History

Washington Research Institute (WRI) was founded in 1987 by two professors from the University of Washington's College of Education. Their goal was to create an independent agency to conduct research, development and training in education and the human services with high professional standards and a quick response to the latest developments in the field.

WRI, like many non-profit agencies, started off at a dining room table and moved "up" to someone's basement within a few months. A board of directors was established which included representatives from several Washington school districts, King County Association for Retarded Citizens, Seattle City Council, and parents of children with disabilities.

Two grants were written and within a few months, two grants were received. These grants funded activities of national scope: a study of the relationship between funding and quality in Head Start programs and an evaluation of federally funded programs serving victims of child abuse and neglect. In August of 1988, WRI opened its doors in the 180 Building of the Canal Place Office Park, just west of the Fremont Bridge in Seattle.

During its first year of operation, two more large federal grants were awarded to WRI: the Language Arts Curriculum Adaptation Project (4 years duration) and the Source Inservice Training Model (5 years duration). These two projects completed the foundation needed to sustain adequate support for the fledgling organization. These grants also helped realize the founders' dream of responsive, high quality research and development. Both grants addressed the needs of children with disabilities served in general education classrooms.

Additional researchers were attracted to the agency. In 1990, WRI grew from the original two full-time research staff to the equivalent of seven full-time research staff and six federal grants. As the pool of researchers grew, so did the scope of the projects to include: early childhood education, programs for post-high school support and education of students with disabilities, bilingual education, equity for students from minority backgrounds, support for fragile infants, and early reading development for children at-risk of academic failure.

In 1994, having outgrown the original office space, WRI moved to its current location in the 150 Building of the Canal Place Office Park on Nickerson Street. The move to the building next door welcomed in a new era for the organization. After six years, WRI had attracted a committed and highly productive staff, a full-time Executive Director, two secretaries, and a growing reputation in the field of special education.

About WRI

How WRI Works

Many of our grants involve partnerships with other agencies. Sometimes these relationships include subcontracts. Most frequently community agencies and school districts do not have a financial relationship with WRI and serve as development and research sites. For example, preschool classrooms in Seattle School District and Northwest Center Child Development Program served as development and evaluation sites when Drs. Angela Notari-Syverson and Rollanda O'Connor developed Ladders to Literacy, an emergent literacy curriculum. On some occasions WRI subcontracts with other agencies. For example, our Language is the Key project subcontracted with UWTV (University of Washington Television) to produce video tapes.

WRI is governed by a Board of Directors, chaired by Mr. William Attebery. Our Executive Director is Ms. Kathy Jenkins who reports to the Board of Directors, supervises staff and manages all administrative matters.

Our Mission and Objectives

The Washington Research Institute (WRI) is a center for research, development, and training in education and the human services. WRI was established in 1987 as a non-profit corporation in Washington State. The institute's founders and staff are professionals in the fields of education, psychology, social work, public health, and other areas engaged in basic and applied research, model program development, and evaluation. A major goal of the Institute is to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities and their families.

WRI staff are committed to addressing the needs of unserved and underserved children and families, and to posing research questions that will stimulate policies responsive to their needs. Among the objectives of current and planned WRI efforts are the following:

• To conduct research in a wide range of human service delivery systems

• To study and seek solutions for problems encountered in educational settings, from infant to postsecondary programs

• To evaluate innovative approaches to educational and human service delivery problems

• To develop and evaluate effective programs that improve services for persons with disabilities and their families

• To develop and evaluate effective programs for students who are unable to function successfully in their instructional settings, including instructional procedures to enhance learning and to increase participation in school

• To develop and evaluate programs designed to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities in community life and employment, including support services to increase social integration and participation

• To provide consultation, training, and technical assistance to educational and human service professionals and agencies

• To disseminate information generated by WRI studies to professional and general audiences through presentations and publications.

WRI's Research, Development and Training Programs

Below, we have described our current projects.

Washington Research Institute Projects

Ladders to Literacy Outreach Project

This project offers training and technical assistance to early childhood and early childhood special education programs in the area of emergent literacy. The training is based upon Ladders to Literacy, a research-based model designed to facilitate the early literacy development of preschool and kindergarten children in inclusive settings.

 

Neurobehavioral Curriculum for Early Intervention

We are developing and testing a curriculum to assist parents and early intervention staff to recognize and support the neurobehavioral organization of infants with severe disabilities or very low birth weight. The curriculum assists professionals, paraprofessionals, and parents in providing appropriate neurobehavioral support to these infants during assessment, intervention, and care giving sessions.

 

Postsecondary Innovative Transition Technology: Post-ITT

Post-ITT Outreach is an outreach training project funded by the United States Department of Education Office of Rehabilitative Services. Project staff are disseminating the Post-ITT model, which is designed to help students with disabilities prepare for college during their high school years. Project activities include expansion of the Post-ITT website, full day training of educators in Washington State, awareness training at conferences, and the development of Web-based training for parents, teachers, and counselors.

 

 

Scaffolding Emergent Literacy: Supporting the Early Development of Young Children with Disabilities in Natural Environments

The purpose of this project is to develop, field-test, and evaluate methods and materials for Early Childhood Special Education staff to use with families and childcare providers serving young children with disabilities in community-based programs and that will enhance their abilities to facilitate children's emergent literacy skills.

 

Sound Partners Dissemination

With assistance from local foundations, staff provide technical assistance to schools that train local tutors to provide one-to-one instruction in early reading skills to students at-risk for reading disabilities.

 

Sustainability of Promising Innovations

This project focuses on a one-to-one tutoring program in early reading skills, and an inclusive high school model. The project is examining: whether and in what form school reforms and innovations are sustained or adapted, and factors influencing levels of continued use.

 

Credits and Awards

Credits include publications that our research staff generate. While publications in peer reviewed journals are the only currency in research universities, WRI researchers also value articles in venues read by practitioners, as well. Our audience is made up of researchers and practitioners and we want to share our findings with both groups through appropriate and carefully targeted publications.

The second area in which WRI products are recognized is in the world of commercial publishing. In 1997, Paul Brookes publishing company contracted with WRI and two senior researchers to package and market Ladders to Literacy: An Emergent Literacy Curriculum. Packaging, graphics, printing, marketing and distribution are handled by Brookes Publishing. Other WRI products are being considered for similar publishing arrangements.

Of late, we have received a number of national and international awards for video production. These include The Golden Eagle Award from the Cine organization, the Bronze Telly, an Honorable Mention in the Communicator Awards, and a Certificate of Creative Excellence in the International Film and Video Festival Awards Competition. As a result of the Golden Eagle Award, the winning WRI produced video is now being considered in European film festivals.