Where new knowledge is needed, Laboratories sometimes conduct research, development, and evaluations on legislative and policy issues important to their regions. In 1990, the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory helped a state action committee write a plan to improve and modernize South Dakota's education system. The recommendations of this committee, convened by the governor and the state education department, formed the basis of major education reform legislation enacted by the state legislature in 1991. With the support of the action committee, the Lab conducted a three-year evaluation of the effects of the law in 16 school districts and also provided training and technical assistance to participating sites. The study found, among other things, that as a result of the Modernization Program, teachers are playing a more active role in instructional planning and educational decisionmaking and curricula are more closely related to expected student learning outcomes.
Laboratories also study the policymaking process.
In situations where policy options are unclear or unstable, for example, some Laboratories have developed standards and processes for making sound decisions. The objectivity of the Laboratories is an asset in their policy work, and policymakers generally view the Labs as credible sources of unbiased information on complex or controversial issues. Laboratories also serve as neutral conveners, bringing together policymakers with different views and helping them achieve consensus on contentious questions. In 1988, the Puerto Rico Legislature's Commission on Education Reform asked the Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands to help the different factions on the island reach agreement about education reform. A series of policy forums was organized.