Education

Increasing the effectiveness of education

AIR is committed to increasing the effectiveness of education at all levels through rigorous research and evaluation, training, and technical assistance. Our work spans the learning lifespan—from pre-K to postsecondary education, career readiness, and adult education—and focuses on a wide range of topics, including STEM, social and emotional learning, and state and federal education policies.

Our rigorous, state-of-the-art research and evaluation work provides important evidence for education policymakers and practitioners to use when answering crucial questions about program implementation, challenges, and solutions. Through our policy, practice, and systems change work, our experts help clients address educational issues and challenges at the local, state, national, and international levels by applying evidence-based practices in educational and community settings.

Latest Work

21 Aug 2019
Brief

Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales

By placing a state standard onto the NAEP scale, a NAEP equivalent score of that standard is produced, which can be compared across states. The recently released report—the seventh in the series—highlights the results from the 2016–17 school year and compares them with results from two earlier years: 2007 to show the longer-term trend and 2015 to show the immediate change.
14 Aug 2019
Spotlight

Back to School: Preparing Students and Schools for Success

As students across the country return to school, those responsible for their care and education are finalizing their plans to ensure a productive year. AIR’s evidence-based resources for back to school support educators through three essential lenses: school climate, safety, and social and emotional learning (SEL); college and career readiness; and school improvement.
Father and daughter taking a survey at kitchen table
5 Aug 2019
In the Field

Four Ways AIR Experts Are Innovating Survey Methodology

A scientific, research-based survey is one of the most unbiased, methodical ways to collect and understand human behavior and opinion. With response rates on the decline, AIR researchers Michael Jackson and Cameron McPhee have conducted research exploring ways to predict survey response, including ways to boost participation among those least likely to respond, as a way to reduce non-responses. Here, they offer four takeaways from their work.
BARR Model classroom with students
30 Jul 2019
Report

Building Assets and Reducing Risks (BARR) Validation Study: Final Report

Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is a comprehensive, strength-based approach that uses eight interlocking strategies to build intentional staff-to-staff, staff-to-student, and student-to-student relationships in secondary schools. Read the final report of a large-scale independent evaluation of the BARR model in ninth grade in eleven high schools in Maine, California, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Texas.
25 Jul 2019
Report

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety

These reports present key findings on crime and violence in U.S. public schools, using data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). SSOCS provides information about school crime-related topics from the school’s perspective, asking public school principals to report the frequency of violent incidents, such as physical attacks, robberies, and thefts in their schools.
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