While summer often brings a shift in daily routines, it also creates space for reflection, planning, and continued progress. At SRI Education, our teams are working with states, districts, communities, and partners across the country, delivering new insights, tools, and resources to support educators and learners and help shape the future of education.
This issue highlights new events, studies, tools, and initiatives across early learning, K–12, and postsecondary education. Whether you’re preparing for the school year ahead or analyzing what worked this past year, these resources are designed to support evidence-based decisions and lasting impact.
Featured News
AI Literacy Unplugged: Insights From K–12 Education Practitioners in the Know
As AI technologies become part of everyday life, how can we ensure students are prepared not just to use AI, but to understand it, collaborate with it for solutions, and use it responsibly? Join SRI on July 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET for a conversation with a panel of K–12 education practitioners who bring firsthand experience with integrating AI for teaching and learning and promoting AI literacy across classrooms, districts, and states.
Bringing Educational Innovations to Market: A Step-By-Step Approach for Researchers and Developers
On June 26 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET, the LEARN Network will host a free, interactive workshop for researchers and developers attempting to grow and scale effective, evidence-based innovations. Attendees will learn how to create an effective go-to-market marketing strategy for educational products and programs and position their innovations for visibility and broad adoption.
Upcoming Events
Envisioning an Evidence-Based Education System
Join the LEARN Network for a summer conversation series with education leaders from the national, state, and local levels to discuss a vision for an evidence-based education ecosystem. Panelists will consider the entire ecosystem of actors, organizations, processes, and resources that work together to shape education, touching on topics including instruction, policy, educational technology, and artificial intelligence. Learn more and register.
Video as a Tool for Pre-K Teacher Development
Join SRI Education’s Todd Grindal and Anne Partika on Friday, June 27 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET for a webinar hosted by the Gates Foundation on how video can support pre-K teacher development. They’ll share key findings from the Early Childhood Classroom Observation (ECCO) study and join pre-K leaders and educators who’ve piloted video coaching to discuss new ideas for improving professional learning for teachers. Learn more and register.
New Findings and Resources
Postsecondary Education
Supporting Student Success in Online Courses: Insights from Students and Faculty
How can instructors support student success in online courses? In a recent webinar, the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative brought together researchers, faculty, and students to discuss new research into student experiences in online settings and share a series of strategies designed to support student motivation, engagement, and success. Watch the webinar and explore key takeaways in this new blog post. Read more.
Preparing Technicians for Professional Success
Through the NSF-funded Project GOALS, SRI researchers partnered with community college career and technical education (CTE) faculty to co-design and test strategies that build students’ professional skills like communication and persistence. This blog post highlights the four-year collaboration and the practical resources it produced. Read more.
Fostering Student Connection and Growth Mindsets: A Q&A with Meghan McIntyre
In this blog post, SRI researcher Louise Yarnall and Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative student fellow Emily Vershay speak with Wake Technical Community College Professor Meghan McIntyre about her experience implementing the Collaborative’s strategies for improving learning in online college courses. Read more.
Listening to Students: Experiences of Self-Directed Learning in Online Courses
New research from the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative highlights what students say about their experiences in online STEM courses and offers insights into their motivation, study strategies, and behaviors. These findings are shaping instructional strategies to better support students’ self-directed learning that the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative research team is currently pilot-testing. Learn more.
Early Childhood Workforce
In Search of Fair Play: Designing Pay Parity for Head Start Teachers
Low compensation is the top reason cited for the high rates of teacher turnover affecting the quality of care in Head Start programs across the country. SRI researchers Laura Hudson, Nicholas Ortiz, and Anne Partika conducted an analysis to demonstrate how the range of wages offered to teachers in Head Start job postings differed from kindergarten teacher wages. Explore their findings and recommendations for grantees and state leaders in this new, interactive ArcGIS StoryMap. Read more.
Early Childhood Special Education
Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention (EI) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Infographic
This infographic from SRI’s INTECA (Innovative Technology for Early Childhood Assessment) project describes key features of authentic assessment, a best practice in EI and ECSE, including how information can be collected and why programs should use it. Learn more.
Children’s Media
New Research Shows Kids Learn STEM Skills from PBS KIDS
A paper published in Education Researcher coauthored by SRI’s Todd Grindal and Sarah Gerard demonstrates that screen-based educational content can measurably improve how young children understand the world around them, and that exposing young children to content expressly designed to promote learning outcomes can translate into measurable improvements in critical skills. Learn more in this new article. Read more.
EdTech and Innovation
Scaling Innovations for Maximum Impact: Lessons from the LEARN to Scale Workshop
The LEARN Network kicked off its new LEARN to Scale Workshop Series with a May 1 session on what it takes to scale evidence-based innovations in education. Experts shared practical strategies for achieving sustainable impact from defining “scale” to supporting long-term adoption. Read highlights and access the recording and resources in the new blog post. Read more.
Podcast: Marketing Educational Innovations for Maximum Reach
Educational marketing expert Julie Kelleher joins SRI’s Adrienne Woods to explore why even effective evidence-based products can struggle to reach schools. Drawing on insights from the LEARN Network, they share a practical roadmap to help researchers and developers position their innovations for greater adoption and impact. Listen here.
AI Is Here. Is It Scaling in Education?
ASU-GSV and the affiliated AI Show featured characteristic excitement about the potential of educational technologies powered by AI to transform education at scale. Go inside the event and learn what leaders are saying in this LEARN Network blog. Read more.
Student Behavior
What Makes Evidence-Based Practices “Stick”? Assessing Contextual Factors in BEST in CLASS
This blog post from SRI’s Student Behavior program highlights promising practices for implementing evidence-based strategies, with a focus on coaching support for teachers. Explore related posts on effective coaching, including the use of video to enhance instructional practice and insights from both teachers and coaches using the BEST in CLASS model. Read more.
The SRI Homeroom: Shaping the Future of Education, One Conversation at a Time
The SRI Homeroom podcast offers down-to-earth discussions on the most pressing issues facing America’s students, educators, and families, along with the work being done to address them. Each episode features interviews with some of the nation’s leading researchers, data experts, educators, and developers, sharing their insights and solutions. Listen here.
Connect with Us on Bluesky
SRI Education is now on Bluesky, and we’d love to connect with you there. Follow us for research-based insights, practical resources, and updates on our latest work in education, including events where we’ll be presenting. Follow us here!
Recent Publications from SRI Researchers
- Publication by Claire Christensen, Anirban Roy, Madeline Cincebeaux, and Ramneet Kaur: A Machine Learning Model to Automatically Identify Fast-Paced Online Videos for Children
- Publication by Ela Joshi and Rebecca Griffiths: Students’ and Instructors’ Experiences With Open and Culturally Responsive Instruction: Findings From a State OER Program
- Publication by Hui Yang and Selin Capan: Promoting AI Literacy in K-12: Components, Challenges, and Opportunities
