Since our founding in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) has evolved as an active partner in supporting the dynamic education systems in our nation. Our teams witnessed the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act under President Lyndon Johnson and the subsequent eight reauthorizations that occurred since its inception in 1965, the most recent being the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which was signed into law in 2015. We have worked with state education leaders, district superintendents, school principals, teachers, parents and community stakeholders throughout this country. Our staff understands the challenges educators face in serving all students because as former educators, they have walked in their shoes.

Our organization believes in the power of information. We believe scientific studies can provide useful insight to help systems and individuals improve over time. However, those improvements depend on the intentional application of research to change leadership and instructional practice across the system. For that reason, in addition to having extensive expertise in research and evaluation, our team offers a range of technical assistance supports, rooted in research. Our team works shoulder to shoulder with our clients in the field. 

At the national level, we have long been a much-relied upon partner to deliver support through the national and regional centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education. These centers provide direct support to state leaders to develop policies as well as provide training to improve their state's education services. Launching this website to help education leaders, practitioners and stakeholders learn how to engage in the implementation of ESSA, we are aware of "hot topics” being passionately discussed in states throughout our the nation. To help you learn more, we have identified resources that are informative, practical, and available to the public through our website. For state leaders, we provide a comprehensive list of all the state, regional and national centers that we operate. Some centers offer free technical assistance support to states while other provide research-based online resources such as tools and guides.

AIR has long been a partner with state, district, and school leaders throughout the United States. Our teams have provided support throughout many of the major educational shifts that have occurred throughout the nation at the federal and state levels for more than 50 years. During this time of transition, we stand ready to continue to support you.