BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Marzano Research Laboratory (MRL) and the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC), a recognized leader in competency-based education, announced today that they have reached an agreement for MRL to acquire RISC.

MRL and RISC have worked together for the past 10 years to support school districts across the country. The acquisition formalizes a long-standing partnership and will strengthen both organizations, allowing MRL to provide an even wider range of tools and techniques to facilitate the implementation of competency-based education in schools.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to take this relationship to the next level,” says Dr. Robert J. Marzano, CEO and cofounder of MRL. “The RISC model puts together all the critical components that we’ve known for years are important to school reform. What’s nice about it is, it has them all and it has them in a framework where they all interact and they are all very concrete. And the best part about it is that there are actually districts that have implemented the model that are demonstrating results in terms of student learning and student achievement. This is a pretty powerful model. It’s got some strong evidence that it works.”

RISC will continue to operate under the direction of Rick Schreiber, executive director and cofounder, with formal support from MRL.

“RISC and MRL have been long-term colleagues and supporters of each other’s missions,” said Schreiber. “MRL has championed us for years as well as acting as an inspiration for our work. We are excited to partner with MRL so we can accelerate our ability to reach 1,000 districts realizing their unique vision of excellence.”

About MRL
MRL is a joint venture between Dr. Robert J. Marzano and Solution Tree. MRL combines Dr. Marzano’s 40 years of educational research with continuous action research in all major areas of schooling in order to provide effective and accessible instructional strategies, leadership strategies, and classroom assessment strategies that are always at the forefront of best practice.

About RISC
RISC is a national educational organization that supports schools and districts in their transition from a time-based to a performance-based system, which results in students realizing their highest learning potential. The RISC framework provides a competency-based environment in which learning is owned at developmental levels with transparent learning goals and standards.

Contact
Marzano Research Laboratory
Kristin Lookatch
kristin.lookatch@solution-tree.com
888-849-0851, ext. 468

SOURCE Marzano Research Laboratory