A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Regional Lab Competition Stresses Systemic Reform

In an effort to help educators and policymakers use research as a basis for improving schools and ensuring that all students receive a challenging and effective education, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $51 million to operate 10 regional educational laboratories in FY 1996, the first year of a 5-year contract.

The laboratories will operate along two major themes. One will be to examine ways in which the various pieces of comprehensive reform programs (e.g., standards, curricular alignment) can be put together to effectively support high levels of learning for all children. The second will be to develop workable strategies for "scaling up" effective teaching and learning practices. In addition, each of the labs has been assigned a specialty area that will serve to expand and direct its development and applied research activities and to develop national prominence in its respective area. The regional laboratories are currently authorized under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination and Improvement Act of 1994 and were initially funded in 1966.

The 10 regional laboratories funded for 1996-2000, and their specialty areas, are:

Northeast and Islands Laboratory at Brown University (AB)
144 Wayland Avenue
P.O. Box 1929
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 274-9548
Executive Director: Adeline Becker (interim)
Specialty Area: Language and cultural diversity
Region Served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
OERI Contact: Lynn Spencer (202) 219-2179

Mid-Atlantic Laboratory for Student Success (LSS)
Temple University
933 Ritter Annex
13th Street & Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-3030
Executive Director: Margaret C. Wang
Specialty Area: Urban education
Region Served: District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania
OERI Contact: Greg Dennis (202) 219-1919

Appalachia Educational Laboratory, Inc.(AEL)
1031 Quarrier Street
PO Box 1348
Charleston, WV 25325-1348
(800) 624-9120
Executive Director: Terry L. Eidell
Specialty Area: Rural education
Region Served: Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
OERI Contact: Luna Levinson (202) 219-2138

Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE)
P.O. Box 5367
Greensboro, NC 27435
(800) 755-3277
Executive Director: Roy H. Forbes
Specialty Area: Early childhood education
Region Served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina
OERI Contact: Deborah Williams (202) 219-2204

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL)
1900 Spring Road, Suite 300
Oak Brook, IL 60521-1480
(708) 571-4700
Executive Director: Jeri Nowakowski
Specialty Area: Educational technology
Region Served: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
OERI Contact: Mary Campbell (202) 219-2130

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)
211 East Seventh Street, Second Floor
Austin, TX 78701-3281
(512) 476-6861
Executive Director: Preston C. Kronkosky
Specialty Area: Language and cultural diversity
Region Served: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
OERI Contact: Gil Garcia (202) 219-2144

Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL)
2550 South Parker Road, Suite 500
Aurora, CO 80014-1678
(303) 337-0990
Executive Director: J. Timothy Waters
Specialty Area: Curriculum, learning, and instruction
Region Served: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Wyoming
OERI Contact: Thelma Leenhouts (202) 219-1569

WestEd
730 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94107-1242
(415) 565-3000
Executive Director: Dean H. Nafziger
Specialty Area: Assessment and accountability
Region Served: Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
OERI Contact: Sharon Horn (202) 219-2203

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
101 SW Main Street, Suite 500
Portland, OR 97204-3212
(800) 547-6339
Executive Director: Ethel Simon-McWilliams
Specialty Area: School change processes
Region Served: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
OERI Contact: Carol Mitchell (202) 219-2128

Pacific Region Educational Laboratory (PREL)
828 Fort Street Mall, Suite 500
Honolulu, HI 96813-4321
(808) 533-6000
Executive Director: John W. Kofel
Specialty Area: Language and cultural diversity
Region Served: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the
Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau
OERI Contact: Joe Wilkes (202) 219-2186

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