CNA Awarded U.S. Department of Education's Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia Contract

News provided by

Jan 04, 2012, 07:40 ET

ALEXANDRIA, VA., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CNA was selected by the U.S. Department of Education Institute for Education Sciences (IES) to manage the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia for the next five years, through 2017. This approximately $28 million contract allows the research and analysis team led by CNA to build on the support it has provided to Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia since 2006.

"We're honored to have again been awarded this contract, and to be able to continue to serve the education research and development needs of the REL Appalachia region," said Dr. Robert Muller, Vice President of CNA Education and the Lab's Director. "We look forward to furthering existing relationships and to creating new ones as we conduct important research, work to help educators make evidence-based decisions, and bridge the gap between research and practice."

Since 2006, the CNA Education-led REL Appalachia team has delivered essential research support to educators in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia as part of the IES Regional Educational Laboratory program – a network of ten laboratories that works to improve the quality of education throughout the country by providing incisive research and assistance to policymakers and practitioners.

CNA Education has extensive experience on a wide range of critical education issues, and serves a diverse range of clients including the federal government, state and local education agencies, foundations, associations, and institutions of higher education.

REL Appalachia is organized around research alliances of state officials, school and district personnel, and other stakeholders regarding college and career readiness, school turnaround, and effective teaching and leadership. CNA's core team of researchers and analysts is supplemented by partnerships with nationally recognized researchers, along with professional development and technical assistance providers who work on-site in the four-state region.

CNA is a not-for-profit organization that serves the public's interests by providing in-depth research and solutions-oriented analyses to help decision makers choose the best course of action in setting policy and managing operations. CNA: Nobody gets closer — to the people, to the data, to the problem. www.cna.org

SOURCE CNA