The Rennie Center's mission is to develop a public agenda that promotes significant improvement of public education in Massachusetts. We envision an education system that educates every child to be successful in life, citizenship, employment and life-long learning. The Rennie Center offers educators and policy makers a "safe place" to consider evidence and perspectives, discuss issues and develop new approaches to their work. We seek to foster thoughtful public discourse and informed policy making through non-partisan, independent research, civic engagement, and effective action.

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The Challenges We Address
The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy was launched as a division of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC) in October 2002. In the summer of 2005, the Rennie Center became an independent non-profit organization committed to addressing the critical challenges of reforming education in Massachusetts. The Rennie Center is positioned to address clear deficits in:
 
Independent Research
Despite its national leadership in standards-based reform and enormous reform expenditures, Massachusetts has failed to invest in an independent research initiative to study the effectiveness of its education policies. To make effective decisions, policy makers desperately need this unbiased, thorough research and analysis.
 
Public Discourse
An acrimonious climate and sharp polarization on education reform issues have led to alienation between policy makers and practitioners. We lack a constructive discourse on policy strategies for the improvement of education. Quality, effective policy should be shaped by well-informed public discourse and a concerted effort to find common ground.
 
An Effective Public Agenda
Lacking evidence and a climate for constructive dialogue, the Commonwealth has been unable to shape an effective agenda for the improvement of public education. An effective public agenda can be best shaped by applying independent research, creating opportunities for civil discourse and making a concerted effort to inform and include policy makers, the public and the field in the process.

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Our Work
The Center is committed to a set of strategies that involve collaborating with diverse organizations in the education reform field to pursue the following activities:
 
Independent Research
The Rennie Center produces independent research initiatives to promote public discourse on educational improvement and to inform policy discussions of key decision makers and opinion leaders. Our research reports and policy briefs are broadly disseminated to policy stakeholders in the public, private, nonprofit, and media sectors.
 
Civic Engagement
The Rennie Center is committed to engaging diverse perspectives and voices in a constructive policy discussion. By convening conferences, forums, meetings, policy briefings, panel discussions, town meetings and other events, we promote constructive dialogue on school improvement and student achievement. Through this work, the Rennie Center seeks to minimize polarized, partisan communication and to promote an invigorated, inclusive policy debate with diverse stakeholder participation.
 
Shaping an Effective Public Agenda
An effective policy agenda can be best shaped by applying independent research, creating opportunities for civil discourse and making a concerted effort to inform and engage policymakers, the public and the field in the process. The Rennie Center is dedicated to widely disseminating its independent research to enrich the policy conversation. We introduce our work into the field through convening, publications, journalism and Internet outreach.
 
Constructive Activism
Committed to forwarding the education policy agenda through constructive activism, the Rennie Center proactively identifies timely opportunities for change in which it can lead policy discussion and development process to a new level. This type of activity includes follow-up research on issues raised during events, formation of representative working groups to draft policy proposals or meet outstanding policy challenges, extensive field work on major challenges, and concerted media outreach efforts to highlight critical, but neglected issues.

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Our Focus
The Rennie Center focuses its research and convening efforts on policy areas that require independent research and civil discourse to inform policy decisions. We provide the additional attention needed to push issues to the forefront of the decision-making process. Our ongoing work focuses on:

• Impact of federal education legislation
 
• School and district accountability
 
• School choice & charter schools
 
• Professional development & capacity building
 
• Time and learning
 
• Progressive labor-management relations
 
• Successful urban high schools
 
• Data-driven instruction
 
• Policy implications of legal challenges
 
• Early childhood education

• English language learners

• Achievement gaps