Dia Jackson is a senior researcher at AIR who provides technical assistance, research, and professional development projects to states and school districts in the areas of response to intervention (RTI)/multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and special education best practices. Currently, Dr. Jackson is the project director for the Arkansas RTI ...
Shauntice Wheeler is a senior TA consultant in the Educators & Instruction program at AIR. Wheeler is a dedicated and passionate educator with more than 24 years of experience in public education. She provides quality support in the areas of educator recruitment, preparation, development, and retention. She is currently working ...
Martyna Citkowicz is a principal researcher at AIR with expertise in quantitative methodology, particularly in the areas of program evaluation and meta-analysis. Dr. Citkowicz currently serves as the Principal Investigator of two residency program evaluations funded by the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Grants Program and is leading several meta-analyses ...
Sakiko Ikoma is a senior researcher at AIR. She provides technical assistance for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). She leads multiple research projects focused on analyzing large-scale assessment data, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS), and the Program for ...
Tammy Kolbe is a principal researcher at AIR, specializing in evaluating the resources and costs associated with effectively implementing policies and programs in PK-16 educational organizations. A particular focus of her work has been funding and costs for special education programs for children with disabilities, having led multiple projects that ...
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.
Erika Kessler, Ph.D., is a researcher at AIR with expertise in climate change and environmental education and employing advanced statistical analysis techniques with large-scale, complex survey data.Dr. Kessler brings a breadth of work experience and expertise across a diverse array of topics to AIR. She has particular interest and experience in the ...
Bobbi Newman is a principal researcher and director of AIR’s practice area for standards and assessments. She has more than 15 years of experience in research and evaluation of school reform efforts. Dr. Newman has worked at every level of the education system, from the classroom to the state. As ...
Mary Bridget Burns is a senior researcher at AIR. Dr. Burns has over a decade of experience as an educator, from teaching elementary school and preparing pre-service teachers, to conducting research studies on educational practices and policies. Dr. Burns brings her background in educational leadership, bilingualism, school improvement, and 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 ...