The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement: linking research and practice
At the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota, we connect research and practice in service of equitable outcomes for all learners. We focus on customized answers for your students and families, teachers, workforces, organizations, and communities. We engage and empower your partners and leadership when you need to move forward with confidence and coherence.
Products
- CAREIALL - Advancing Language and Literacy
- Functional Phonics+Morphology curriculum
- PRESS Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites intervention
Services
- Customized solutions in literacy, multi-tiered system of supports, program evaluation, and translational research
- Data and analytics support
- District Assembly membership
- Multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) implementation
- Professional learning opportunities
- Measure development and assessment services
Expertise
- Applied educational research
- Implementation science in education
- K–12 and early childhood education systems
- Educational policy
- Data-informed decision-making
- Community and family engagement
- University–school partnerships
- Capacity building in research and education
Impact of CAREI
CAREI's mission continues to be to maximize wellbeing in schools, families, and communities. Our vision is to become the premier hub for making research accessible and actionable to ensure equitable outcomes.
CAREI values and commitments
We listen, support, and respectfully challenge each other for the sake of a collective goal.
We put people first. We maintain humility and integrity while seeking justice for children, families and communities, even when it's not easy.
We engage our collaborators to seek out their individual needs and goals and tailor our approach in ways that recognize their unique perspectives.
We value equity, inclusion, and dignity. We insist on a culture of respect and we strive to be an antiracist organization. We align our words with action. We are committed to tackling injustices and embracing diversity by continuously engaging with principles of equity, antiracism, cultural responsiveness, and intersectionality. We seek to learn about, live out, and promote these principles in our work with educational programs and systems as applied researchers, evaluators, trainers, and coaches.
We challenge assumptions. We embrace curiosity, change, and encourage new ideas.
Partners in change
When you work with CAREI, you're partnering with nationally recognized experts who blend research and practice to drive meaningful change in education. Our team includes published leaders in literacy, multi-tiered system of supports, program evaluation, and translational research — bringing decades of experience to every project, proposal, and service to your school, district, organization, and community. You can trust CAREI to translate evidence into action, tailored to your goals.
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CAREI has served as a co-lead of the Region 10 Comprehensive Center (R10CC)
CAREI recently served as one of the three operating organizations of the Region 10 Comprehensive Center (R10CC), serving Minnesota and Wisconsin. As one of 19 federally funded centers, the WMCC10 aims to improve the academic achievement of elementary and secondary school students in the two-state region by advancing the use of evidence-based practices.
In this partnership, the center was operated by CAREI and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) and Education Analytics (EA). The WMCC10 team has extensive experience working with the Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI), Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), regional education support organizations, professional associations, and school districts to translate research into practical applications.