Our Partners
Together with our partners, we’ll explore how states and districts across the country are harnessing education R&D to advance key priorities—from AI adoption to career pathways and beyond—using evidence-driven strategies that deliver real outcomes for students, districts, and states.
Virtual State Leaders Learning Community
ALI and the Imagine Network are launching a virtual State Leader Learning Community to share powerful examples of how research and innovation are improving learning outcomes in states across the country. The series will bring together the State Education R&D Leader Network for a series of virtual sessions in 2026:
- January: Ed R&D in the Age of AI
- February: Ed R&D and Career Pathways
- March: Creating Strong Researcher-Public Partnerships to Advance Ed R&D
Network leaders are asked to attend the virtual series, engage with their peers on the content, and provide input to inform ALI’s federal education R&D advocacy. There will also be an invite-only in-person convening in April 2026. To join, complete the form at the bottom of this page or reach out at contact@alicoalition.org.
The State Education R&D Playbook
This interactive policy playbook from ALI, Transcend Education, and Education Reimagined builds on the research and recommendations from “Seizing the Opportunity for State Education R&D: Findings and Recommendations for Action” and the State and Local R&D Task Force Brief, and is informed by stakeholder voices across the education sector and beyond. Explore the playbook for practical tools to help state and local leaders, philanthropists, and policymakers build robust state education R&D systems that transform learning outcomes for all students.
ALI Chiefs-in–Residence
Through the ALI Chief-in-Residence program, veteran state leaders join the ALI team to continue their impact after they’ve left office by providing strategic guidance and expertise to peers who are invested in driving education R&D forward in their state. ALI welcomed former State Superintendents Catherine Truitt (NC) and Dr. Sydnee Dickson (UT) and former Deputy State Superintendent Andrew Smith (NC) as our inaugural Chiefs in Residence earlier this year. To learn more about the program and how to engage, please reach out to contact@alicoalition.org.
Competitive Edge: An Action Agenda for How School Systems Can Advance Learning Through R&D
ALI and Digital Promise convened superintendents and system leaders from across the nation to co-create Competitive Edge: An Action Agenda for How School Systems Can Advance Learning Through R&D, a shared roadmap for embedding R&D as a core function of how schools improve, adapt, and lead. This agenda highlights the vital role school systems play in aligning research with teachers’ and students’ needs, so that interventions can have the greatest impact.