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