Identifies priority education research needs from constituents in the southwest region. Needs for emerging research identified by constituents have resulted in Issues & Answers reports that address high priority education topics including:

• College Readiness
• Professional Development
• Assessment
• Special Education
• Mathematics and Science.

Fast Response Research

• Performs short-term research studies that provide rigorous research on important topics that can be readily accessed and applied by educators.
• Studies are generally completed in a 1-year timeframe.

Large Scale Rigorous Studies

• Provides causally valid answers, to advance the knowledge in the field and to be responsive to emerging regional needs by conducting scientifically rigorous research.
• Studies span 4-5 year time frame.
• Creates partnerships with Districts in the REL Southwest five-state region. Studies conducted in collaboration with Districts, currently in progress examine:
  • Assessing the Impact of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) on Reading Comprehension, Report
  • Effectiveness of a Small Group Mathematics Intervention for Struggling First Graders, Report
  • How a Summer Reading Intervention Based on Lexiles Affects Reading Comprehension, Report