Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI)

We are excited to feature Education Modified and its CEO, Melissa Corto, for our next ALI Coalition Member Spotlight! Education Modified (EdMod) is a classroom-facing special education platform that pulls together student data and special populations plan information, so all teachers have the information they need about each of their students, all in one place. EdMod was built by former special educators and was funded through a Phase I & Phase II SBIR grant with the Institute for Education Sciences. Over the course of 3.5 years, and with a 3rd party, non-profit research partner, WestEd, EdMod did research on its features with public and charter school leaders, teachers, and service providers from across the country. Unlike other special ed products, both general and special educators use the platform. Centering the needs of teachers is especially important for EdMod, as its work supports educators working with the most vulnerable student populations – students with IEPs, 504s, and other learning plans. Because of this, EdMod continues to use an end-user research protocol on all of its product development, and is a core process into all product decisions. Education Modified is a part of the ALI coalition to ensure that R&D is at the forefront of education technology development and that all products are built and tested with users. EdMod believes that when best practices become standard for education innovation, all students will benefit. #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

Next up in our ALI Coalition Member Spotlight series is Knowledge Alliance and its President and CEO, Rachel Dinkes, PhD! Knowledge Alliance (KA) was founded in 1971 and is a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on improving K-12 public education through the use of research-based knowledge. Made up of leading education organizations, KA organizations share the belief that high-quality, relevant research is key to solving the biggest education problems facing our country today. Collectively, KA promotes the use of rigorous research to figure out “what works,” and why, to improve student outcomes and then share those findings with policy-makers, practitioners, and the general public. KA is a member of ALI because, for over 50 years, KA has advocated for the need to invest in education R&D. KA believes that investing in the entire education R&D ecosystem is necessary to improve the learning and outcomes for every student. #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

ALI is thrilled to give the floor to coalition member Abbie Wyatt-McGill at In Tandem, for the latest blog post on ALI Insights! In this guest post, In Tandem provides guidance on how researchers and developers can engage with youth in a way that benefits both teens and education innovation! Read the full post to learn five practical ways to ensure youth involvement in R&D is both meaningful and impactful: https://lnkd.in/gD-aeA_A #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

The Institute of Education Sciences’ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has released new funding opportunities for FY 2025. These opportunities are focused on the research, development, and evaluation of new education technologies to address pressing problems in education, and proposals are due on January 8, 2025 at 11am ET. You can learn more about the different solicitations, Phase IA, Phase IB, and Direct to Phase II, here: https://lnkd.in/ehfxhh5 #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

In Alabama, ALI member Digital Promise is working with Talladega County to give high school students the opportunity to prepare for careers in cybersecurity. The program gets young people excited about – and certified in – a growing field that needs more talent. There are over 400,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the U.S., and 100 students have already completed the program. One student shared, "[The cyber security program] definitely has helped a lot in knowing what I want to do and what path I want to take and how I can implement it like into my life as soon as possible." This project is an excellent example of how we can best engage students in skills required the jobs of the future. You can read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/eem3zTPF #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

We are excited to begin a new series spotlighting ALI Coalition members and the great work they are doing in and around education R&D! We’re kicking it off with Educurious, powered by the National Center on Education and the Economy, and their Senior Development Officer, Alexandra Goodell, Ph.D. Educurious, powered by NCEE, was founded as an education R&D project of University of Washington and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2011. Since then, the organization has leveraged the learning sciences to design transformative learning experiences. As Senior Development Officer, Alex’s work is focused on organizational development and building partnerships to support innovative, student-centered initiatives. Educurious is a member of ALI because they believe that there are more ways to improve education than there is funding available to support them. Working with ALI not only brings this issue to the doorstep of policymakers but also supports a diverse professional network that can lead to innovative, collaborative projects. #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

On a recent Future of Education podcast episode, Michael Horn and Daniel Curtis discuss the New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act (H.R. 6691, S. 4841), which ALI has long been a supporter of, and its potential to spur learning innovation, the demand-side challenges for adoption of new education technologies, and systemwide reforms that can start to address those challenges. Michael and Danny also talk about the Developing and Advancing Innovative Learning Models Act (H.R. 8319), which would provide competitive funding to IES to support the creation of innovative learning models, enhance providers’ organizational capacity, and research their impact. You can listen to their whole conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ezHBZFAP #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

A new study from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) identifies school districts and charter management organizations that are adopting system-wide AI strategies or policy guidance earlier than most, creating a database of early adopters. With this information, CRPE has compiled a list of emerging trends within these strategies or policies that sheds light on emerging AI adoption in schools. Read more about the key insights and check out the early adopters database here: https://lnkd.in/e_-Rtjgb

Check out ALI's Executive Director Sara Schapiro on the EdUp podcast hosted by Joe Sallustio, EdD! Sara discussed the importance of investing in education R&D to improve outcomes for learners, and shared ways federal funding can support innovative strategies to meet students' needs. #education #edtech

Our final “Get to know the ALI Team” post features Megan Zabik, ALI’s Senior Policy Associate! Before joining ALI, Megan served as a Venture For America Fellow at an AI tech start-up in Detroit, focusing on customer success and stakeholder relations. She has conducted research in inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, university-industry collaborations, regional economics, and community development at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Most recently, Megan served as a Senior Policy Associate in STEM Education and Workforce Pathways at the Federation of American Scientists. Megan is interested in continuing to learn more about the confluence of complicated challenges experienced in the field of education – including educator support and recruitment, school resources, and AI integration. These challenges, and the opportunity to work with amazing coalition members, motivate her to fulfill ALI’s mission to improve student outcomes through strong education R&D. #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech