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McREL: Turning what works in teaching, leading, and learning into innovation and results

Who we are

McREL develops "Learning by Inquiry" science program.


McREL pioneers the use of computers in rural school classrooms.


McREL publishes Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks.


McREL partners with JPL to bring NASA missions to classrooms nationwide.


McREL launches Scaffolding Early Literacy programs for early childhood educators.


McREL publishes best-selling Classroom Instruction that Works.


McREL releases Balanced Leadership, the largest-ever examination of research on effective school leaders.


McREL develops Power Walkthrough software.


McREL develops research-based teacher and principal evaluation systems.


McREL releases Changing the Odds for Student Success report.


View our 45th anniversary video.

McREL is a private, 501 (c)(3) education research and development corporation. That’s our standard, legal definition—but it doesn’t capture who we really are: A committed staff of research and education experts working every day to help educators change the odds for success for all students.

Our Mission

Making a difference in the quality of education and learning for all through excellence in applied research, product development, and service.

We’ve been doing so since 1966, when the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory was founded as a nonprofit, nonpartisan education research “laboratory” where knowledge about what works in education would be turned into practical guidance for educators. Over the years, McREL has grown into an organization with more than 110 employees and a wide array of clients and contracts in nearly 50 states and around the world.

Today, inside McREL’s headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and McREL's Pacific Center for Changing the Odds in Honolulu, Hawaii, you’ll find experienced researchers and education consultants working together to provide educators with research-based, practical guidance on the issues and challenges facing K−16 education. Our staff creates and delivers: