All Americans want great schools, affordable, high-quality health care, safe neighborhoods, and good jobs.
For nearly 80 years, AIR has been a trusted, objective partner to support federal, state, and local governments in meeting the needs of American citizens. From evaluating the quality of nursing homes to making air travel safer and more accessible to improving education so our students can compete globally, AIR has been committed to generating evidence that supports decision-making on programs and policies across the U.S. and during 15 U.S. presidential administrations.
We look forward to continuing that work today and into the future.
When do cash transfers improve health—and when do they save lives?
Decades of evidence show cash transfers improve food security and incomes. But health impacts are far less consistent. New AIR research explores when, where, and under what conditions cash transfers influence health outcomes—and why context and implementation matter more than ever as global health funding tightens.
Read the blog from AIR's Marlous de Milliano, Thomas de Hoop, and David Seidenfeld at the link in bio.
Gen AI offers opportunities to reshape workforce training, and upping the ante for those that delay AI adoption. What makes these AI investments count?
A new Work Shift op-ed by AIR’s Samia Amin and @perscholas COO Tamara Johnson Tamara Johnson explores the power of rapid cycle learning partnerships and the conditions that help scale lessons from individual AI pilots into organizational strategy.
They identify key levers that help unleash a fly-wheel of impact: investing in agile learning partnerships, an organizational culture that supports “failure” that drives learning, and measuring what counts—with a special focus on adoption.
Read more at the link in bio.
AIR Managing Economist Thomas de Hoop recently traveled to Abuja, Nigeria to present at an evidence and policy forum titled Women, Jobs, and Markets: Unlocking Inclusive Economic Opportunities in Nigeria. Dr. de Hoop shared findings from AIR’s impact evaluation of the Nigeria for Women Project, a women’s savings group and livelihoods program implemented by the Government of Nigeria shown to have positive impacts on women’s financial inclusion.
The forum brought together researchers, government officials, development partners such as the World Bank and the Gates Foundation, and the private sector to review the latest evidence on women's economic empowerment in Nigeria—and to translate that evidence into policy action. View the forum and his presentation at the link in bio.
As we close out #SecondChanceMonth, we’re reminded why second chances matter.
Each year, people returning from incarceration face real barriers to jobs, housing, education, and health care. AIR works alongside communities to strengthen reentry systems and expand opportunities so individuals can move forward and thrive. This work goes beyond policy—it’s about dignity, opportunity, and building stronger communities.
Learn how AIR is supporting reentry efforts nationwide at the link in bio.
There's one week left to respond to AIR’s Health + AI RFI! What’s working in healthcare AI? What still needs proof? What risks need closer attention? We’re looking for real-world input on how AI can strengthen health systems and improve population health.
Responses are due May 7 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Learn more at the link in bio.
#HealthAI #ArtificialIntelligence #PublicHealth #HealthSystems #Research
Beginning in 2027, federal law will require many Medicaid expansion adults ages 19–64 to meet monthly work or community engagement requirements to maintain coverage, with exemptions for groups such as people who are pregnant, caregivers of young children, and individuals with disabilities.
As states prepare for implementation, past experience shows that the greatest risk to compliance is not unwillingness to work but lack of clear, accessible information. Traditional outreach methods—such as mailed notices and phone calls—often fall short, leading to confusion, missed paperwork, and avoidable coverage loss.
Drawing on lessons from earlier state efforts, AIR experts highlight strategies to improve communication, including early and repeated outreach, plain‑language messaging, and the use of trusted messengers to reach affected populations.
Read more in AIR’s new blog post, part of our Medicaid work requirements series, at the link in bio.
✨ Out today: New research on school improvement networks ✨
AIR, @mathematicanow , and @randcorporation have released findings from a major, multi-year evaluation of the @gatesfoundation ’s Networks for School Improvement (NSI) initiative—a nationwide investment spanning 34 secondary school networks.
The study provides a comprehensive look at how network-based continuous improvement (CI) can strengthen teacher practice and student outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Student Impact: Researchers found medium-sized positive impacts on math achievement, GPA, and FAFSA completion.
🔹Power of Peers: Schools saw stronger outcomes when they were more deeply connected to peers within their network.
🔹Implementation Quality: Schools demonstrated improved outcomes when they implemented core aspects of CI.
🔹Enabling Conditions: Stable teams and strong school leadership were critical to success.
The report also explores how intermediary organizations adapted their support to help scale these evidence-based improvements nationally.
🔗 Read the full report at the link in bio.
It’s Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week (April 20–24)!
This week, AIR joins the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) to celebrate the dedicated professionals who make afterschool programs places where young people learn, grow, and thrive. Afterschool professionals play many roles—mentor, coach, educator, connector—and research consistently shows they are the foundation of high-quality programs that strengthen skills, boost school attendance, and support academic success.
To help elevate and better support this workforce, AIR created a brief that highlights the wide range of roles and responsibilities afterschool professionals take on—and why clarity around these roles matters for career pathways and professional development.
Learn more and read the brief at the link in bio.
🎉 Congratulations to Arielle Lentz!
Arielle Lentz, an out-of-school-time (OST) expert at AIR, received the 2026 OST Special Interest Group Emerging Scholar Award at last week’s American Educational Research Association #AERA2026 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
The award recognizes her contributions to OST scholarship and her commitment to advancing research, collaboration, and community-centered learning that supports the healthy development of young people. Kudos to Arielle on this well-earned recognition.
Learn more about the OST Special Interest Group at the link in bio.
As cities face persistent vacancies, impending retirements, and rising service demands, many are turning to skills‑based practices to modernize hiring and talent development.
Skills‑based practices prioritize what people can do over traditional proxies like degrees or job titles. When applied thoughtfully, this approach can help cities expand applicant pools, make more job‑relevant hiring decisions, and strengthen internal pathways for advancement and retention.
Through a partnership with the @leagueofcities , supported by @walmart , AIR has been working with city governments to understand how skills‑based practices are taking shape on the ground. Across the cities we studied, several consistent patterns emerged:
🔹Cities often start small, targeting specific workforce challenges rather than attempting system‑wide reform all at once.
🔹Hiring is increasingly integrated with training, apprenticeships, and upskilling—treating skill development as part of the pipeline, not an afterthought.
🔹Degree requirements are being replaced or supplemented with skills‑based assessments, work samples, simulations, and structured interviews.
🔹Skills are applied beyond hiring, shaping promotion, performance management, and compensation decisions.
Explore what we’re learning, what helps these efforts endure, and what cities can do now to lay the groundwork for sustainable workforce change at the link in bio.
Less than two weeks left to respond to AIR’s Health + AI RFI!
What evidence gaps are holding healthcare AI back? We’re looking for AI-enabled ideas and research directions that can strengthen health systems and improve population health. Share your input on what’s promising, what needs proof, and what responsible implementation requires by April 24.
View details and apply at the link in bio.
#HealthAI #ArtificialIntelligence #PublicHealth #HealthSystems #Research
