Angelica Herrera is a senior researcher at AIR with over 20 years of experience in designing and implementing research and evaluation studies for international, federal, state, and local contracts. Dr. Herrera currently serves as the lead for Working in Partnerships (Task 3) for the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest (REL Southwest). ...
Members of the study design team from AIR and CAST will discuss the study's design and methodology and demonstrate the Thinking Reader program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and conducted by REL-NEI.
Early reading is an important indicator of future academic success, but results from the recent national reading assessments show that more than one-third of the nation’s fourth graders do not have sufficient reading skills. By utilizing two nationally representative datasets, this study replicates and expands the early reading growth research ...
The First 5 LA Family Literacy Initiative is a comprehensive program to promote language and literacy development, parenting knowledge and skills, and economic self-sufficiency among low-income families in Los Angeles County. Findings from the eight-year evaluation of this Family Literacy Initiative have shown significant growth in language and literacy skills ...
Jessica Newman is a senior researcher who leads research, evaluation, and capacity-building initiatives in collaboration with a variety of national, state, and local entities. Her work is primarily focused on positive youth development and social and emotional learning (SEL) in supportive learning environments, including out-of-school time and informal learning settings. ...
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states the authority and flexibility to turn around their lowest performing schools. In this blog post, Allison Gandhi asks if states can succeed where federal policy requirements have run into walls, using the success of the Massachusetts Wraparound Zone initiative as an example. ...
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinics and other community-based organizations play a vital role in providing timely access to STI prevention services, particularly for medically underserved communities. Medicaid is a critical partner in STI prevention and treatment; however, many people who receive Medicaid benefits are not able to receive treatment for ...
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.
Advances in awareness and knowledge of the prevalence and impact of traumatic stress have led to a call to action by federal agencies, researchers and service providers to implement “trauma-informed care” across service systems. What is trauma-informed care? How is it different from trauma-specific services? How does it change the ...
The achievement gap, which refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students, is a pressing issue facing K-12 education. AIR is supporting states to close academic achievement gaps through strategies including alternative school discipline policies, GIS mapping, improved early childhood education, and culturally responsive instruction. In this ...