Darcee Simon is a TA Consultant at AIR. Simon’s expertise spans education, non-profit and workforce development with a focus on strategic partnership development, cross-program coordination and system alignment. Project work at AIR has included supporting state and local workforce development areas with strategic planning, coaching state grantee teams and state ...
Samantha Sniegowski is a senior researcher working on afterschool and expanded learning initiatives with the Learning Supports Network at AIR. She is responsible for coordinating and monitoring data collection activities, conducting data analyses, writing reports, and project coordination. Sniegowski’s current projects include Chicago Public Schools Community Schools Initiative evaluation; Texas, ...
Apprentice retention is a dynamic process that is affected by multiple factors that change over time. This brief, Improving Apprenticeship Completion Rates, summarizes the findings of our review of studies on apprentice retention and provides recommended strategies to mitigate factors negatively affecting attrition. ...
Meghan Wills is a senior TA consultant in the Workforce program at AIR. Her primary responsibilities include providing strategic support and technical assistance to strengthen and modernize the Registered Apprenticeship system and expanding the use of Registered Apprenticeship to train and prepare the educator workforce.Wills has more than 12 years ...
Laura Shankland is a senior technical assistance consultant at AIR. She has more than ten years of project management and education experience, overseeing the development of a range of resources for Grades K–12 educators. Shankland provides technical assistance, professional development, and communication support for AIR’s work with the Illinois 21st ...
Amy Syvertsen is a principal researcher in AIR’s Youth, Family, and Community Development area. Dr. Syvertsen is an applied developmental scientist, and a content expert in positive youth development in childhood and adolescence with an emphasis on the developmental processes and contextual supports that undergird strong youth-adult relationships and civic ...
Megan Scott is a TA Consultant in the Workforce Program Area at AIR. Scott has extensive experience in apprenticeship, workforce development, and non-profit work. As part of the TA team for the State Apprenticeship Expansion project, Scott provides customized coaching to state grantees and develops technical assistance resources and training ...
Marion Baldwin is a senior technical assistance consultant at AIR. She is a skilled professional development and technical assistance facilitator with 20 years of experience working at the local, state, regional, and national levels to develop and support the administration of high–quality afterschool programs. She also has extensive experience in ...
Researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders are increasingly aware of the powerful potential for summertime experiences and the need to design, implement, and continuously improve summertime experiences for all.
Years of research show that students from low-income families are more likely to forget previously learned material over the summer than students from wealthier families. Over time, these losses add up, widening the socioeconomic disparity in academic performances. Carol McElvain explains how high quality summer opportunities for low-income students can ...