Throughout 2025, SRI Education researchers advanced work to address critical challenges facing education systems during a time of continued change and uncertainty. Through rigorous research, strong partnerships, and innovative approaches, our teams supported educators, informed policy, and expanded the evidence base on what works to improve learning outcomes.
This newsletter includes a diverse range of new publications, web-based tools, and interactive resources designed to support practitioners, policymakers, funders, innovators, children, and families, both now and well into the future.
As we approach the end of the year, we wish your teams, families, and loved ones a joyful and restful holiday season. We look forward to connecting with you in 2026.
Featured News
Building a Lab-to-Market Pipeline for Education
Despite the abundance of educational products available today, many promising innovations never reach classrooms. In a new article, SRI principal education researcher Kerry Friedman explores why bridging the gap between research and real-world implementation remains a challenge — and how the LEARN Network has been uniquely positioned to help promising solutions scale.
Advancing AI Literacy in Education
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we work, connect, and learn. Over the last two years, SRI’s CIGALE project has focused on advancing AI literacy in K–12 education, developing foundational frameworks, creating tools to help educators integrate AI concepts into instruction, and elevate public conversations about what it means to be AI-literate for all students and educators.
New Findings and Resources
Illustrating Extreme Weather Across U.S. School Districts Through Data Linking and Visualization
As extreme weather events grow more frequent and severe, education leaders need better tools to understand and respond to their impacts. This new brief demonstrates how integrating education, weather, and population data can help estimate how extreme weather has affected U.S. school districts over the past decade. The findings show that impacts vary widely by region and weather type, pointing to areas where states may need additional support to strengthen preparedness and resilience. Read the brief.
Student Behavior and Support
Stories That Teach: How Reading Books Can Support Your Child’s Emotional Growth
Reading with young children offers opportunities to support social and emotional development, not just literacy. In a new post on the Student Behavior Blog, SRI Education researchers explore how shared reading experiences can help children build empathy, identify emotions, and develop problem-solving skills. The post also offers practical tips for caregivers and book recommendations support literacy, social and emotional skills, and caregiver responsiveness. Read the blog.
Transcend’s Whole Child Model Evaluations
SRI Education is partnering with Transcend Education to evaluate a research-backed, schoolwide Whole Child Model that supports elementary students’ engagement, well-being, and academic success. Funded by two federal Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants, SRI is examining implementation, impact, and scaling across urban and rural school contexts. Read more about the project.
K-12 Innovation
Supporting Scalable Educational Innovation: A New LEARN Network Research Brief
Many effective educational products struggle to reach the schools and students who could benefit most. In a new research brief, SRI Education’s Kerry Friedman and Digital Promise’s Rebecca Griffiths share lessons learned from three years of work through the LEARN Network. The brief offers practical recommendations for funders, developers, and researchers seeking to expand the reach and impact of high-quality educational innovations. Read the brief.
Podcast: Designing and Scaling the Next Generation of Educational Innovations
In the latest episode of The SRI Homeroom podcast, SRI Education’s Adrienne Woods and Kerry Friedman join Digital Promise’s Rebecca Griffiths to discuss what it takes to design and scale effective educational products. Drawing on findings from the LEARN Network, the conversation highlights evidence-based strategies for R&D teams committed to improving classroom impact. Read more and listen to the episode.
The LEARN Procurement Data Dashboard: A Window into K–12 Procurement Practices
How do school and district leaders decide which educational products to adopt? The LEARN Network’s new Procurement Data Dashboard sheds light on procurement practices across the U.S., offering insights into how leaders seek information, use evidence, and navigate constraints when selecting tools to support teaching and learning. Access the dashboard.
Postsecondary Education
Hearing From Learners: Student Reflections on Self-Directed Learning Strategies
The Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative, led by SRI, works with colleges and universities to improve online instruction through strategies that support students’ self-directed learning. In this new blog post, students from Wake Technical Community College and Odessa College share reflections on using these strategies during a pilot study, offering insights into how the approaches shaped their learning experiences. Read the blog.
Early Childhood Care and Education
A Framework for Adopting and Implementing Virtual Assessment in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
Technology can support more flexible and authentic assessment practices in early intervention and early childhood special education. Developed by the SRI-led INTECA initiative, this new framework helps programs determine whether virtual assessment is a good fit and, if so, how to implement it effectively. Access the framework.
Learn more about the use of virtual assessment in early intervention and early childhood special education in this new video, featuring interviews with professionals and leaders from across the U.S.
The DaSy Talks Podcast
DaSy Talks is a new podcast from the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center), offering practical insights from states for states. Hosted by SRI’s Howard Morrison and Jenna Nguyen, the podcast highlights how Part C and Part B 619 programs use data to improve outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families. Episodes feature real-world examples, tools, and strategies drawn from state experiences nationwide. Learn more about DaSy Talks.
STEM and Computer Science
Three Lessons Learned from Collaborating with Teachers on First-Grade Formative Science Assessment Design
Designing formative science assessments for early elementary students presents unique challenges, especially when reading and writing skills are still developing. In this new article, SRI Education’s SALDEE research team shares lessons learned from collaborating with first-grade teachers to develop Next Generation Science Standards-aligned formative assessment tasks that meet students where they are developmentally. Read the article.
Language and Literacy
Progress and Potential: School System Approaches to Strengthening Literacy Instruction
SRI Education, in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, is examining how districts strengthen K–5 literacy instruction through system-level approaches. This study focuses on instructional practices, professional learning, and student achievement across four large districts, offering actionable insights to support continuous improvement. Learn more about the project.
Understanding Nebraska’s Statewide Literacy Investment
SRI Education is partnering with the Nebraska Department of Education to evaluate the implementation and impact of Nebraska’s Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant, which supports literacy instruction from birth through grade 12. The evaluation examines how grant-funded activities are carried out and how they contribute to student literacy outcomes. Learn more about the project.
Evaluation of Structured Linguistic Phonics Instruction in Grades 4–8
SRI Education is evaluating an innovative speech-to-print phonics approach for upper elementary and middle school students as part of AERDF’s Reading Reimagined initiative. The study examines the impact of the Sounds-Write intervention on students’ reading fluency, word reading, and spelling, with early findings showing positive feedback from teachers and students and gains in reading fluency. Read more about the project.
Resources for the Field
The SRI Homeroom: Shaping the Future of Education, One Conversation at a Time
The SRI Homeroom podcast series 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 to the podcast 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
- Brief by Lauren Cassidy, Katrina Woodworth, and CJ Park: Progress and Potential: School System Approaches to Strengthening Literacy Instruction
- Brief by Dan Reynolds, Sara Rutherford-Quach, Lauren Cassidy, Anna Jennerjohn, and Katrina Woodworth: Beyond the Surface: Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials for Robust Reading Comprehension
- Reportby Anne Partika and Christen Park: Portraits of Dual Language Learner Communities in Head Start
- Report by Anne Partika and Sarah Nixon Gerard: Evaluation of a Playful, Learning-Rich Story Trails Pilot in Philadelphia: Final Report
- Report by Leigh Ann DeLyser, Sarah Nixon Gerard, Gullnar Syed, Jennifer Nakamura: Opening the Classroom Door: Can AI Improve Understanding of Pre-K Experiences
- Video from INTECA: Virtual Assessment in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
- White paper by Aravind Sundaresan, Leigh Ann DeLyser, Sarah Nixon Gerard, Gullnar Syed, John Niekrasz, and Claire Christensen: Developing an AI Model to Identify Math and Literacy Instruction in Early Childhood Education Classrooms
- White paper by Aravind Sundaresan, Leigh Ann DeLyser, Gullnar Syed, Sarah Nixon Gerard, and John Niekrasz: Developing an AI-Supported Approach to Identify Instructional Groupings in Early Childhood Education Classrooms
