Turning around our nation’s low-performing schools became a national priority—and central focus of education policy at all levels—in 2001 with No Child Left Behind. Then Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants redoubled the nation’s emphasis on school turnaround, giving states more resources to advance improvement efforts within federal ...
Both the House and Senate revisions of the Elementary and Secondary School Act are moving toward giving states far more responsibility for setting student achievement standards than did the last ESEA reauthorization—the 2001 No Child Left Behind. As Congress wrestles with a final version of the bill, it would do ...
The American Institutes for Research, one of the nation’s leading education research organizations, is acquiring The McKenzie Group, Inc., an influential educational consulting firm, in a move designed to better serve the needs of urban school districts seeking systemic reform.
Too many new principals say they are underprepared for critical leadership tasks which—combined with high job demands, poor support, and increased accountability—raises principal stress to a boiling point. In this blog post, Matthew Clifford describes 18 “high leverage” state-level policies that hold promise for increasing innovation and improving principal preparation. ...
In his final State of the Union address, President Obama said, “We live in a time of extraordinary change… and whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate.” In this blog post, AIR’s Peter Cookson says the key to dealing with this change is ...
Only one-third of state education officials say their departments have adequate capacity to help improve low-performing schools as required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), according to a survey of all 50 states by the American Institutes for Research (AIR).
Teachers are the number-one factor in student learning, so preparing and supporting high-quality teachers of computer science is critical. AIR is working with states, districts, and teachers to implement and test three promising strategies to strengthen teacher preparation and development:
Stephanie Levin is a senior researcher within AIR’s Human Services division. An expert in educational leadership and school finance, Levin is dedicated to improving outcomes for public K–12 students and educators. At AIR, she directs a multi-year formative study and impact evaluation of UnboundEd’s Adolescent Literacy Planning & Implementation Collaborative ...
In this blog post, published as part of the work of the Midwest Comprehensive Center, Marguerite Huber discusses an effort to create a centerpiece of support for teachers and districts implementing Minnesota state standards.
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.