This study compared item difficulties (p-values and b-parameters) from administering the same items in field testing and live testing. Negative changes in item performance based on test position may indicate student fatigue. Contrary to some previous evidence, results showed declines in student performance as items dropped to lower positions on ...
The College Board conducted a validation study to provide colleges and universities with information about the Writing Test that was added to the new SAT in March 2005. AIR supported this effort by administering an experimental version of the SAT I Writing Test to samples of incoming freshmen at 12 ...
This paper addresses the teachers’ use of educational research to improve their instructional practice. Based on two qualitative, exploratory studies AIR conducted in the Chicago metropolitan area between 2008 and 2011, researchers found that teachers do appreciate and use research when there is a pressing need. ...
Teachers matter. Educators, policymakers and the general public alike agree that great teachers are vital to a thriving K-12 education system, yet the pathways to assembling a high quality teaching force remain elusive. This case study of Garden Grove Unified School District, winner of the 2004 Broad Prize for Urban ...
In 2005 AIR partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to identify the core indicators that schools must actively manage to support student success, and develop an instrument to assess these indicators. Based on consensus from a meeting of national experts and district staff, and refined through a series of 22 ...
Thirty years after the release of the landmark A Nation at Risk report on the quality of U.S. education, seven experts with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) assess the report’s lasting impact in relation to current education challenges and reforms.
Paul Giguere's responsibilities include providing leadership and guidance in the application of learning technologies to distance learning, digital learning, e-learning, training, technical assistance, adult learning, and professional development. Dr. Giguere oversees the Learning Technologies Team, which develops and implements distance learning, digital learning, adult learning best practices, and multimedia for ...
Joel Knudson has contributed to educational research and evaluation projects since joining the organization in 2003. His primary research interests include school leadership, secondary education and district reform.Knudson has extensive experience with both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and has directed the development, administration and analysis of principal, ...
In June 2013, AIR completed an initial evaluation of the patterns of resource allocation and the attitudes and perspectives of various stakeholders about the implementation of Hawaii's weighted student formula (WSF). The findings of this evaluation show that implementation of Hawaii's WSF appears to have gained widespread acceptance among ...
Susan Bowles Therriault is an Institute Fellow at AIR. For over 20 years, she has led and conducted applied research studies that focus on state and federal education efforts to build the capacity of districts and schools to increase learning opportunities and improve outcomes for all students. Dr. Therriault leads the ...
