An item from the folks at SRI Education that may be of interest to readers.

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March 2026

With the arrival of spring comes an opportunity to reflect on progress, deepen partnerships, and look ahead to new possibilities in education. In this newsletter, we offer the latest findings from SRI Education project teams and share resources designed to support positive outcomes across early learning, K–12, and postsecondary education.

SRI Education News 

SRI Joins an Ambitious NIH Effort to Improve Autism Care 

The National Institutes of Health is funding the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI) to explore and learn from the vast amount of autism-related data that exists within government and healthcare systems.

The project, co-led by SRI and housed at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), aims to create a data-driven framework that can predict, based on objective factors like insurance status, location, service use, and co-existing conditions, the likelihood of optimal and suboptimal outcomes for toddlers and children with autism. Ultimately, this Autism Quality Index (AQI) will guide future research and help states and healthcare systems improve concrete outcomes across the autism spectrum. Read more in this announcement.

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Embedding Self-Directed Learning Strategies to Strengthen Online STEM Instruction 

Researchers with the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative — a partnership between SRI, Achieving the Dream, the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, and broad-access colleges across the U.S. — recently shared a series of instructional strategies designed to improve the online learning experience for college students.

The evidence-based strategies, based on the Collaborative’s self-directed learning framework, can be integrated into online and hybrid courses to help students cultivate habits related to student success. Explore the strategies now on the Collaborative website.

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New Findings and Resources

Early Childhood Care and Education
Podcast: Improving Access to Early Care and Education Through Coordinated Eligibility and Enrollment

Early care and education systems can often be fragmented across agencies and funding streams, making it difficult for families to find and access the programs and services they need and may be eligible for. In states and localities across the country, however, leaders are using a unique strategy to address those challenges and build more robust, interconnected support systems for families and children. In this episode of The SRI Homeroom, hosts Howard Morrison and Ginger Elliott-Teague explore coordinated eligibility and enrollment, a systems-building strategy designed to improve awareness, access, and enrollment in early care and education services. Listen to the podcast episode.

Building Trust and Powering Decisions: Utah’s Journey with an Early Childhood Integrated Data System 

In this episode of the DaSy Talks podcast, SRI hosts Howard Morrison and Jenna Nguyen sit down with Utah early childhood data leaders Lisa Davenport and Jennifer Floyd to explore how the state built and strengthened its Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS). Learn how the ECIDS evolved from early advisory council conversations into a robust, multi-agency data system that integrates nine data sources, including home visiting, Head Start, WIC, developmental screening, and Baby Watch Early Intervention. Listen now on the DaSy website.

Raising Young Children Alongside Companion AIs: Are We Ready for the Consequences?

In an opinion piece published by the World Economic Forum, SRI’s Todd Grindal provides a clear picture of the challenges ahead as young children encounter AI companions. He also points to design approaches that can foster healthier relationships between children and AI systems and appeals to designers, investors, and policymakers to establish standards that protect children’s development rather than maximize engagement. Read the story.

Partnering with Faith Communities to Expand Early Care and Education Access for Children in Foster Care

The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is collaborating with SRI, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to learn about the supply, quality, and stability of early care and education (ECE) for Arkansas children in foster care, as well as factors that promote or reduce access to high-quality ECE. This brief examines factors that limit Arkansas faith-based ECE programs’ participation in state quality rating and child care subsidy systems and identifies opportunities to strengthen their role in serving children in foster care. Read the brief.

Opening the Classroom Door: Can AI Improve Understanding of Pre-K Experiences?

Early childhood classrooms are alive with activity, offering opportunities for instruction throughout the day. Can AI help prekindergarten teachers and instructional coaches better understand how classroom time is spent to best focus their instructional goals? This study, supported by the Gates Foundation, examines the feasibility of AI models in identifying instructional groupings and academic content in prekindergarten classroom video recordings. The research team’s findings highlight the promise and limitations of current AI approaches and offer recommendations for advancing reliable tools for early learning teachers and coaches. Read the report and watch our recent webinar.

Innovative Technology for Early Childhood Assessment (INTECA) 

Over the past three years, the SRI-led INTECA initiative conducted extensive research and developed a library of evidence-based resources for state agencies, local programs, practitioners, and families centered on the use of technology to support authentic assessment in early intervention and preschool special education. Learn more about the project, explore technology-enabled approaches like virtual assessment, and access INTECA’s library of free resources on the project website.

Language and Literacy
Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials for Robust Reading Comprehension

A recent The 74 article explored SRI’s research on the science of reading and the use of high-quality instructional materials in four large urban school districts, which found that a majority of reading lessons lacked depth, focusing on surface-level tasks rather than deeper comprehension and meaning. Their report, Beyond the Surface: Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials for Robust Reading Comprehension, offers practical insights for educators and system leaders working to improve literacy outcomes for students. The team’s findings were also featured on the Teaching Literacy Podcast and explored further in an opinion piece by Dan Reynolds, Sara Rutherford-Quach, and Lauren J. Cassidy for The 74. Read more in this SRI.com feature article.

Professional Development
Coaching for Lasting Impact: What We Learned from Coaches Using the Pyramid Model and Practice-Based Coaching

The Pyramid Model is an evidence-based framework of practices to support young children’s social and emotional skills in early childhood classrooms. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Pyramid Model and examined its implementation, but less is known about how these practices are sustained and scaled once initial training and coaching ends. In this blog post, SRI researchers Christen Park and Maddie Cincebeaux share findings from interviews with district coaches who have supported teachers to use the Pyramid Model through practice-based coaching (PBC), and what they’ve learned about sustaining these practices over time. Read the blog.

Career and Technical Education
SRI Celebrates Four Decades of Strengthening Career and Technical Education in the U.S.

Career and technical education (CTE) builds high school students’ career awareness and experience and equips them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to successfully navigate the complex landscape of college and career options. A recent evidence review found that participating in high school CTE programs can have positive impacts on a varied range of student outcomes, including students’ academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills, college readiness, two-year college enrollment, and employment after high school. Learn more in this blog article.

Student Behavior and Well-being 
Showing Up with Care: Using a Trauma-Informed Approach to Support Students Through Challenging Times

Students may be carrying stress or trauma from multiple areas of their lives, including at home and in their communities. The way educators and caregivers show up matters. Small moments of patience, empathy, and understanding can make a meaningful difference in helping young people feel seen, supported, and safe. This new blog article from Jennifer Nakamura offers several resources to help educators, staff, and caregivers support students behaviorally and emotionally during challenging times. Read more in Student Behavior Blog article.

K-12 Innovation
The Leveraging Evidence to Accelerate Recovery Nationwide (LEARN) Network

How can researchers and developers design and scale effective, evidence-based innovations for K–12 schools and students? Over the past three years, the federally funded LEARN Network, led by SRI, conducted extensive research and partnered with development teams across the U.S. to help strengthen a “lab-to-market pipeline” for educational products and programs. The project also created a library of free resources for R&D teams hoping to better understand the education marketplace and achieve broader adoption for impactful innovations. Access these resources now on the LEARN Network website.

Connect with Us
ASU+GSV Summit 

Join us for a series of conversations on AI, innovation, and the future of education technology at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, CA, from April 12-15.

Balancing Innovation, Invention, and Student Outcomes
Monday, April 13, 3:30 pm-5:00 pm PT
AI and other innovations are driving the rapid advancement of educational technologies. Join innovators and developers – including SRI’s Leigh Ann Delyser, Nonye Alozie, and Shari Dubos – for a discussion on how to nurture multi-disciplinary teams to push the boundaries of what is possible and explore how to leverage data, tech, and creative thinking for innovative features and approaches to educational technology.

Scaling EdTech Solutions from Promise to Practice
Monday, April 13, 2026, 1:00 pm-2:15 pm PT
What does it really take for an educational innovation to move from promising pilot to widespread adoption? Join researchers, EdTech leaders, and product development professionals – including SRI’s Kerry Friedman – for a candid conversation about strategies to drive scale.

Resources for the Field
The SRI Homeroom: Shaping the Future of Education, One Conversation at a Time

The SRI Homeroom podcast features accessible conversations with leading researchers, educators, and developers on pressing issues in education. Episodes explore research-based solutions and innovations designed to support students, educators, and families nationwide. Listen to the podcast here.

More Publications and Resources

• Journal article by Arif Rachmatullah and Hui Yang: Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Teaching Computational Thinking: The Impact of Online Curriculum-Based Professional Development and Game Programming Activities
• Report by Kyra Caspary, CJ Park, and Sunny Cao: Evaluation of the Career Connected Pathways Project | Final Report
• Technical report by Arif Rachmatullah, Jessica Mislevy, and Krystal Thomas: Psychometric Properties of Self-Directed Learning Survey Measures in Broad Access Institution Contexts 
• Brief by Paul Burkander, Nicholas Ortiz, and Anne Partika: Lessons Learned Estimating Impacts of Extreme Weather on District-Level Achievement
• Resource by the DaSy team: EC Data University – Using Data to Understand Child Find Systems

Let’s connect on
Bluesky!

SRI Education, a division of SRI, is helping federal and state agencies, school districts, major foundations, nonprofit organizations, and international and commercial clients tackle some of the most complex issues in education to help students succeed. Our mission is to reduce barriers and optimize outcomes for all children, youth, and families. We do this by conducting high-quality research, supporting use of data and evidence, helping to strengthen state and local systems, and developing tools that improve teaching and accelerate and deepen learning. Our work covers a range of topics, including early learning and development, student behavior and well-being, teaching quality, digital learning, STEM and computer science, literacy and language arts, and college and career pathways.

SRI is a nonprofit research institute whose innovations have created new industries, extraordinary marketplace value, and lasting benefits to society.

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