance focuses on using culturally relevant data and evidence to promote academic and community success for American Indian and Alaska Native Students. The Alliance partnered on the development of research and resources including:

• The First Migratory Learners: Identifying and Supporting American Indian and Alaska Native Migratory Students
• Strategies for Improving the Accuracy of Native Student Identification
• Native Youth Count: A Resource Guide for Families of American Indian and Alaska Native Students

More Research and Resources for Washington Practitioners and Policymakers

Here are some other resources from around the Northwest region that may be useful to education stakeholders in Washington:

• Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence-Based Resources for Professional Development Trainers
• Where Did Students Go During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Exploring Data on Student Enrollment and Transfer in Alaska and Washington 
• Harnessing Data to Fight Housing Insecurity Among College Students
• Exploring the Implications of Increasing Credit Requirements for High School Graduation in Washington
• How to Support Newcomer Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary School
• Teacher Turnover and Suggestions for Improving Retention: A Landscape Scan of Four Northwest States

REL Northwest’s goal is to deepen collaboration and evidence use among educators and policymakers on important educational issues identified by stakeholders across the Northwest region. Together, we are putting research into action.

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This newsletter was prepared under Contract ED-IES-17-C-0009 by Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest, administered by Education Northwest. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.