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 randomized 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, listed below, 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.

Understanding Science and the Academic Literacy of English Learners

REL West researchers are testing the effectiveness of WestEd's Understanding Science model, a professional development approach that incorporates science content, analysis of student thinking, and discussion of issues related to teaching that content to English learners.

Quality Teaching for English Learners

WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) teaches secondary school teachers how to provide challenging tasks and scaffold student learning to advance development of academic language. REL West researchers are conducting an experimental study of this WestEd project in several urban school districts serving large numbers of English learners.

High School Instruction With Problem-Based Economics

Economics is a required course for high school graduation in California, and will be added in Arizona in 2007. REL West researchers are implementing a randomized controlled trial of Problem-Based Economics (PBE), a high school curriculum designed to increase class participation and content knowledge, especially among students in low-performing schools.

Lessons in Character Program

REL West researchers are examining the impact of the Lessons in Character Program — an English language arts-based character education program — on student academic performance, attendance, school motivation, and endorsement of universal values consistent with character education.

Assessment Accommodations

REL West researchers are investigating the effects of assessment accommodations on standardized test scores and test score validity for English learners. Specifically, they are examining the effects of modifying test items to make math content more accessible to students during test administration.

Program for Infant/Toddler Care

WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) is a professional development strategy intended to improve the quality of childcare programs and the cognitive, language, and social development of participating infants and toddlers. REL West researchers are studying the effectiveness of PITC in the region to build the connection between infant/toddler care and school readiness, consistent with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.