853624930 · CA ↑ parent cluster ·
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ADVANCED EDUCATION RESEARCH &

CA · EIN 853624930 · $42.6M rev · research · infrastructure · www.aerdf.org
profile

The Advanced Education Research & Development Fund (AERDF) is a national nonprofit that acts as a discovery and invention hub for PreK-12 education. It funds multi-year, problem-driven R&D programs to develop breakthrough methods, knowledge, and solutions for pressing teaching and learning challenges, focusing on scientific rigor and co-design with educators and learners.

activities · 31

what they do

direct service · 7
  • Develop foundational literacy programs for struggling students Early Childhood Literacy Support for Caregivers and Educators
    Creates and implements developmentally appropriate literacy instruction to support students needing tailored interventions in foundational reading skills.
  • Developing Innovative Math Learning Products Math & Executive Function R&D
    Develops innovative math learning products for grades 3-8 that integrate executive function skill development and center the experiences of historically underserved students. These products have demonstrated improvements in students' understanding of fractions and decimals, math performance, and executive function skills.
  • Executive function and math learning products Math & Executive Function R&D
    Developed and implemented innovative math learning products such as MathFluency+ and Fraction Ball for grades 3–8 that integrate executive function development and center historically underserved students, demonstrating measurable gains in math performance, fluency, and socioemotional outcomes.
  • Develops foundational literacy skills in students who require developmentally tailored or ongoing, appropriate support, particularly through initiatives like ROAR.
  • Fraction Ball implementation and professional development Unified Sports School Programs
    Partners with schools and districts to implement the Fraction Ball program on 225 courts in 2025, including delivering professional development to educators to support effective integration.
  • Improve math learning through integrated curricula and gameplay Math & Executive Function R&D
    Developed innovative math learning products such as Fraction Ball and MathFluency+ for grades 3–8 that integrate executive function development, demonstrating measurable gains in math performance, confidence, and teamwork; implemented on 225 courts in 2025 with professional development support.
  • Partnering with Schools for Program Implementation Unified Sports School Programs
    Partners with schools and districts to implement programs like Fraction Ball, including the provision of professional development, with plans to install 225 courts in 2025.
research · 15
  • AI-enhanced teaching and learning innovation AI Education Infrastructure & Strategy Development
    Develops and tests new teaching approaches and AI-powered tools to support student learning in the context of emerging technologies, with a focus on adaptive, student-centered instruction.
  • Advance math education through executive function integration Math & Executive Function R&D
    Conducted multi-year research and development to strengthen students' executive function skills in conjunction with math learning, testing integrated approaches across grades 3–8 and producing evidence-backed tools and assessments.
  • Conduct research on literacy assessment and intervention School Library & Literacy Support Services
    Published research reports and whitepapers with actionable recommendations to address the K–12 reading crisis, including literacy assessment and intervention strategies for older students through the ROAR initiative.
  • Conducting Research and Development in Literacy School Library & Literacy Support Services
    Publishes reports and whitepapers with recommendations to address the K-12 reading crisis and on literacy assessment and intervention for older students, including the ROAR program. This also involves developing foundational literacy skills for students requiring developmentally tailored support.
  • Conducting Research and Development in Math Education Math & Executive Function R&D
    Conducts coordinated research and development efforts, including a five-year program focused on math and executive functioning skills, to produce learning products, research tools, and practical insights for educators, researchers, and developers. This includes developing and testing approaches to strengthen students' executive function skills in conjunction with math learning.
  • Design and implement AI-enhanced teaching approaches AI Education Infrastructure & Strategy Development
    Develops and tests new AI-powered tools and teaching methods to support student learning in the context of emerging technologies.
  • Develop and scale evidence-based education products Evidence-Based Teaching Tools Development
    Launched R&D programs since 2021 that created research-backed teaching tools and learning products now being implemented by school districts nationwide, reaching millions of students.
  • Developing AI-Powered Teaching Approaches AI Education Infrastructure & Strategy Development
    Develops and tests new teaching approaches and AI-powered tools to support student learning in the AI era.
  • Developing and Scaling Education Products Evidence-Based Teaching Tools Development
    Launches high-impact R&D programs that produce evidence-backed education products, which are then scaled by school districts and systems nationwide, reaching millions of students. This includes making prototypes, research, assessments, and inclusive R&D practices accessible through a public resource library.
  • Educational assessment innovation
    Develops and refines assessment systems that generate timely, meaningful data to inform instruction and improve student-centered learning, transforming traditional educational evaluation practices.
  • Literacy research and policy recommendations School Library & Literacy Support Services
    Conducted research on the K-12 reading crisis and published actionable reports and whitepapers, including the ROAR initiative, to inform literacy assessment and intervention strategies for older students.
  • Math and executive function research and development Math & Executive Function R&D
    Completed a five-year R&D initiative integrating math learning with executive function skills, conducting coordinated research across a community of over 700 educators, researchers, and developers to produce evidence-backed tools and learning products for grades 3–8.
  • Scaling evidence-based education products Evidence-Based Teaching Tools Development
    Launched high-impact R&D programs since 2021 that have produced evidence-backed education products now being adopted and scaled by school districts and systems nationwide, reaching millions of students.
  • Transform educational assessment systems
    Develops and implements assessment systems that generate timely, accurate, and meaningful data to inform instruction and advance student-centered learning.
  • Transforming Educational Assessment
    Develops and works to transform assessment systems to generate timely, meaningful data that informs instruction and improves student-centered learning.
capacity building · 9
  • Develop national education innovation fellowships
    Establishes interdisciplinary national fellowships that apply scientific rigor to develop transformative ideas in teaching and learning.
  • EF+Math Resource Library and open resources Math & Executive Function R&D
    Maintains and provides public access to the EF+Math Resource Library, which includes learning products, research tools, prototypes, assessments, and inclusive R&D practices developed through the EF+Math program.
  • Establishing National Fellowships
    Establishes national fellowships that utilize scientific rigor and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop transformative ideas in teaching and learning.
  • National fellowships for teaching innovation
    Establishes national fellowships that apply scientific rigor and interdisciplinary collaboration to generate transformative ideas in teaching and learning.
  • Offer professional learning and implementation support Math & Executive Function R&D
    Provides professional learning resources and development to support evidence-based math instruction and classroom implementation of executive function-integrated teaching practices.
  • Professional learning and educator support Math & Executive Function R&D
    Provides professional learning resources and supports the implementation of evidence-based math instruction and executive function-integrated practices in classrooms.
  • Provide open-access educational resources and tools Math & Executive Function R&D
    Maintains a public repository and resource library—including prototypes, research tools, assessments, and inclusive R&D practices—through the EF+Math program to support educators, researchers, and developers.
  • Providing Capacity Building for Math Education Math & Executive Function R&D
    Launches and maintains the EF+Math Resource Library, providing professional learning resources to support evidence-based math instruction and the implementation of executive function-integrated practices in classrooms. This also involves bringing together educators, researchers, and developers to advance equitable math education.
  • Support equitable math education through collaborative R&D Math & Executive Function R&D
    Coordinated a community of over 700 educators, researchers, and developers from 2019 to 2025 to advance equitable math education via inclusive research and development practices.
strategies · 20

how they think

Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.

named programs · 7

what they call their work

AdvancED Fellowship
National fellowship program convening education leaders to develop bold ideas for transforming teaching and learning
Assessment for Good
R&D program developing student-centered, formative assessments for ages 8-13 that deliver actionable data at the speed of teaching and learning
AugmentED
R&D collaborative focused on co-designing AI-powered tools and new teaching models for the age of artificial intelligence in education
EF+Math
R&D program focused on strengthening students' executive function skills alongside math learning, resulting in tools like Fraction Ball and MathFluency+
Fraction Ball
Physical education-based math program that uses basketball court markings to teach fractions and decimals through play
MathFluency+
Game-based online learning platform that improves math fluency and executive function skills in grades 3-5
Reading Reimagined
R&D program aimed at ending illiteracy by developing classroom-ready solutions for older elementary students needing foundational reading skills
relationships · 12

who they work with

  • AdvancED Fellowship Coalition — Fellowship program that engaged PreK-12 education leaders to develop bold ideas for transforming teaching and learning.
  • EF+Math Partner — Collaborates on math and executive functioning research and resource development
  • EF+Math Partner — First program of the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) focused on improving math education through executive function integration.
  • EF+Math Community Partner — Collaborative network of educators, developers, and researchers engaged in inclusive R&D for equitable math education.
  • EF+Math Program Partner — Collaborative program focused on integrating executive function development with math learning.
  • EF+Math Program Partner — Program developed and operated by AERDF to integrate executive function and math learning
  • El Sol Academy Partner — Provided teacher input and implementation site for the development of Fraction Ball in collaboration with Juego! and UC Irvine.
  • Juego! Partner — Supported by AERDF's EF+Math program to develop and scale Fraction Ball, a play-based math learning innovation.
  • MIND Education Partner — Supported by AERDF's EF+Math program to develop MathFluency+, a game-based learning tool for math and executive function development.
  • SRI International Partner — Collaborates with AERDF on the Reading Reimagined R&D program to explore literacy interventions.
  • U.S. Department of Education Government — Referenced as the recipient of less than 0.2% of federal R&D funding, highlighting systemic underfunding in education research.
  • UC Irvine Partner — Collaborated with Juego! and El Sol Academy to design Fraction Ball, with research led by Dr. Andres Bustamante.