Summer 2008 AIRNews - Social Marketing, New Mexico School Funding, Malawi, Good Behavior Game, New School Complex in Egypt
Friday, August 1, 2008
Introductory Message from Sol Pelavin, AIR President and CEO
As I write these words, AIR has recently completed its latest Board of Directors meeting. Our board meets three times a year, but the summer meeting is special. At this meeting, the board takes the time to reflect on the health of the organization — in meeting its mission and its financial goals — and also to do some “big picture” planning for the future. The board and officers take time to discuss how we can get even better at conducting and applying behavioral and social science research that makes a difference in improving people’s lives, especially the lives of the disadvantaged.
I am pleased to report that, as our latest annual report details, AIR continues to grow in staff, to more than 1,400, and in revenue, to more than $270 million. But, as should be clear as you read this issue of AIRnews, numbers don’t really capture AIR’s impact very well. Much better are the stories in this issue that highlight our work across a number of areas, such as education and health, in the United States and around the world. Stories in this issue describe how our people have helped combat HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa by introducing youth clubs across Malawi, achieved profound positive effects on students even into adulthood by implementing and studying an elementary-school classroom behavior program in Baltimore public schools, and met the educational needs of all children by providing state governments, such as New Mexico, with the studies they need to develop effective school funding formulas and budgets.
I close this message as I began, by focusing on our board, which is composed of distinguished individuals who are leaders in academia and business. In this issue of AIRnews, you will find a profile of our newest board member, Delano Lewis. Among his other distinctions, Mr. Lewis is a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and past president of National Public Radio. AIR is fortunate to have someone with such wide-ranging domestic and international experience help lead us to do our best work on behalf of the disadvantaged.
In this issue:
- Using Social Marketing to Help Low-Income Children
- AIR Examines New Mexico's School Funding Issues
- Creating School-Based Clubs in Malawi to Combat HIV/AIDS
- For First Graders, the "Good Behavior Game" Pays Off Into Adulthood
- AIR Project Opens Egypt's Largest School Complex
- Improving Research on Children's Early Mental Development
- Former U.S. Department of Education Official Louis Danielson Joins AIR
- AIR's SEE Forums Series Focuses on Important Education Issues
- Leading a Workshop for Professional Journalists
- AIR is a Key Presence at Major Research Conferences
- Making Research Relevant
- Staff in the News
- Former U.S. Ambassador Delano Lewis Joins AIR's Board of Directors
