American Institutes for Research

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American Institutes for Research (AIR) is described as "one of the world's largest behavioral and social science research and evaluation organizations".[1] They focus in part on "Generating Evidence to Advance Equity".[2]

From their Twitter bio accessed December 31, 2022: "Since 1946, AIR has been advancing evidence to evolve systems, improve lives, and ultimately create a better, more equitable world."[3]

GSA Awards Multi-Year Evaluation Contract on Equity and the American Rescue Plan

A press release dated from the U.S. General Services Administration announced that American taxpayers "awarded a multi-year contract to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to examine the role of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in advancing equitable outcomes across a range of federal, state, and locally implemented programs."

Verbatim from the press release:[4]

WASHINGTON (DC) — Today, U.S. General Services Administration announced it has awarded a multi-year contract to the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to examine the role of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in advancing equitable outcomes across a range of federal, state, and locally implemented programs. The Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) will support the contract in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget’s Evidence Team, the ARP Implementation Team, and other agency partners. In addition, OES will complement this study by conducting rapid, rigorous evaluations of up to ten additional ARP programs.
“Since his first day in office, President Biden has prioritized advancing equity and economic opportunity across his administration, including through the implementation of the American Rescue Plan,” said Amb. Susan Rice, White House Domestic Policy Advisor. “This new evaluation will create a critical roadmap to ensure that the work of the Biden-Harris administration continues to provide effective and equitable benefits to the American people.”
President Biden signed the historic $1.9 trillion ARP on March 11, 2021, to help families, workers, communities, and small business owners recover from the public health and economic impact of COVID-19 – major components of which were designed to respond to the disproportionate negative impacts of the pandemic on underserved individuals and communities.
“The American Rescue Plan was the administration’s first opportunity to advance equity through the implementation of major legislation. To date, ARP has helped power a historically equitable recovery,” said Gene Sperling, White House Senior Advisor and ARP Implementation Coordinator. “The Biden-Harris administration released the ARP Equity Report to highlight the work done to advance equity through ARP implementation and to generate feedback and analysis on the way forward. The national evaluation provides us with an opportunity to rigorously examine what worked and apply those lessons alongside our state and local partners to continue to deliver an equitable recovery both now and in the future.”
The ARP National Evaluation is a multi-year study that will provide a systematic look at the contributions of selected ARP-funded programs toward achieving equitable outcomes to inform program design and delivery across the federal government. The ARP National Evaluation is funded as part of a portfolio of investments managed by GSA’s Technology Transformation Services, and builds on GSA’s commitment to make government service delivery more inclusive.
“The new evaluations will be essential for understanding the role of ARP programs and supported interventions in improving outcomes for historically underserved populations,” said Andrea M. O'Neal, GSA's Senior Advisor for Equity. “GSA’s evaluations will measure whether ARP-funded interventions are working as intended and GSA will share any lessons learned.”
The ARP National Evaluation is informed by the recently released ARP Equity Report and associated ARP Equity Learning Agenda with the goal of building evidence on equitable implementation from ARP-funded programs. It is also designed to support the President's Management Agenda Learning Agenda by helping to foster a more equitable, effective, and accountable government.

AIR Equity Initiative

The American Institutes for Research's AIR Equity Initiative was described as follows verbatim:[5]

"Since its founding in 1946, the American Institutes for Research® (AIR) has conducted rigorous research and used evidence to address complex social issues and improve the lives of people, both in the U.S. and across the globe. The AIR Equity Initiative is predicated on these same principles and strengthens our commitment through a bold investment in the generation and use of evidence to address the most urgent challenge facing our nation: systemic inequity."

It was elaborated on elsewhere on the American Institutes for Research website:[6]

In 2021, AIR launched the AIR Equity Initiative, a five-year, $100M+ investment in behavioral and social science research and technical assistance to address the underlying causes of systemic inequities and to increase opportunities for people and communities.
At every level of society—from school boards and board rooms to state houses and federal agencies—the nation is grappling with the consequences of systemic inequities. To face these challenges the Equity Initiative aims to foster even bolder, more strategic, and sustained ways to advance equity, especially in areas where investment is limited. We do this by funding inclusive and collaborative research and technical assistance efforts that engage partners from the outset to encourage approaches that can lead to relevant solutions and long-term change.
The Equity Initiative aims to make a substantive improvement in the lives of workers, students, and communities. As the Equity Initiative’s work moves forward, we expect to see improvements in the core issues of our national conversation on equity in education; workforce development; public safety and policing; diversity, equity and inclusion; and eventually, health.

American Institutes for Research Leaders and Staff

Experts

The following are listed as experts as of December 31, 2022 according to the American Institutes for Research:[7]

Ashu Handa is an economist whose work centers on global poverty, health, and human development in sub-Saharan Africa. In his interview, he explains how cash transfer programs have the potential to create long-term, multi-generational change; what piqued his interest in poverty research and alleviation; and how his international background shapes his work.
Carol Pier is passionate about international workers' rights because "few other areas of international development provide the same opportunity to decrease the global wealth gap." In this interview, she explores the power of this work, common public misconceptions around international labor issues, and more from her 20+ year career.
Dean Gerdeman leads AIR projects that create rigorous, accessible evidence to help address challenges in education ranging from teacher training and development to disparities in student outcomes. In his interview, he considers the past, present, and future of education in the United States, including virtual schooling, teacher shortages, and the long-term outcomes of the pandemic.
Alicia Garcia, a principal policy analyst at AIR, has spent much of her career seeking to make improvements to state- and district-level education policy. In her interview, the former attorney talks about why she transitioned from education law, and what's changed in the field in the last 15 years.
Melissa Hafner, a health policy researcher at AIR, recently conducted a study on dually-eligible individuals—patients who receive both Medicaid and Medicare benefits. In her interview, she discusses those findings, how American healthcare is evolving, and her personal journey to this line of work.
Individuals with disabilities continue to be excluded from employment at disproportionate rates. Kathleen Murphy, a principal investigator for AIR’s Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, discusses the common misconceptions and barriers these individuals face, and how new technologies are opening doors—while closing others.
In his 25+ years running medium- and large-scale surveys in Africa, Mehari Belachew has learned to expect the unexpected. In this interview, he talks about the obstacles that can derail survey design and data collection in this region of the world—and how preparation and flexibility can overcome them.
Jaleh Soroui leads the AIR team that provides expertise, technical assistance, and management for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Throughout her career, Jaleh has been at the forefront of incorporating education technology into adult education.
Amanda Latimore, who leads AIR's Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) and teaches social epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discusses how education, the employment system, housing, health care, and social context all play a role in her work—and the impact of the pandemic on substance disorders.
Karen Francis, a medical sociologist by training, leads AIR’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. AIR's work in diversity, equity, and inclusion is not limited to a single department or program; it is strategically embedded into every aspect of the organization. In this interview, Karen explains this comprehensive strategy—and why it is essential for real progress.
Josh Polanin, principal researcher and project director for AIR’s What Works Clearinghouse, discusses his experience in quantitative methodology, particularly systematic review and meta-analysis, which allows him to design and lead studies across the field of education research.
Eboni Howard is a nationally recognized expert in child and family development, implementation science, and mixed-methods evaluation approaches. In this interview, she describes her work on such topics as early childhood systems change, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, and professional development.
AIR early childhood development and education expert, Ann-Marie Faria focuses on quantitative research in early childhood settings, drawing on her experience as a former kindergarten and elementary school teacher. Read about how her experience as a foster mom has changed her perspective on her research.
Allison Gandhi directs and implements large research projects at AIR and oversees the organization’s special education practice area. Find out what she thinks are trends to watch in special education over the next 5-10 years.
Roger Jarjoura is on the leadership team for AIR’s National Reentry Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. In his interview, he says the reason why the United States has such a high rate of incarceration "is not because of rocketing crime rates, but because our justice system involves punitive practices."
Samia Amin leads the workforce development practice at AIR. She’s helped federal, state, local, and international governments and foundations develop and refine workforce programs. Find out more about her work using methods such as behavioral insights, human-centered design, and research-driven pilot programs for continuous program improvement.
Thomas de Hoop is a development economist, with 15+ years of experience designing, implementing, and leading impact evaluations and systemic reviews. Read what motivated him to choose this path–and what advice he has for people wanting to pursue a career in social science research.
David Osher, vice president and Institute Fellow, works across a variety of topic areas—including social and emotional learning, school and community mental health services and interventions, school climate and conditions for learning, and implementation science and data use—both domestically and internationally. Find out what he's learned in his 50+ year career, and what he thinks is the future of violence prevention in schools.
Deborah Moroney specializes in bridging research and practice, having worked as a staff member for out-of-school programs early in her career. She's written practitioner and organizational guides; co-authored the fourth edition of “Beyond the Bell®, A Toolkit for Creating High-Quality Afterschool and Expanded Learning Programs,” and co-edited Creating Safe, Equitable, Engaging Schools: A Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Approach to Supporting Students. Find out what she thinks makes a great out-of-school program.

Leaders

The following are listed as leaders as of December 31, 2022 according to the American Institutes for Research:[8]

Board of Directors

The following are listed as Board of Directors as of December 31, 2022 according to the American Institutes for Research:[9]

Fellows

The following are listed as Fellows as of December 31, 2022 according to the American Institutes for Research:[10]

References

  1. ↑ American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences (accessed December 31, 2022)
  2. ↑ Generating Evidence to Advance Equity | The AIR Equity Initiative (accessed December 31, 2022)
  3. ↑ American Institutes for Research Twitter bio (accessed December 31, 2022)
  4. ↑ GSA Awards Multi-Year Evaluation Contract on Equity and the American Rescue Plan (accessed December 31, 2022)
  5. ↑ American Institutes for Research Honored as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion (accessed December 31, 2022)
  6. ↑ The AIR Equity Initiative (accessed December 31, 2022)
  7. ↑ Experts (accessed December 31, 2022)
  8. ↑ Leadership (accessed December 31, 2022)
  9. ↑ Board of Directors (accessed December 31, 2022)
  10. ↑ Fellows (accessed December 31, 2022)
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