Region 4 Comprehensive Center
Since October 2019, Policy Studies Associates (PSA) has led the R4CC, working with partners RMC Research and SRI International. The R4CC offers capacity building services that:
Advance state priorities, specifically in relation to implementation of Elementary and Secondary Act programs, helping to ensure that local and state improvement efforts are grounded in promoting equity and access to high-quality learning opportunities for all students
Help states navigate and access other federal technical assistance resources, such as those offered through the Regional Educational Laboratory, the Equity Assistance Center, the National Center, and the Office of Special Education
Support continuous improvement and sustainability through frequent conversations about progress of the work and changes at the local or state levels that may affect project plans
To learn more, go to the R4CC website at www.region4cc.org.
REL Midwest
PSA has been a technical assistance provider and thought partner for the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest (REL Midwest) at the American Institutes for Research since 2014.
In 2019, PSA designed and implemented a training for local school board members in Wisconsin focused on understanding and applying research to improve educational outcomes for Black students. In recognition of stark racial disparities in educational achievement, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has made closing educational outcomes gaps between Black students and their White peers a state priority. PSA worked under subcontract to REL Midwest to train local school board members—among the state’s key educational policymakers—to make evidence-based decisions about ways to produce more equitable outcomes for Wisconsin’s students.
In 2017, PSA directed a technical assistance project intended to help the Michigan Department of Education and other state and local stakeholders build knowledge about effective or promising teacher residency programs as a potential strategy both to develop highly effective new teachers and to remedy the state’s teacher shortage problem. PSA worked with REL Midwest staff and the Midwest Alliance to Improve Teacher Preparation’s Stakeholder Advisory Group to organize and deliver two trainings in the state. The first training profiled effective or promising teacher residency programs, the implementation challenges that teacher residencies typically face, and the strategies used to overcome them. The second training built on the first learning session,exploring the feasibility of developing local district/university partnerships to design and implement teacher residency programs in Michigan. Both trainings brought together national experts on teacher residency programs.
PSA conducted monthly scans of state policy documents, research, legislation, and media publications to analyze and report on emerging policy issues in each of the seven REL Midwest states served, including Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In particular, the monthly summary reports informed research agendas and projects addressing emerging state and local education needs.