Areas of Expertise : Social and Emotional Well-being
AIR Experts in Education Guide (PDF)
At-risk Populations in the Educational Setting
AIR conducts research and evaluation on individual, school, and community interventions for students who are at risk for poor school and community outcomes. Further, AIR provides consultation and technical assistance for developing and implementing such interventions. AIR’s approaches involve promotion, prevention, early intervention, dropout prevention, and treatment. They are strength-based and child- and youth-guided or driven.
Recent Reports
- Children’s Elementary School Outcomes After Participating in Family Literacy Programs
- National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
- Texas Ninth Grade Transition and Intervention (TNGTI) Grant Program: January 2011 Evaluation Report
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Recent Projects
- New York State Curriculum Audits
- Milwaukee Public Schools Striving Readers Evaluation
- Supplemental Educational Services in Texas
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Recent Products
Behavior in the Educational Setting
AIR conducts research and evaluation, synthesizes information, and provides technical assistance regarding positive behavioral and relational approaches to student behavior and school discipline. AIR staff use research to identify effective and ineffective approaches, and to study and support the scale–up and alignment of evidence- and theory-based approaches. AIR’s foci include individual, classroom-based, school-wide, and community-supported approaches to improving student behavior and school discipline.
Recent Reports
- NIDA Notes: Behavior Game Reduces Later Drug-Related Problems
- Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
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Recent Projects
- Anchorage Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate Analysis
- Center for Integrating Education and Prevention Research (EdPrev)
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Recent Products
Behavior Modeling
AIR’s applied behavioral modeling work provides scientific support to programs investigating asymmetric conflicts, behavioral threat detection, and emergency response. We support these initiatives by:
- applying statistical and measurement techniques,
- broadening the scope of the scientific basis for addressing these problems,
- evaluating research programs against best practices,
- implementing high quality database development procedures, and
- creating unique experimental designs to answer key behavioral research questions.
Recent Reports
- NIDA Notes: Behavior Game Reduces Later Drug-Related Problems
- Building Capacity: An Evaluation of Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE) Professional Development to High Schools
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Recent Projects
Recent Products
Bullying
Any child can be bullied, and up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years. Technology makes it easier for tech-savvy kids to intimidate others through cyberbullying and other forms of electronic harassment – even at school. AIR’s experts have helped establish measures for collecting student- and school-level data on bullying behavior at school in expertise areas like traditional bullying and cyberbullying. AIR conducts extensive statistical and descriptive analyses on the prevalence and correlates of bullying in schools. AIR staff have served as content area experts to national surveys and regional organizations conducting research on bullying in their locales.
Recent Reports
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
- Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools, Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006
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Recent Projects
Conditions for Learning
Successful schools must create and maintain effective conditions for learning. Such conditions have historically been regarded as including high-quality pedagogy, well-trained teachers, adequate resources, and effective leadership. AIR has proposed that educators also examine the social and emotional conditions for learning—the factors that ensure students feel safe and supported in school. AIR conducts research and evaluation, designs and analyzes surveys, synthesizes information, develops tools to improve, and provides consultation and technical assistance regarding student and teacher perceptions of safety, support, and connectedness; academic challenge and engagement; and individual and peer social emotional learning. AIR’s work is both national and international and includes consultation with districts, states, federal officials, and Ministries of Education regarding how to monitor and improve conditions for learning and teaching.
Recent Reports
- Wisconsin Culturally Responsive Education for All (CREATE) Initiative - Training and Enhancement Initiative
- Texas Principal Excellence Program (TxPEP)
- Student Connection Research: Final Narrative Report to the Spencer Foundation
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Recent Projects
Cultural Competency
The ability to understand, communicate with, and interact effectively with people from different cultures is an especially important skill to possess in a 21st century global economy. AIR conducts research and evaluation, synthesizes information, develops tools to improve, and provides consultation and technical assistance to increase cultural and linguistic competence in education, mental health, juvenile justice, child welfare, and youth development. AIR’s approaches involve individual and organizational assessment and capacity development, disparity reduction, and the collection and analysis of data.
Recent Reports
Evaluation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR is a national leader in identifying and evaluating education environments and systems both locally and nationally. We help stakeholders determine which policies and practices are most effective in their schools and communities. AIR provides a range of program assessment and evaluation tasks, including: developing evaluation plans; training; technical assistance; formative research; survey design and analysis; and process and outcome evaluations.
Recent Reports
- Instruction Across the High School—College Divide (2009)
- Can Financial Aid Improve Student Success at Louisiana’s Community Colleges?
- Hawaii Race to the Top Evaluation
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Recent Projects
- ELL Policy Analysis and Related Work
- Evaluation of the Massachusetts Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) Initiative
- Evaluation of the TEACh Initiative
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Recent Products
Evidence-Based Research in Education
AIR applies rigorous standards to the review and synthesis of research to determine what approaches to education are based on high quality evidence. Our staff help set standards for the quality of impact studies, through the What Works Clearinghouse and Doing What Works, as well as other federal, foundation, and state projects. AIR also develops tools for analyzing data across studies and manages complex reviews.
Recent Reports
- Hawaii Race to the Top Evaluation
- The Kindergarten Year
- Wisconsin Culturally Responsive Education for All (CREATE) Initiative - Training and Enhancement Initiative
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Recent Projects
- Texas Statewide 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- Wisconsin Reading Excellence and Demonstration of Success Initiative (READS)
- New York State Curriculum Audits
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Recent Products
Good Behavior Game
The Good Behavior Game is a behavioral classroom management strategy that involves helping children learn how to work together to create a positive learning environment. It promotes each child’s positive behavior by rewarding student teams for complying with criteria set for appropriate behavior, such as working quietly, following directions, or being polite to each other. The team-based approach uses peer encouragement to help children follow rules and learn how to be good students. At the same time, it enables teachers to build strong academic skills and positive behaviors.
AIR evaluates the implementation and impact of the Good Behavior Game approach to managing classroom behaviors. Through a series of related studies, AIR has developed a strong evidence base around the impact of this approach.
Recent Reports
Recent Projects
- Good Behavior Game Professional Development Study
- Center for Integrating Education and Prevention Research (EdPrev)
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Recent Products
Implementation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR evaluates the implementation of educational programs, policies, and practices, and provides recommendations to improve implementation. We also look at capacity, challenges, and strategies for scaling up model programs and practices.
Recent Reports
- Instruction Across the High School—College Divide (2009)
- Hawaii Race to the Top Evaluation
- Turnaround Schools in California: Who Are They and What Strategies Do They Use?
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Recent Projects
Social and Emotional Learning
AIR conducts a wide variety of work regarding the development and measurement of the social and emotional capacities of children, youth, and adults. This work includes development of individual assessments, support for the development of social and emotional learning standards and the efficient integration of academic and social emotional learning, and the alignment of social emotional learning with mental health interventions and positive behavioral approaches. AIR’s work in these areas is both national and international.
Recent Reports
- What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities
- Student Connection Research: Final Narrative Report to the Spencer Foundation
- Children’s Self-Report About Their Social-Emotional Development from Third to Fifth Grade: Findings from the ECLS-K
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Recent Projects
- Anchorage Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate Analysis
- Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP)
- Conditions for Learning
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Recent Products
Substance Abuse
AIR is deeply involved in public and private efforts to prevent and treat substance abuse. Through the BEST Foundation, AIR conducted an assessment of treatment providers’ organizational strengths, challenges, and priorities, leading to the development of a self-guided process to enhance and improve performance. At the state level, we have provided technical assistance to federal block grantees to enhance program performance and outcomes, and to implement expanded access to care and choices of treatment. AIR has also supported federal substance abuse agencies in the development of clinical guidelines and management information systems.
Recent Reports
- NIDA Notes: Behavior Game Reduces Later Drug-Related Problems
- Performance Management: Improving State Systems through Information-Based Decisionmaking
- Integrating State Administrative Records To Manage Substance Abuse Treatment System Performance
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Recent Projects
Technical Assistance
AIR provides technical assistance to help practitioners translate research into practice and policy that improve their results. AIR’s technical assistance work includes training, support in design and development of new tools and interventions, conducting analyses, assisting with implementation, maintaining resource centers and expert databases, bringing communities of practice together, and many other successful support tools.
Recent Reports
- Technical Assistance Partnership Publishes Three New Issue Briefs in Juvenile Justice Resource Series
- An Organizational Guide to Building Health Services Research Capacity
- Benefits of Systems of Care for Child Welfare
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Recent Projects
- State Health Insurance Assistance Programs
- State Training and Technical Assistance Center (STTAC)
- Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center
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Recent Products
