American Institutes for Research (AIR)

06/18/2026

AIR’s roots in aerospace go back decades—from early aviation psychology research to ongoing work with federal partners.

Today, we continue to bring rigorous evidence and practical insight to some of the field’s most pressing challenges, including workforce development, human factors, and system safety.

Explore how AIR is supporting a safer, more effective, and future-ready aerospace ecosystem:
https://www.air.org/resource/spotlight/spotlight-aerospace-solutions

06/17/2026

AI tools are rapidly entering classrooms—but what actually works for teachers and students?

AIR is evaluating and comparing AI tools designed for K–12 education, focusing on what supports instruction, where challenges remain, and how educators can make informed decisions.

Explore the project to learn what we’re finding, and why it matters for schools navigating AI adoption: https://www.air.org/project/evaluating-and-comparing-ai-tools-teachers-what-works-and-what-doesnt

06/16/2026

How do we build systems that can keep up with—and shape—the future of work?

📅 Join us on Thursday, June 25, 2026, as AIR and UpSkill America at The Aspen Institute host a webinar, “Unlocking Scale: How Smarter Place-Based Strategies Can Future-Proof Youth Opportunity.”

The webinar will focus on where progress is most challenging—and most impactful. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies to accelerate results at scale, including:

🔹Leveraging intermediaries to expand industry-driven work-based learning
🔹Using AI to personalize and simplify access to benefits and supports
🔹Applying AI-powered tools to strengthen reskilling and career connections

Gain actionable insights on how funders and system leaders can support intermediaries and local innovators—and build systems that can adapt, deliver, and endure over time.

🔗 Learn more and register: https://www.air.org/event/unlocking-scale-how-smarter-place-based-strategies-can-future-proof-youth-opportunity

06/15/2026

Workforce Pell is expanding access to short-term training—and states will be key to making it work.

Starting in July 2026, Pell Grants can fund 8–15 week programs in high-demand fields. AIR has developed practical resources to help states plan, approve, and align programs with workforce needs.

Explore the tools: https://www.air.org/resource/workforce-pell-expanding-access-short-term-job-training

06/12/2026

What’s shaping health policy right now? The latest AIR Health News explores:

🔹New policy and oversight approaches to address fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare Advantage
🔹Continued growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment—and what it means for federal spending
🔹Emerging treatment developments for chronic hepatitis B
🔹Medicaid eligibility changes and declining child enrollment trends

Read the full newsletter: https://icont.ac/51iNb

06/11/2026

Attaining a workforce credential with real labor market value can put students on a path to well-paying, meaningful careers. A recent The Brookings Institution article by Harry Holzer and AIR’s Amy Feygin highlights how community colleges can better produce “credentials of value”—and what distinguishes the institutions doing this most successfully.

Some key strategies include:
🔹Aligning programs with local job demand and job quality
🔹Engaging employers more frequently—and more meaningfully
🔹Expanding high-quality, varied work-based learning (e.g., internships)
🔹 Integrating career readiness across workforce training
🔹Providing robust student supports, including advising and wraparound services

These findings are especially urgent as AI reshapes workplaces and rapidly changes skill needs. The research also underscores the importance of federal support for work-based learning, career guidance, and strong advising and student supports.

Read more:

Harry Holzer and Amy Feygin examine what top-performing community colleges do differently, and what policymakers can do to expand workforce credentials that pay.

06/08/2026

How do states actually decide how to fund education?

A new explainer from the Strategic Funding & Finance Center, operated by AIR, breaks down the complex ways states allocate education dollars—from base funding formulas and student counts to targeted adjustments for different student needs and district contexts.

Amanda Danks walks through how these decisions vary across states, and why the structure of funding systems plays a critical role in shaping access to resources and opportunities in schools.

This blogpost is a part of the Education Finance 101 Series. It explains three commonly used funding models that states use to allocate funds and resources.

06/07/2026

Ample evidence shows how cash transfers improve food security and incomes, but there is far less research to demonstrate how and when this direct assistance affects individuals’ health. AIR experts review the current body of evidence and argue that conducting systematic, comparative analyses will clarify the impact cash transfers have on health outcomes.

Explore the evidence: https://www.air.org/resource/blog-post/when-do-cash-transfers-improve-health-and-save-lives

06/04/2026

Medicare Advantage, private health plans that manage care for beneficiaries on behalf of Medicare, could make care delivery more efficient and reduce costs through market competition and innovation. At the same time, the program’s design means it has oversight challenges and risks for fraud, waste, and abuse that differ from the traditional program.

The latest report in AIR’s series on fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare Advantage—supported by Arnold Ventures—offers policy and oversight approaches to address these issues in specific areas of the program:

The Medicare Advantage program has the potential to make care delivery more efficient and to reduce costs through market competition and innovation. AIR examined peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify policy options and oversight approaches to address risks for fraud, waste, and abuse in Medi...

06/04/2026

Medicare Advantage, private health plans that manage care for beneficiaries on behalf of Medicare, could make care delivery more efficient and reduce costs through market competition and innovation. At the same time, the program’s design means it has oversight challenges and risks for fraud, waste, and abuse that differ from the traditional program.

The latest report in AIR’s series on fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare Advantage—supported by Arnold Ventures—offers policy and oversight approaches to address these issues in specific areas of the program:

The Medicare Advantage program has the potential to make care delivery more efficient and to reduce costs through market competition and innovation. AIR examined peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify policy options and oversight approaches to ad...