Monique M. Chism, Ph.D., a vice president for technical assistance, leads AIR’s six federally funded comprehensive and content centers and District and School Improvement portfolios. Prior to joining AIR, she served as deputy assistant secretary for policy and programs in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. ...
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has an ongoing commitment to improve support provided to all schools, with an emphasis on the lowest performing schools. This report summarizes findings from AIR’s qualitative analyses of turnaround practices that appear challenging for low-performing high schools, as well as promising practices ...
This spotlight takes a look at the history of Title I, how the program has changed over time, and how it affects children, schools, families and education policy. Experts weigh in on the program's past and future in interviews, briefs, and blogs.
Federal School Improvement Grants (SIGs) support turnaround efforts in the nation’s lowest-performing schools, including many that serve a large number of English Language Learner Students (ELLs). This evaluation brief examines 11 high-ELL SIG schools’ capacity and efforts to address the unique needs of ELLs. ...
Catherine Barbour is a credentialed School Turnaround Leader with a certificate from Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education. She successfully turned around three low-performing schools as a principal in urban, suburban, and rural districts.
The Illinois Center for School Improvement (Illinois CSI) at American Institutes for Research presents the video series The Illinois CSI Effect: Leading the Way to Continuous Improvement. The videos in this series highlight the stories of five rural and urban Illinois districts, providing a sample of the positive changes happening ...
Washington is taking a close look at Title II, Part A (Title IIA) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as Congress debates reauthorization. A new Title IIA would make certain that state, district, and school leaders have the capacity required to manage professional development activities and resources more ...
By increasing the capacity and stability of leaders and teachers, low-performing schools may improve student performance and increase graduation rates. This video explores a leadership coaching program that has produced considerable improvements at an Illinois high school.
An early warning system allows educators to assign and provide appropriate interventions to at-risk students early on, during the 9th grade year, to prevent dropout before it happens. This video from REL Midwest summarizes research on early warning systems and dropout prevention.
Disparities persist in educational achievement for students of color and low-income students. In this video interview, Darren Woodruff, principal researcher at AIR, explains how schools can create a climate to help reduce the achievement gap and help all students learn.