The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation (CEPARE) is devoted to promoting evidence-based decision making from the school house to the state house.
CEPARE engages in independent research, evaluation, policy studies, and policy-related projects and activities. Our work encompasses topics of both local and state-level concern and those that address the need for youth and adult citizen engagement in policymaking processes. We support schools and school districts, agencies, organizations, and municipalities through these activities.
In addition, CEPARE co-directs the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), an entity jointly funded by the Maine State Legislature and the University of Maine System to conduct studies on Maine education policy and the public education system for the Maine Legislature.
CEPARE’s mission is to provide independent, nonpartisan research to inform education policy and practice.
CORE BELIEFS: We believe that
- Public Education must be guided by the moral imperative to offer every child a first-rate education, and equity in public education must be a central and driving consideration in education policy and in education practice.
- Education initiatives are too often driven by opinion and conjecture; rigorous education research is needed to systematically assess the impacts of education initiatives over time.
- Greater sharing of research across disciplines and geographic divisions and through collaborations and partnerships among stakeholder groups invested in education will promote an increased understanding of which education strategies are most beneficial in differing circumstances across the many divergent learning settings.
- Ongoing systematic evaluation should be part of all education enterprises.
- Research and evaluation are powerful tools for improving policy and practice.