Today marks one year since the death of George Floyd. In the year that followed, the world weathered a global pandemic, and the U.S. faced an extremely contentious election season and continued violence against people of color. On the anniversary of Floyd's death, AIR President and CEO David Myers and AIR VP and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Karen Francis write about the continued efforts to fight pervasive inequities, and the opportunities for change in this moment.

Implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presented policymakers and stakeholders with opportunities to improve outcomes for schools and students as well as teachers and leaders. AIR worked with districts and states to help them navigate the most current information, key topics, and research-based resources for planning and implementing ESSA at the state and local level.

With a new round of COVID-19 relief funds headed to states and districts nationwide, education leaders have a rare opportunity to make strategic and comprehensive investments in the teacher workforce. In this Q&A, two leaders of AIR’s Center on Great Teachers & Leaders—Lisa Lachlan and Lynn Holdheide—share insights and evidence-based recommendations to address new and persistent teacher quality and teacher shortage issues.

The Research on International Studies in Education (RISE) Webinar Series, organized by AIR, showcases research using data from international studies and promotes sharing and discussion about how data-based evidence can be used for improving educational outcomes.