American Institutes for Research to Lead National Center on Academic Intervention to Improve Literacy and Math Instruction

Arlington, Va. – The American Institutes for Research (AIR) will lead a new federally funded center that will help expand the use of evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes for students with disabilities that require intensive intervention. The National Center on Academic Intervention, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, will work with states, school districts, schools, and educator preparation programs to implement and support evidence-based literacy and mathematics instruction. The new center builds on the 15-year legacy of the National Center on Intensive Intervention. 

Through the National Center on Academic Intervention, AIR and its partners will:

• Identify, translate, and disseminate evidence-based literacy and mathematics practices for students with disabilities.
• Provide universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance to states, districts, schools, and educator preparation programs.
• Strengthen educator knowledge, skills, and implementation supports needed to deliver high-quality instruction and intervention.
• Support sustainable systems that enable evidence-based practices to be implemented effectively and at scale.
• Build state and local capacity to improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities over time.

The new center will be led by Sarah Arden, principal researcher at AIR, who will serve as project director, and Amy Peterson, senior researcher at AIR, who will serve as deputy director. AIR will conduct this work in partnership with the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin and True North Evaluation. Together, the organizations bring deep expertise in literacy, mathematics, implementation, and evaluation.

"The work of the National Center on Academic Intervention will help educators and leaders make evidence-based literacy and mathematics practices more accessible and sustainable," Arden said. "Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen educator capacity and improve opportunities and outcomes for students with disabilities nationwide."

About AIR
Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.air.org.