Nicholas Sorensen is a principal researcher at AIR. His research is primarily focused on dropout prevention and helping struggling students succeed across the transition to high school. His work emphasizes the role of social psychological interventions, strategies to support success in algebra and mathematics, and use of early warning systems ...
Michael S. Garet is a vice president and institute fellow at AIR. His areas of specialization include teacher development and methodological issues in evaluating the impacts of educational interventions. He is currently co-leading two projects for the Institute of Education Sciences: a study of the impact of multi-tiered systems of ...
Jessica Heppen, a nationally recognized expert in education research, policy, and practice, is the president & CEO of AIR. Dr. Heppen been with AIR for 20 years and, in that time, has held several key roles during her tenure.
Xinsheng “Cindy” Cai is a principal researcher at AIR. As a knowledge translation (KT) expert, Dr. Cai is invited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide consultation to help develop a global research agenda on KT and evidence-informed policymaking. Dr. Cai serves as the co-chair and editor of the Knowledge ...
Jordan Rickles is a principal researcher at AIR. Dr. Rickles has fifteen years of education research and evaluation experience, including work within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the University of California National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). He specializes in research design ...
Toni M. Smith is a managing researcher at AIR where she directs research and development projects focused on mathematics instruction and teacher professional learning.
Dr. Smith currently directs the development and experimental testing of a virtual coaching program designed to improve the alignment of teachers’ instruction to state standards funded by ...
Dr. Markus Broer is a managing researcher at AIR, where he is currently serving as the project director of the Research, Analysis and Psychometric Support component of a larger project (ESSIN Task 14). ESSIN Task 14 supports the National Center for Education Statistics with expert advice and technical assistance on ...
Roddy Theobald is a managing researcher in the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at AIR. His primary responsibilities include overseeing eight externally-funded research projects related to the teacher labor market and its implications for student outcomes. He has extensive experience using large administrative datasets to ...
Jaleh Behroozi Soroui is the director of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) at AIR. She directs PIAAC team at AIR in providing expertise, technical assistance, and management support for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education in the development ...
Steve Leinwand is a principal researcher at AIR and has over 30 years of leadership positions in mathematics education. He currently serves as mathematics expert on a wide range of AIR projects that evaluate programs, develop assessments, and provide technical assistance. Leinwand’s work at AIR has included developing specifications and ...