McREL Top Stories

Math factors into Strategic Plan

21 Nov 2008 22:37:19 -0700

The Hub (Ouray, Colo.)

After attending McREL's Rural Principal Forum, Deputy Superintendent and High School Principal Nicholas Schafer will be bringing new information and ideas back to his district to help design the curriculum and develop a strategic plan for his district.

Stakeholders get a say in DPS' goals for next five years

5 Nov 2008 22:40:14 -0700

Press & Guide Newspapers (Dearborn, Mich.)

The Dearborn Public School District (DPS) Board of Education is following McREL's recommendation to ask for stakeholders such as teachers, central office staff, principals, parents, and union members to assist the Board in setting goals for the next five years.

McREL and Gesell Institute study will update popular developmental assessment

5 Nov 2008 14:47:19 -0700

McREL

McREL and the Gesell Institute for Human Development have begun a year-long effort to update the widely-used Gesell Developmental Observation (GDO), a tool used by schools to assess the development of children entering kindergarten or preschool.

Collier schools awarded $1.3 million federal grant to bolster afterschool programs

17 Oct 2008 22:59:17 -0700

Naples Daily News (Naples, Fla.)

McREL has been chosen by Collier County School District, in Immokalee, Fla., as a partner in a three-year project to create a national model of enhanced effectiveness and collaboration for two separate afterschool programs—a community learning center and a supplemental educational service.

Summit School District to address achievement gap with assistance from McREL

16 Oct 2008 21:08:40 -0700

McREL

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) has been chosen by Summit School District, in Frisco, Colo., as its professional development provider in a three-year state initiative to close the district's achievement gap.

McREL is providing Summit teachers and administrators with a comprehensive range of services, including professional development for teachers, helping them improve their instruction of English-language learners (ELLs), and to school leaders, helping them effectively guide school-wide improvement efforts. McREL will also provide technical assistance to help the district ensure uniform adoption of a rigorous curriculum.

The Colorado Department of Education's Close the Achievement Gap project is a pilot program for which six school districts across the state were selected not only for having a significant gap but also for having proper structures in place to mobilize efforts immediately.

Summit School District is a high-performing district that has experienced, in recent years, an influx of ELLs at all grade levels, which has led to a significant gap on state assessments between ELLs and their non-ELL peers. However, according to Jim Eck, McREL senior director of Field Services, the district chose McREL because, rather than focus just on ELLs' performance on assessments, they want to improve achievement in a "more systemic way."

"Closing achievement gaps associated with race and poverty is a top priority for the Colorado Department of Education and we deeply appreciate the work of McREL and others who will assist in tackling this significant issue head-on," said Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones. "This work would not have been possible without the funding support from the State Legislature, the leadership in all six school districts and the keen insight and analysis from outstanding organizations like McREL. We eagerly await the results of these collaborations with confidence that the effort will reveal strategies that are reliable, effective and can be deployed statewide."

Dr. Millie Hamner, superintendent for Summit School District, said, "The resources and expertise provided by McREL are the perfect fit for our district and will help us develop a sustainable model for school and district-wide improvement. We are delighted to have this opportunity—to close the achievement gap while raising achievement levels for all students."

###

McREL is a nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization located in Denver, Colo., dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service. In 2007, McREL provided research-based guidance to educators and policymakers in 47 states across the U.S.

McREL researchers bring well-rounded expertise to AEA conference

15 Oct 2008 09:10:47 -0700

McREL

Fifteen researchers and evaluators from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) will share their expertise on a wide range of topics in 12 different sessions at the 2008 AEA Conference, scheduled for Nov. 5–8 at the Downtown Hyatt and Convention Center in Denver.

The sessions will highlight specific McREL projects and how these experiences contribute to the field of evaluation, in general. Topics include: evaluation challenges in both urban and rural settings; evaluating professional development for school leaders and for teacher preparation programs; developing a standards-based, statewide evaluation system for educators; involving stakeholders in evaluations; how evaluators and foundations can work together to secure grants; and the role of evaluators as mediators.

Jean Williams, McREL's vice president of research and evaluation, said, "AEA offers the McREL research and evaluation team a chance to share with our peers the depth and breadth of our expertise and experience, not only in rural districts, where we have done high-quality work for years, but also in larger, urban districts and at the state level, where we are breaking ground with new projects."

More than 2,500 evaluation practitioners and students are expected to attend this year's AEA conference, whose theme is Evaluation Policy and Evaluation Practice. For more information on McREL's sessions, contact Sue Courtney. For more information on the conference, visit http://www.eval.org/eval2008/.

###

McREL's educational technology experts to present at T+L conference

15 Oct 2008 09:10:49 -0700

McREL

Educational technology experts from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) will present three highly interactive sessions designed to help educators maximize their use of technology at the T+L Conference in Seattle, held at the Washington State Convention Center from Oct. 28–30.

On Oct. 27, Howard Pitler, McREL Senior Director of Field Services, will present a half-day, pre-conference session on the best-selling manual, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Using their own laptops, participants will take part in activities that use technology to enhance research-based teaching strategies, including learning how to create a "wiki" that can be used back in their own districts to share information with colleagues.

McREL Lead Consultant Elizabeth Hubbell will help participants answer the question, Does Your District Need a Technology Audit?, in a presentation on Oct. 28. And Lead Consultant Matt Kuhn will guide educators through Best Practices for Incorporating Wikis in Professional Development on Oct. 29.

For more information on McREL's presentations, contact Lisa Maxfield. For more information on the conference, visit http://www.nsba.org/t+l/.

###

Preschool Program Focused on Executive-Function Skills Provokes Scholarly Debate

10 Oct 2008 16:10:48 -0700

Education Week

Tools of the Mind, an early-childhood curriculum co-developed by McREL Senior Researcher Elena Bodrova has been getting attention in the research world of late. But researchers aren't coming to the same conclusions about the effectiveness of the program, which aims to help youngsters control their impulses, recall and use what they've learned, and adjust when circumstances change—skills known as executive function.

School district to learn from public feedback

2 Oct 2008 09:10:48 -0700

Waverly Democrat (Waverly, Iowa)

McREL Principal Consultant Dr. Sammye Wheeler-Clouse is helping Waverly-Shell Rock schools in Waverly, Iowa, plan for their future. Overcrowding, frequent flood damage, and limited land for expansion have created a serious problem for the schools in the district. Wheeler-Clouse is helping bring educators and the public together to discuss options for the district's school.

A Climate for Success

1 Oct 2008 09:10:48 -0700

The School Administrator

Managing change is critical for Loudon County Public School District in Virginia. This successful district is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the United States. Despite their success, the district felt they could do better, and contracted McREL to help them lead change efforts in their school to create "A Climate for Success."

Training Young Brains to Behave

30 Sep 2008 22:31:01 -0700

The New York Times

A 2007 study of Tools of the Mind—an early-childhood curriculum co-developed by McREL Principal Researcher Elena Bodrova to improve executive function in young children—found that students taught with Tools of the Mind outperformed their peers, and that the benefits can last for years.

Whole Childhood: The Prime Sustainability Issue of Our Time

8 Sep 2008 18:03:58 -0700

Vision Magazine

Vision Magazine quotes McREL's early childhood expert, Elena Bodrova, in an article about the importance of play in developing executive function in young children. Bodrova points out that children are having a harder time self-regulating, a critical component of higher executive functions, than they did 60 years ago.

Education Decisions: Where's the Evidence and Research Base?

4 Sep 2008 20:11:07 -0700

T.H.E. Journal

A recent article discussing the importance of using the right research to make decisions affecting education policies quotes McREL's A Policymaker's Primer on Education Research: How To Understand, Evaluate & Use It, which points out that "Without access to information from research about education practices, policymakers are more likely to make decisions that are ineffective or even harmful."

Former Edison principal Kay Frunzi joins McREL's leadership team

28 Aug 2008 20:41:22 -0700

Former elementary school principal and teacher Kay Frunzi has joined Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) as a consulting associate on the leadership team.

Frunzi has served as principal, assistant principal, and teacher at elementary schools in Northglenn, Colorado Springs, Littleton, and Denver. In addition, she has taught graduate-level courses in school administration at the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to coming to McREL, she was the principal of the Wyatt-Edison Charter School in Denver.

At McREL, Frunzi works with schools and school leaders in the areas of leadership development and school improvement, specifically in improving student achievement through the Success in Sight comprehensive school improvement program.

"My goal is to increase my own knowledge, skills, and understanding so that I can help others," she said. "My extensive experiences as teacher and principal enable me to help principals and leadership teams make focused changes, which result in increased student achievement."

Frunzi earned her Ph.D. in administration, supervision and curriculum development from the University of Colorado-Denver and her M.A. in administration and supervision from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her undergraduate degree in elementary education came from Goshen College in Goshen, Ind.

###

Make it Count

21 Aug 2008 20:46:08 -0700

T.H.E. Journal, August, 2008

A recent article discussing ways to maximize a school or district's return on investment for technology purchases lists McREL as one of the most common and most reliable sources for cutting-edge research.