Integrated Partnerships in Education: Helping States and School Districts Build Capacity for Evidence-Informed Decisionmaking
Building robust state education systems that serve all students is critical to improving academic achievement. As each state reflects on how best to build and sustain a system that fits its unique needs, policymakers and educators need access to a research partner that can support decisionmaking in areas of policy, practice, evidence generation and evidence use, implementation support, continuous improvement, strategic planning, and more.
Through our “integrated partnerships,” AIR experts support state efforts to build and sustain robust education systems, which can often seem like a patchwork of different strategies implemented in varied ways.
Our experts work with state leaders to reimagine education systems that improve learning outcomes while integrating critical evidence-based strategies to broaden and sustain ongoing success.
Working with State Leaders to Solve Urgent Education Challenges
With AIR as a research partner, state leaders are well-positioned to address a variety of policy, program, and systematic challenges. Here are just a few questions we’ve been asked:
State policymakers asked: How can AIR help us think about school funding and resource allocation in a changing federal context?
Our Approach: When considering resource allocation for education needs, AIR experts have worked with states and districts to analyze how funding is distributed across schools, mainly to identify and mitigate disparities and inefficiencies in spending.
From a district and state funding system perspective, we can also support the design and evaluation of funding formulas and advise on fair and adequate funding strategies. Our experts help states examine related issues, such as the financial implications of teacher shortages and workforce planning, all in support of evidence-based strategic planning and budgeting.
Learn more about our expertise in education finance.
State and local education agencies asked: We need a partner to help us address achievement gaps in areas such as literacy and math. What might that look like?
Our Approach: Understanding distinct state needs and the context in which these needs arise is critical to achieving outcomes and sustaining improvements. AIR’s expertise ranges from standards and assessment, district and school improvement, literacy, math, STEM, and multi-tiered system of supports.
We help schools build the capacity to support student literacy needs, including improving the quality of literacy instruction in Chicago Public Schools, as part of the PreK–12 Research on Education Strategies to Advance Recovery and Turnaround (RESTART) Network.
Educators asked: How can AIR help us better use data and evidence to inform decisions?
Our Approach: AIR experts can assess data and analyze outcomes, create systems for schools to identify areas for improvement, ensure optimal resource and financial allocations, and develop plans for continuous improvement. We’ve worked with states like Michigan to support their use of chronic absenteeism data to help ensure kids stay on time for graduation and postsecondary education opportunities.
Learn more about our expertise in data-informed decisionmaking.
Chief State School Officers and other networks asked: Can AIR experts speak on the value problem-solving, critical thinking, and durable skills that are important for youth and their ability to thrive in the workforce?
Our Approach: Durable skills set youth up for future career success and long-term economic mobility. AIR staff can work with state leaders to explore evidence-based practices that address the growing demand for young people having transferable skills as they enter the workforce. Learn more about our expertise in youth economic mobility and college and career readiness.
Learn more about our expertise in educator professional development.
At AIR, we lead with expertise, follow the evidence, adapt through innovation, and never stop creating new opportunities to build a better world.
Resources, Information, and Insights for State Education Leaders
In this section, state education leaders and policymakers can find resources, information, research studies, blog posts and other resources on a variety of topics for state education agencies and local leaders.
Resources for Educators
- The Positive Changes Youth Experience When We Invest in Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs
A mountain of evidence demonstrates how afterschool and summer learning programs funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program contribute to youth development. The program has had not only positive effects on students’ academic success and attendance but also has helped them feel more connected and supported, which in turn can support learning.
- Chronic Absenteeism in 10 School Districts
Increasing student engagement and attendance is part of a much larger body of research, evidence, and policy assessment that aims to support students and their families. To help states and school districts use evidence to inform decisions about student attendance, AIR’s Attendance Lab has partnered with 10 school districts across the country.
- Is ESSA Accountability Playing Out As Intended?
For decades, policymakers have used school accountability systems as a way to stimulate school improvement. Although policies have shifted over time, the basic premise underlying accountability has changed little: states must measure performance and identify the lowest-performing schools, share information, and provide supports, in cooperation with districts.
- What ESSER Can Teach Us About Block Grant Funding for Education (To be published in September 2025)
As ESSER spending ends, here are three takeaways for state leaders as they consider how to move on priorities and distribute block grant funding toward optimizing an education system that centers student success.
Meet AIR's Panel of State Education Experts
States that enter into integrated partnerships with AIR will have access to our cadre of national experts who can help support the use of proven resources, processes, and protocols to drive improvement and address complex challenges.
Tammy Kolbe
Special Education and Education Finance
Kolbe brings deep expertise in analyzing the cost structures and funding mechanisms that underpin effective policy implementation, with a particular emphasis on K-16 education funding systems and special education funding policies.
Jesse Levin
Education Finance
Levin is an expert in school finance and educational effectiveness. He has led studies comparing charter and traditional school funding in California and Maryland and educational adequacy studies in California, New Mexico and New York. He has also led evaluations of K-12 state school finance systems in Hawaii, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Kerstin Le Floch
Accountability, School Improvement
Le Floch specializes in school improvement, state accountability policies, and Title I implementation. She has conducted studies of Title I policy and ESSA accountability in California, Ohio, and Florida.
Megan Austin
School Choice and Charter Schools
Austin has extensive experience using statewide administrative data to examine state policies and programs in Indiana, Minnesota, and Georgia. She also explores school choice programs and policies, including private school vouchers and charter schools.
Neil Naftzger
Community Schools and 21st Century Learning
Naftzger has designed and conducted research on community schools, afterschool programs, and youth development. This includes analysis of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and evaluations of community school initiatives administered by Chicago Public Schools.
Katie Rich
Mathematics
Rich’s work in math education focuses on evaluating the impact of core and supplemental math programs on student outcomes and on understanding how teachers bring their expertise into the process of program implementation.
Joe Quick
Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Quick works with state and local partners through training design and delivery, technical assistance, coaching, strategic planning facilitation within education systems and across CTE, including in Ohio, Indiana, New Hampshire, Kansas, and for national career and technical student organizations (CTSOs).
Kelly Reese
Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Reese works with school districts on topics such as CTE and career pathways from K-12 to postsecondary. She has led statewide studies of career pathway systems in Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts and Texas.
Maggie Trout
Literacy
Drawing on her prior experience as a teacher, literacy coach, high ability program coordinator, and literacy and curriculum coordinator, Trout plans, coordinates, delivers actionable professional learning, and develops practical tools that support educators’ implementation of evidence-based literacy practices.
Related Projects
Chronic Absenteeism
Supporting Student Success Through Early Intervention
Contact: Jenny Scala
Every student deserves the chance to thrive in middle and high school. But when they begin to fall behind—whether it’s due to poor attendance, failing grades, or behavioral issues—those early warning signs can be easy to miss. Without timely help, small challenges can snowball into major setbacks, putting students at risk of dropping out. To help schools address this challenge, AIR developed the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (EWIMS)—a user-friendly, evidence-based framework that helps educators recognize risk factors early and act quickly.
Post-Pandemic Academic Recovery
PreK–12 Research on Education Strategies to Advance Recovery and Turnaround (RESTART) Network
Contact: Susan Therriault
The RESTART Network develops and disseminates evidence-based strategies to accelerate K-12 learning recovery. Network teams are shaping new approaches to education research in states such as California, Illinois, Georgia, and North Carolina, developing coherent and coordinated research strategies that build evidence for practices that ensure student recovery.
Financial Literacy
Improving Financial Skill-Building in Schools
Contact: Kimberly Imel
In states like New Mexico and Pennsylvania, AIR has helped education leaders develop and refine financial literacy standards and turn them into meaningful classroom instruction. By supporting state and local leaders with tools and evidence to enhance teaching and learning, including reviewing curriculum, analyzing assessments, building teacher resources, we’re helping districts use data to drive better outcomes.
Standards and Assessments
Developing Social Studies Standards in Hawaii
Contact: Beth Ratway
Working in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Education and the Hawaii Social Studies Consultant, AIR helped produce processes, tools, and resources for the complicated revision process. These evidence-informed resources included protocols and rubrics to identify the writing team, frame the revision process, and integrate the state’s standards framework into the process.
Learn more about our state education experts and related projects by contacting us via email or visiting the education section of our website.