Getting Started: Define the Right Approach

AIR'S PROBLEM-SOLVING CONTINUUM

Key Challenge: Knowing Where to Begin

For many governments, agencies, policymakers, educators, clinicians, practitioners, community organizations, and other leaders, the hardest part of problem-solving is knowing where to start. Complex challenges can be difficult to define, scope, and prioritize. Without a clear starting point, even the best intentions can feel unfocused.

That’s why it’s essential to begin by asking the right questions:

  • Who needs the most support? 
  • Where can resources be used most effectively? 
  • What is feasible given real-world constraints? 

At AIR, we believe better outcomes start with better questions. By partnering early, grounding decisions in evidence, and co-designing solutions with the people closest to the challenge, we help organizations move from uncertainty to action—with confidence.

What Sets AIR's Approach Apart

We work closely with our partners to define challenges, shape the path forward, and ground early decisions in evidence. Our work does not begin with a pre-determined solution—it begins with listening and understanding the local context. This foundation allows us to develop solutions that are not only thoughtful, but practical, relevant, and responsive to real-world needs.

We do this by:

Conducting Needs Assessments

Rather than one-size-fits-all approaches, needs assessments ensure strategies are responsive to local conditions. By incorporating input from communities, practitioners, and end users, we surface contextual realities that shape success.

AIR's Attendance Lab partners early with states and school districts to understand the root causes of chronic absenteeism through data and needs assessments, helping schools identify challenges, choose evidence-based strategies, and strengthen student engagement.

Through the Foundational Learning Improvement Program (FLIP), AIR partners directly with governments in low- and middle-income countries to understand specific needs and, ultimately build capacity for foundational literacy and numeracy, supporting sustainable, system-wide improvements in early learning.

Codesigning Evaluations and Research Strategies

We work alongside clients and communities to design and deliver solutions—from research and evaluation to implementation support, training, and communications—that align with real-world decisions and strengthen programs and outcomes.

The U.S. energy sector is rapidly evolving, with workforce demands shifting due to technological change and aging infrastructure. AIR partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to co‑design and implement solutions that support a responsive, future‑ready energy workforce system.

AIR partnered with government leaders in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to co-design solutions that address barriers in agricultural trade, bringing together public agencies, private-sector actors, and smallholder farmers to identify systemic challenges and develop coordinated strategies.

Building Strong Partnerships 

AIR builds partnerships that connect policy and practice—bringing together decision-makers and practitioners to ensure strategies are informed by real-world experience and effectively implemented to improve outcomes.

AIR partnered with the National League of Cities to better understand workforce challenges and co-develop practical, scalable talent solutions with city governments.

Through our partnership with the National Runaway Safeline, AIR is providing key data and policy analysis to state, local, and federal leaders to build a stronger evidence base on youth experiencing homelessness.

Centering Community Voices

When community perspectives guide the work, our findings are more likely to be practical, meaningful, and grounded in real-world context, making it easier to translate insights into action.

The Youth Voices project in Wisconsin responds to rising youth justice involvement by using a youth participatory evaluation approach that centers young people as co-researchers. Youth work alongside adult researchers to design, conduct, and interpret the study—grounding findings in authentic experiences with the justice system.

The Partnership for Patients initiative seeks to improve hospital safety by engaging patients and families as active partners in care to reduce medical errors and complications. AIR supported more than 4,000 hospitals by providing tools, training, and support to help embed patient and family engagement into care practices.

Applying AI and Advanced Analytics

We harness AI and advanced analytics to illuminate hidden patterns, anticipate emerging needs, and accelerate progress from insight to action—driving smarter decisions and better outcomes.

AI-powered tools like the Classroom Automated Feedback Environment (CAFE) use generative AI to analyze classroom videos and provide immediate insights on teaching and classroom management.

AIR collaborated with regional partners in Miami, Florida to study how co-designed programs prepare learners for AI careers, including training pathways, stackable credentials, apprenticeships, and applied learning.