The intent of contemporary standards-based education reform is to ensure that learners have access to instruction that supports them in developing the skills necessary for success. While the K–12 standards provide a strong foundation, adult learners need specific knowledge and skills to meet the demands of postsecondary training and employment ...
Toni M. Smith is a managing researcher at AIR where she directs research and development projects focused on mathematics instruction and teacher professional learning.
Dr. Smith currently directs the development and experimental testing of a virtual coaching program designed to improve the alignment of teachers’ instruction to state standards funded by ...
Daniel Zaas is a researcher in the International Development Division at AIR supporting project and impact evaluations. His primary responsibilities include conducting quantitative data analysis for project evaluations. At AIR, he has supported the entire evaluation process including developing and programming survey instruments, quality checking, cleaning, and analyzing data, and ...
In an era of increasingly rigorous state standards, teachers at all grade levels face heightened expectations to deepen their students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. This report examines the impact of content-intensive professional development on teachers’ math content knowledge, their instructional practice, and their students’ achievement. ...
As a principal researcher at AIR, Emily Elstad leads teams in conducting health behavior and health services research projects. Dr. Elstad is an expert in patient-provider communication and qualitative and mixed methods. Her research has focused on understanding and optimizing patient-provider decision making, including health information seeking and receipt of ...
As part of a multifaceted technical assistance project in Egypt, AIR has partnered with Intel and Egypt's Ministry of Education (MOE) to implement science clubs in schools. The initiative promotes scientific inquiry among students in grades 5 through 9, and engages them in original science projects and research. ...
For more than four decades, the National Assessment of Educational Progress has provided the best available information about the academic achievement and educational progress of the nation’s students. The influence of the Common Core State Standards on instruction suggest the need to examine the alignment between the content covered by ...
In resource-limited settings such as Southern Africa, malnutrition and infectious diseases need to be an integral part of thinking about early childhood interventions. AIR conducted a cluster-randomized trial to test the feasibility and preliminary impact of a package of community-based early childhood services in a rural area of Zambia. ...
Zambia’s Child Grant cash transfer program provides grants directly to poor households with children under five years old, empowering families to decide how best to meet their needs. AIR conducted an evaluation and found gains greater than the value of the transfer size itself.
The Plan, Do, Study, Act Process is central to the improvement of instructional routines. Watch one of the Better Math Teaching Network members in real time and in a real classroom setting introduce the Plan, Do, Study, Act, or PDSA, process.