Birmingham Promise and AIR Launch Partnership to Expand College and Career Pathways for Local Students
Representatives from Birmingham Promise and AIR met in Birmingham on September 14, 2026, to begin shaping a research agenda and identifying ways to make better use of student data.
Birmingham, Ala. – Birmingham Promise and the American Institutes for Research® (AIR) have launched a new partnership to strengthen how student data are used to understand and support young people as they move from high school to college and careers.
Birmingham Promise grew out of an initiative launched under Mayor Randall Woodfin’s administration and today supports students across the city through paid internships, full-tuition college scholarships, and college and career coaching. Since its launch in 2020, the organization has reached thousands of students in Birmingham City Schools.
The AIR Opportunity Fund is supporting the partnership as part of its work with communities to strengthen promising local ideas and build useful evidence around what works. Through April 2027, Birmingham Promise and AIR will focus on practical improvements: making student data easier to connect and use, helping staff get more from that information, and identifying the questions that matter most for understanding students’ paths to college and careers.
“This partnership will allow us to take our data and impact to a whole new level,” said Samantha Williams, CEO of Birmingham Promise. “While our programs are clearly helping students overcome entry barriers to college, the most important outcome is whether they successfully enter the workforce and earn the kinds of wages that support a thriving life. The American Institutes for Research will provide critical insights that will help us continually improve our programs for the benefit of students.”
Mayor Woodfin said the research will help Birmingham Promise realize his earliest visions for the program. “I’m thrilled that Birmingham Promise has grown to the point where a partnership like this is possible and that we have the opportunity to really maximize the impact for the City of Birmingham,” Woodfin said.
“This partnership is about helping people who know their community best make better use of the information they already have,” said Terris Ross, managing director of the AIR Opportunity Fund. “By bringing Birmingham Promise’s deep knowledge of local young people together with AIR’s research expertise, we can help turn data into clearer answers and stronger decisions. And the benefits can reach beyond this partnership by helping Birmingham better understand and support young people as they move from high school to college, careers and greater economic opportunity.”
Representatives from Birmingham Promise and AIR met on September 14 to begin shaping the research agenda, identify the most urgent questions, and look at how its existing data can support that learning.
The partnership will focus on five connected areas:
- Improving how Birmingham Promise tracks student participation, experiences, and outcomes over time;
- Helping staff use data more confidently in day-to-day decisions and planning;
- Developing a research agenda around college and career readiness and success;
- Finding opportunities to strengthen collaboration across the city’s cradle-to-career network; and
- Building a stronger foundation for learning about the supports that help young people succeed in school, college, and the workforce.
The work will build on the information and systems Birmingham Promise already uses. Rather than starting from scratch, the partners will look at how existing data can be connected more effectively to the questions the organization wants to answer and where additional information or tools may be useful.
The project is an early step in a broader effort to strengthen learning and collaboration across Birmingham’s cradle-to-career network. Over time, the goal is to help local organizations use evidence more effectively, learn from what is working, and make stronger decisions about how to support young people.
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About Birmingham Promise
Birmingham Promise helps students in Birmingham City Schools prepare for college and careers through paid internship opportunities, full-tuition college scholarships, and college and career coaching. To learn more, visit https://birminghampromise.org/.
About the American Institutes for Research
Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.air.org.
About the AIR Opportunity Fund
The AIR Opportunity Fund supports research and community-led ideas that improve education and workforce development, promote safe and secure neighborhoods, and enhance health outcomes and community well-being. The Fund works with local leaders and organizations to strengthen promising approaches, connect community knowledge with research and technical expertise, and build evidence that can inform what comes next. Learn more at air.org/opportunity.