ETS R&D works with private and family foundations to support their goals and advance education, such as improvement in math and English-learning programs.
Advanced Education Research & Development Fund (AERDF)
An R&D team is currently supporting the AERDF and their inaugural five-year program: EF+Math. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Walton Family Foundation are primary funders of AERDF.
Through the EF+Math Program, AERDF is funding bold approaches through inclusive discovery and development. The program’s goal is to dramatically improve math outcomes for Black and Latinx students, and students of all races experiencing poverty in grades 3–8, by focusing on their executive function skills and math learning.
Our researchers are leading the Methods and Measures team to provide equity focused psychometric and research services to the EF+Math Program team and their associated grantees.
W.T. Grant Foundation
English learner (EL) students may face challenges in academic assessments compared to non-EL students, with gaps in performance growing over time as upper grades introduce more challenging academic content and English-language demands. These students may have even greater challenges meeting college- and career-ready standards, which use more complex language than previous standards.
With the support from the W.T. Grant Foundation, ETS researchers explored how college- and career-ready standards, curriculum and assessments could be aligned to improve educational outcomes for English-learner students.