About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to connect those who create policy with credible scientific evidence on pressing educational issues.
About the SEE Forums
The Scientific Evidence in Education (SEE) Forums, conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), offer events and resources based on scientific evidence that can be used to address pressing education issues. The Forums provide a common venue for policymakers, practitioners, and the research community to engage in important, evidence-informed policy discussions.
For more than 60 years, AIR (www.air.org)—a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization—has conducted behavioral and social science research and delivered technical assistance on important social issues both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and workforce development.
The SEE Forums draw on AIR's experience gained in conducting large-scale evaluations of prominent school improvement efforts, operating national research and technical assistance centers, leading national outreach and social marketing campaigns, creating user-friendly publications and websites, and convening national education conferences, forums, and meetings that promote evidence-base policy and practice.
Key Staff
Steve Fleischman
Vice President, American Institutes for Research
Project Director, Scientific Evidence in Education Forum Series
Steve Fleischman specializes in the identification and successful implementation of high-quality, effective education programs and practices. Mr. Fleischman has provided leadership for U.S. Department of Education-funded school improvement projects such as the Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center, Supplemental Educational Services Quality Center, National High School Center, and the What Works Clearinghouse. Each provides education decision-makers with the information and guidance they need to make effective program and policy adoption decisions to best meet local needs.
Mr. Fleischman has been involved in the promotion of more effective school improvement approaches since the mid-1990s. He has more than 20 years of education experience and over the past decade has served as a director as well as an advisor to numerous standards and quality setting projects in education. Mr. Fleischman is also an author of a variety of articles and commentaries on school improvement that have appeared in publications such as Education Week, Transformation, Urban Advocate, and the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk. He created and edited the “Research Matters” column on effective practices that appeared in each issue of ASCD’s Educational Leadership from 2004-06.
Mr. Fleischman is a former middle and high school social studies teacher.
Juliette de Sousa
Research Analyst, American Institutes for Research
Deputy Project Director, Scientific Evidence in Education Forum Series
Juliette-Marie deSousa specializes in school reform technical assistance, evaluation, and research. As a Research Analyst at AIR, Ms. deSousa works with federal, state and local departments of education to identify and help implement effective, research-based programs and reforms.
In addition to helping provide leadership for the SEE Forums, she is currently the Deputy Director for the AIR work with the Great Lakes West Comprehensive Assistance Center. Other experience includes being Deputy Director of the Supplemental Educational Services Quality Center; Task Leader on the Ohio High School Transformation Initiative evaluating small school implementation; and team member of the Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center analyzing school reform models. Ms. deSousa has also delivered presentations to parent and community organizations, including Parent Information Resource Centers.
Ms. deSousa has fifteen years of experience in education, mental health, and business consulting. She has extensive experience working with children and parents in the areas of education and clinical psychology. Ms. deSousa holds a Bachelors Degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University and a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University.
Becky Powell
Senior Communications Specialist, American Institutes for Research
Director of Communications, Scientific Evidence in Education Forum Series
Becky Powell is a Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). In this capacity, Ms. Powell works with educators, researchers, and families to identify research-based practices and strategies. She is experienced in managing strategic outreach campaigns, including overseeing constituency relations, designing and managing websites, and coordinating and presenting at national education conferences. At AIR, she serves as the Director of Outreach for the National High School Center and leads communications and external outreach initiatives for the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI).
From 2003-2007, Ms. Powell managed the day-to-day outreach and communications efforts for the What Works Clearinghouse, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide evidence of effectiveness of educational interventions to educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public.
Prior to joining AIR, Ms. Powell was the Director of Outreach for New American Schools. In this role, Ms. Powell worked with educators to identify solutions to increase student learning, led the organization's strategic plan for constituency outreach, coordinated and directed the organization's participation in national education conferences and comprehensive school reform design fairs, and managed overall outreach activities. She received her master's degree in Policy, Planning, and Administration from the School of Education at Boston University.
Patrick Kelly
Research Assistant, American Institutes for Research
Project Manager, Scientific Evidence in Education Forum Series
Patrick Kelly, a Research Assistant at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), has experience in the fields of juvenile justice education, mental health, as well as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) implementation and empirical research. Patrick has published on mental health in the juvenile justice system, and created interactive report cards and a data collection tool to help track and monitor state and local demographics and academic performance for youth in the juvenile justice system.
In addition to his work on the Scientific Evidence in Education Forum Series, he works as a State technical assistance liaison and data team member for the Neglected and Delinquent Technical Assistance Center (NDTAC), and contributes research and administrative support for the Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center. Patrick received his B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.