SEDL Joins Forces with American Institutes for Research, Expanding the Reach of Both Organizations

December 10, 2014
Austin, Texas

Austin, TX – SEDL will join the American Institutes for Research (AIR) effective January 1, 2015. The combined organizations will have new and enhanced capabilities, for example, around disability research as well as an increased ability to conduct large-scale randomized control trials and provide technical assistance to diverse populations across a broader geographic area.

“We share a common mission of improving people’s lives, with an emphasis on the disadvantaged,” said David Myers, President and Chief Executive Officer of AIR. “This move expands the depth and breadth of our work and recognizes that the issues we address are multifaceted and cut across multiple disciplines. Together we are better positioned to answer the challenges facing all stages of an individual’s life.”

“SEDL and AIR share a singular goal of using high quality research to inform policy and practice,” said Wesley Hoover, President and Chief Executive Officer of SEDL. “Some institutions focus on doing research, others on supporting practice. Our organizations work across both in order to more effectively bring about beneficial change.”

SEDL was founded in 1966 as the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory under a U.S. Office of Education grant aimed at helping states and school districts use data and research to improve student academic outcomes. SEDL’s original focus was on states in the Southwest, but as its work expanded throughout the United States, it changed its name to SEDL.  Based in Austin, Texas, SEDL has offices in three states.

AIR was founded in 1946 to conduct and apply the best behavioral and social science research and evaluation towards improving peoples’ lives, with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AIR has 15 domestic offices and seven international offices.

About SEDL
SEDL is a private, nonprofit education research, development, and dissemination (RD&D) corporation based in Austin, Texas. Improving teaching and learning has been at the heart of SEDL's work for more than 45 years, with a particular focus on serving the education needs of children in poverty and integrating education research and practice.

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.