Student achievement depends on an array of factors within and beyond the classroom environment. Even within classrooms, a complex interplay of factors affects achievement. These factors include not only the curriculum but also teaching practices. In this paper, we are interested in two associated pilot programs, consisting of professional development, ...
Typical approaches to professional learning are often driven by district or campus priorities, rather than by the individual needs of teachers. Adult learning and motivation theories emphasize the importance of allowing teachers autonomy over their own learning. Moreover, teachers may have the best understanding of what kind of learning would ...
What students are expected to learn in some states can vary greatly with what students are expected to learn in other states. This AIR study uses international benchmarking as a common metric to examine the variance in state performance standards, exposing a large gap in expectations between the states with ...
A December 2015 AIR study finds that Transitional Kindergarten, the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for young five-year-olds in California, appears to improve children’s school readiness in critical areas of academic learning and development. Researchers Karen Manship and Heather Quick explain how and suggest next steps. ...
What can be done right now to prevent firearms violence—from suicide, to rampages by those who are mentally ill, to acts of terrorism—without heavy reliance on the federal government? Patricia Campie suggests what states, cities, employers, and communities can do.
The root causes of youth violence are similar in communities across the globe, but community responses to improve public safety and well-being vary considerably. To address this need in the Latin America and Caribbean region, the USAID selected AIR to conduct a global review of the evidence on youth violence ...
Kathleen L. Pfannenstiel is a senior researcher at AIR and provides technical assistance and professional development to states and school districts with an emphasis on improving results for students with disabilities. Dr. Pfannenstiel is the principle investigator for an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) model demonstration grant. She works ...
These teaching ideas are instructional routines teachers can implement in their classrooms to help students become more deeply and actively engaged in understanding algebra. The ideas focus on how teachers can help students better engage, defined as making deep mathematical connections, justifying and critiquing mathematical thinking, and solving challenging problems ...
The Florida Network for School Improvement (FNSI) is a community of schools focused on improving math proficiency for Black and Latino/a students and students experiencing poverty. Participating schools work together to address challenges related to student outcomes by employing continuous improvement cycles that aim to identify, test, and refine instructional ...
Jonathan A. Simonetta is Vice President, International Development at AIR. As Vice President, he mentors researchers, oversees projects, monitors overall project performance, and leads business development for our International Development Division.