AIR Selected to Operate Four Federal Centers Providing Support to States Advancing Education Reform and Student Achievement Goals
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the American Institutes for Research (AIR) four, five-year grants to run technical assistance centers across the country to help state educational agencies (SEAs) build capacity to improve schools and help students meet educational achievement goals.
The four are part of a national network of 22 Content and Regional Comprehensive Centers, established by the U.S. Department of Education with the aim of helping states implement and administer education programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Comprehensive Centers fall under two categories: Regional Comprehensive Centers, which provide training and technical assistance to education agencies of select states, and Content Centers, which offers all states research-based resources and tools. AIR has two centers in each group:
- The Great Lakes Regional Center (IN, MI, OH) and Midwest Regional Center (IL,IA,MN,WI) will help their respective SEAs implement college- and career-ready standards and assessments; ensure the effectiveness of teachers and leaders; turn around low-performing schools; transition preschool-age children to kindergarten; employ innovative approaches to teaching and learning; and use data-based decision making to improve outcomes.
- The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders will bring Center and state agency staff together with researchers, experts and practitioners through frequent online communications to promote the exchange of solutions and strategies. Assistance at this Center will also include the use of interactive tools and resources to help build knowledge about educator effectiveness issues.
- The College and Career Readiness and Success Center aims to help states better inform, align and support their efforts to ensure that all students graduate high school ready for college and careers.
In addition to operating the four centers, AIR will also provide support to three Regional Comprehensive Centers: the Southeast Regional Center, the California Regional Center, and the Florida and the Islands Regional Center.
The U.S. Department of Education established this network of Comprehensive Centers in 2005. Since then, AIR has operated four of these centers: the Great Lakes-East Comprehensive Center, the Great Lakes-West Comprehensive Center, the National High School Center, and the National Comprehensive Center on Teacher Quality.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, human service, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.
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