OUR MISSION
The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) brings together education nonprofits, philanthropy, and the private sector, to advocate for building a better research and development (R&D) infrastructure in education. ALI advocates for increased capacity of education R&D and supports the research and development of evidence-based innovation in education that centers students and practitioners, advances equity, improves talent pathways, and expands the workforce needed in a globally competitive world.
Who We Are
As a coalition, ALI advocates for education research and development investments across the federal government, including efforts to address the inequities and silos that can prevent the proliferation and impact of innovations and evidence-based approaches to address long-standing educational inequities. We believe that the federal government can support the development of state and local infrastructure to ensure inclusive innovation and community-centered research and development efforts. Successful advocacy for education R&D will require a broad coalition of invested parties including practitioners, researchers, philanthropy, educational technologists, and civil and disability rights organizations.
Why We Need Increased Education R&D
The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of traditional learning and exacerbation of existing educational inequities, the arrival of the future of work, and the need to strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world have placed a spotlight on the need for innovative educational practices and tools that can immediately impact student outcomes and are accessible to practitioners. As the country seeks to recover from the pandemic, there is a renewed need – and opportunity – to accelerate student learning and adopt innovative approaches that will improve the United States' economic competitiveness. Influencing the federal investment in education R&D, which is currently too small and too disconnected from the needs of teachers and students, is a crucial piece of the strategy needed to realize a new future of education innovation.
Advocacy
ALI educates and engages with policymakers in Congress and federal agencies to advocate for increased investment in education research and development. We believe that increased federal investment in education R&D coupled with key policy changes can address barriers that prevent innovative and evidence-based approaches to long-standing educational inequities from accelerating student success at scale. This includes strengthening partnerships between federal agencies like the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education, and supporting public-private partnerships as well. ALI believes that additional attention and resources should be devoted to the “D” component of Research and Development and the importance of federal support for data systems that build state and local capacity to track employment and educational outcomes.
Comparatively little money is spent on education R&D, meaning promising practices in teaching, learning, and technology go undeveloped, untested, and lack sustainability and scale. The Fiscal Year 2022 budget of the Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm was only $642 million, down from $659 million in 2010. By comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends over $3 billion annually on research related to food and agriculture.
An appropriately-sized, inclusive, and equity-focused education research and development ecosystem would help address the economic and social inequities we experience today by providing all students with an educational experience that creates a learning system, ensures economic mobility, and supports communities, parents and educators with the knowledge and resources to meet the challenges of today to unlock opportunity for tomorrow.
Ways to Participate
ALI Coalition members participate via:
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Participation in ALI Coalition meetings, including receiving key updates on the federal state-of-play;
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Opportunities to participate in ALI advocacy efforts including comment letters, advocacy meetings, task forces and events (briefings, roundtables, outreach to federal policymakers, etc.);
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Providing feedback and support of ALI Coalition priorities and actions;
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Incorporating ALI Coalition advocacy efforts into participants' advocacy efforts.
CURRENT ALI MEMBERSHIP
Current membership of the Alliance for Learning Innovation is listed below.
