About Us
The Nebraska Academy for Partnerships in Education Research (NAPER) is housed within UNL’s Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools. We bring together researchers, school leaders, and state agency and community partners to solve education challenges and improve outcomes for students across pre-K to grade 12.
Partner Perspective
Amy Rhone, Nebraska Department of Education, shares how partnering with CYFS helps ensure the state's work with schools is grounded in research.
Partner with UsOur mission is to improve educational outcomes for all Nebraska students through collaboration and dissemination of evidence-based practices.
What We Do
Through strong partnerships, collaborative research and evidence-based solutions, we improve outcomes for students and strengthen Nebraska’s future.
Build Partnerships
Build research-practice partnerships among researchers, educators, agencies and communities.
Co-develop Solutions
Co-develop solutions grounded in local needs and leverage community strengths.
Conduct Research
Conduct research that informs evidence-based practices and decision-making.
Scale Programs
Scale proven research practices and programs to expand their impact across the state and nation.
Why it Matters
Nebraska’s future depends on today’s students — and the educators who prepare them. By partnering with schools and communities, we build on decades of proven research, co-develop solutions and ensure all students receive a high-quality education that sets them up for lifelong success.
Key Priorities
- Improve academic achievement.
- Support social, emotional and behavioral well-being.
- Increase school engagement and attendance.
- Strengthen the education workforce.
Research Areas
CYFS researchers engaged with NAPER have led grant-funded work in thematic areas aligned with its key priorities:
Academic Intervention and Learning
$92M
Social, Emotional and Behavioral Well-being
$68M
Rural Schools and Communities
$62M
The dollar amounts above reflect the cumulative amount of funding awarded to CYFS researchers as of June 30, 2026.
Programs That Work
Explore research programs making a difference in schools and communities across the state and nation.
Supporting Literacy
The WORDS Project helps K–5 students become proficient readers by strengthening evidence-based literacy instruction.
- More than 40 schools, 370 teachers and 5,600 students have benefited.
- 90% of teachers reported improvements in their ability to teach reading, helping 66% of struggling readers reach benchmark or above.
Addressing Behavior Challenges
Teachers and Parents as Partners promotes behavioral health and well-being through parent-teacher partnerships.
- More than 700 students and their parents and teachers across hundreds of schools have benefited from TAPP.
- Students receiving TAPP outperformed two-thirds of their peers in positive behaviors, social skills and academic performance.
Building Capacity
Nebraska’s Multi-tiered System of Support provides schools with a continuous improvement framework, building capacity to support all students.
- More than 200 Nebraska school districts receive professional development annually.
- Nearly 1,000 educators from across Nebraska participate in the NeMTSS Summit each year.
Retaining Teachers
Get SET Nebraska helps administrators support special education teachers, keeping them in classrooms so all students can succeed.
- 127 school teams across Nebraska received Get SET support.
- Teachers receiving Get SET support report higher job satisfaction and intent to stay in the profession longer than their peers.
Interested in partnering with NAPER?
NAPER is seeking school leaders, researchers, state agencies and community partners from across Nebraska to help shape the future of education research. Your experience and insights are essential to conducting meaningful research and developing solutions that improve outcomes for all students.
Let’s start the conversation! To learn more and get involved, contact:
Amanda Witte, Ph.D.
awitte2@unl.edu