April 27, 2016
DENVER — Fifty years ago this June, McREL International opened its doors as a federal educational research laboratory dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice. In the decades since, the organization has evolved and expanded its work and clients, but its core mission remains: To provide research and guidance that help educators and students succeed and flourish.
Incorporated in Kansas City, Missouri, McREL started off as Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory, one of 20 labs created and funded under the Cooperative Research Act and Title III of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, to fulfill the need for high-quality research on effective education practices.
Over the years, McREL’s research and research-based products and services—such as Classroom Instruction That Works and Balanced Leadership—have made it a leader in instructional practice, leadership development, program and staff evaluation, standards-based education, and systemic improvement.
Today, McREL operates the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory and the North Central Comprehensive Center, and works with schools, districts, colleges and universities, and state education agencies across the U.S. and around the world to improve the quality of leading, teaching, and learning.
Now, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver, Colo., with offices in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Charleston, W.V., and remote staff located around the country, McREL continues its mission through its thought leadership and by providing customized, consultative solutions for the challenges facing educators today—and tomorrow.
Bryan Goodwin, McREL’s president and CEO, said, “Through all of the changes in education in the past 50 years, we’ve been here, working hard to make a difference for students, teachers, and leaders. For the next 50 years, through changes big and small, we will continue to find new and better ways to ensure all kids everywhere get the education they need to succeed in life.”
McREL International is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development, and professional service to teachers and education leaders. For more information, contact Roger Fiedler, director of communications, at 800.858.6830 or rfiedler@mcrel.org.
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