Scott Nicholas
SRI International‘s education division has secured a five-year contract from the Education Department‘s Institute of Education Sciences to oversee the Regional Educational Laboratory in Appalachia.
The company said Friday REL Appalachia will collaborate with school districts, state departments of education and other stakeholders to develop and conduct research on how to boost student academic outcomes across the region.
SRI also plans to establish research partnerships in a push to help increase early literacy, student success in Algebra I, rural college readiness, workforce readiness, data communications and postsecondary transitions.
REL Appalachia offers services to diverse education systems that range from urban and metropolitan schools to remote rural districts in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Deborah Jonas, principal research scientist and director of SRI Education‘s Center for Education Policy, will serve director of REL Appalachia.
“Through our deep commitment to working in partnership with educators and policymakers, we will provide support for a more evidence-reliant education system in Appalachia—one that is relevant to the region’s challenges, and most importantly, makes an impact on student learning,” said Jonas.
