American Institutes for Research (AIR)

08/28/2026

AIR was proud to participate in the 2026 Presidential National Health Summit (The Ministry of Health) in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme “Reform Delivered, Health as a Right.” Our team welcomed nearly 200 visitors to the AIR booth, sharing evidence, insights, and solutions that support stronger health systems and better outcomes worldwide.

Learn more about our work: https://www.air.org/our-work/international/international-health-and-social-protection

08/27/2026

State and local leaders are facing complex questions about funding early childhood programs. AIR's Early Childhood Cost and Finance experts are offering free, one-hour consultations to help address specific challenges and inform decisionmaking.

Learn more about our resources and request a consultation: https://air.org/resource/spotlight/early-childhood-cost-and-finance

08/25/2026

"Funding formulas are the means, not the end." During a recent Education Commission of the States webinar, AIR's Tammy Kolbe recently shared insights on how states can better support districts through special education funding systems that are evidence-based, student-focused, and responsive to varying levels of need.

Read the recap in K-12 Dive:

A K-12 funding expert with the American Institutes for Research says state special education funding systems need to be evidence-based and student-focused.

08/24/2026

While states are at different stages of their journeys to adopt skills-based talent management practices, they are experiencing some common challenges.

AIR's Gee Rege details what AIR and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) have learned about how states are navigating this process. In the next phase of the pilot initiative, AIR and the NGA Center will focus on helping states define the skills that matter for two public-facing roles.

Read more:

AIR is partnering with a cohort of states to identify and define the tasks and skills required to do a job. This information—grounded in evidence, validated across states, and designed for practical use—will help states test and scale effective skills-based talent practices.

08/21/2026

The Global Health Corps Africa Leadership Accelerator—supported by the AIR Opportunity Fund—helps early-career public health professionals in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia build the skills, networks, mentorship, and confidence they need to lead stronger organizations and communities. In a recent blog post, AIR's Kwelin Pipkin describes how the program is making a difference in communities around Africa.

The Global Health Corps’ Africa Leadership Accelerator is a nine-month fellowship that helps emerging public health professionals build the skills, networks, and confidence to lead change from within the organizations and communities where they already work.

08/19/2026

Students with disabilities who have high-quality Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) can make meaningful progress toward their academic goals.

Over six years, AIR partnered with the Connecticut State Department of Education to strengthen IEP development, implementation, and progress monitoring statewide. As a result, 9,148 educators have received AIR-developed training designed to help create clearer IEP goals, improve progress monitoring, and better support students.

Learn more about this work in our latest impact story:

While states, employers, and workers all recognize the value of Registered Apprenticeship Programs there are challenges in building, expanding, and sustaining apprenticeship programs.

08/18/2026

Rural health systems are facing real pressure, including rising costs, workforce shortages, chronic disease, and barriers to coordinated care. At the same time, the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) offers states a major opportunity to strengthen access, improve care delivery, and support long-term systems change.

AIR brings deep experience working with federal, state, and local partners to develop practical, locally informed solutions. From value-based care and workforce development to health IT, quality measurement, program monitoring, and stakeholder engagement, AIR is positioned to help states turn this opportunity into measurable progress for rural communities.

Learn how we use evidence to help strengthen healthcare systems, expand access to care, and improve outcomes: https://www.air.org/resource/spotlight/transforming-rural-healthcare

08/17/2026

New research co-authored by AIR experts finds that virtual home visiting can help make family support services more accessible while delivering meaningful benefits for parents and young children.

The study found that families who received virtual Welcome Baby visits reported greater parenting confidence, stronger parent-child interactions, and children with stronger social-emotional development. Researchers also found higher enrollment and completion rates after the program moved to a virtual format.

Explore the research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200626000979?dgcid=coauthor

08/12/2026

Students with disabilities deserve access to high-quality services, but many schools are facing increasing costs amid declining enrollment and shrinking resources.

On August 19, AIR's Tammy Kolbe will join the Education Commission of the States to discuss trends in special education services, the national funding landscape, and evidence-based strategies for helping schools meet students' needs.

Register for the Webinar: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ari8KD93_KN6H752e3iSkv8nxvOLCRpwzfRisaFvUJxjDHZgHMz2~AhZBnU4c7BLzqS9EKM6SB0x12hX58OnK0dPHvAbZbzCW8rltAng0Akxo5Q

08/11/2026

What does research tell us about expanding access and opportunity?

In a new blog, AIR's Ellie Klein explores how evidence can help us better understand the barriers people face and inform solutions that create pathways to opportunity for individuals and communities.

Read more: https://www.air.org/resource/what-research-reveals-about-access-and-opportunity