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 ...
Schools with the highest percentage of black students have the lowest black student achievement test scores, particularly among black males, and the widest achievement gaps between blacks and whites, a new federal study finds. The study, conducted for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics by AIR, ...
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.
The Quality Reading Project works to improve reading skills among primary-grade students in Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic through four main activities: (1) in-service teacher training; (2) increased availability of reading materials; (3) community support; and (4) government support. This report describes a study that reviewed Tajikistan’s teaching and learning ...
Graciela Castillo is a senior researcher at AIR, involved in the collection, evaluation, and analysis of data. Areas of expertise include cost and coverage and consumer engagement.
Castillo is experienced in conducting literature reviews and environmental scans, message and material testing as well as survey development and testing. She has moderated ...
The purpose of the Getting Ready for School intervention is to increase the successful transition of disadvantaged young children into school by imparting school readiness skills provided by their parents in their home. The Open Society Foundations contracted AIR to provide technical support for the evaluation of the pilot Getting ...
This article, published in Winter 2013 issue of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, stresses the importance of identifying how a community views education—whether it is seen as an indomitable evil or a leverageable asset, or both—when providing EFA interventions. How these perceptions are understood and addressed mean the difference ...
AIR is evaluating Prime Time Sister Circles®, a program designed to help mid-life African-American women take control of their health by improving health habits, monitoring and managing key health indicators (hypertension and weight), reducing stress, increasing physical activity, and improving nutritional choices. ...
NAEP results are Rorschach Tests for policy wonks—a golden chance for free-association policy speculation. Small fluctuations in average scores on NAEP give rise to big explanations. Forget the quibbling over tiny differences in test scores; it’s time to rebuild schools on evidence-based, comprehensive policies that have been shown to work ...
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 ...