The Regional Educational Laboratory – Southeast (REL-SE) is one of 10 regional research labs sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. Each lab is tasked with conducting research and providing technical assistance to respond to the specific needs of their region. The REL-SE covers Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

 

REL Southeast is located at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, under the direction of Dr. Barbara Foorman (http://rel-se.fcrr.org). IRG is one of REL-SE partners and is tasked with executing the following projects.

  

1. Mathematics Alliance

 

IRG leads the Improving Mathematics Instruction Research Alliance of the Regional Educational Laboratory – Southeast. The alliance includes key education policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, and focuses on improving mathematics outcomes for students in K-12 schools in the Southeast.

 

Major alliance activities include:

 

• Creating opportunities for key education policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to meet regularly to discuss mathematics instruction

• Tracking problems as they emerge in terms of implementation of new state standards and assessments

• Disseminating new and emerging research in the field of mathematics instruction through Bridge Events and workshops

• Conducting professional development events on topics identified by each state, often which are related topics to help translate current research into successful classroom practices

 

Key Personnel: Russell Gersten is the research director of the alliance and Robin Schumacher is the alliance manager. 

 

2. Professional Learning Community Facilitator’s Guide – Improving Mathematical Problem Solving

 

The purpose of this Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitator’s Guide is to provide a framework for implementing evidence-based practices that were elucidated in the IES practice Guide – Improving Mathematical Problem Solving in Grades 4 Through 8. The PLC will highlight three recommendations from the practice guide to help teachers include these research-based practices in their classrooms.

 

Timeline: This PLC guide will be developed during 2017-2018 with a tentative release date in early 2019.  

 

Key Personnel: Robin Schumacher, Barbara Dougherty, Russell Gersten 

 

3. Consultation with GA Department of Education on Mathematics Diagnostics

 

As part of the Improving Mathematics Research Alliance of the REL Southeast, this consultation project aims to help SEAs in Georgia design a feasible research study to investigate the psychometrics of the linked diagnostic measures in mathematics, IKAN and GLoSS. These measures were developed in New Zealand and have been used in several counties in Georgia.   

 

Timeline: The consultation project will take place during 2017.

 

Key Personnel: Russell Gersten, Robin Schumacher