At EdLight, we have always believed that the clearest window into student learning is the work students produce every day, the actual handwritten evidence of how a student is thinking and where their understanding is still developing. That belief is what makes this moment so meaningful for us.
We're thrilled to announce our inaugural AIMS EduData Initiative grant cohort: eight research teams from across the country chasing some of the most urgent questions in math education today.
Funded through a partnership with Digital Promise, Learning Data Insights, and the Gates Foundation, these grants range from $18,000 to $165,000, representing a collective bet on the kind of research that starts in a classroom and ends up reshaping a system.
The Cohort
Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
Alfonso Romero
FOCUS: A Research-Practice Partnership
KIPP NorCal
Jennie Dougherty
Scanning for What Works: Validating Optimal Conditions for AI-Assisted Formative Assessment
University of Florida
Dr. Nicholas Vest
Misconception Trajectories as Early Indicators of Mathematics Risk
East Harlem Scholars Academies, NYC
Martin Palamore
One Practice, Two Outcomes
Leap Educational Consulting & Partner Schools
Jerry Silva
AI-Enabled Learning: Building Teacher and Instructional Leadership Capacity
New Visions for Public Schools, NYC
Russell West
Shifting Teacher Attention from Scoring to Instruction
Foxborough Regional Charter School, MA
Kathleen Foley
Strengthening Data-Driven Instruction Through Integrated Professional Learning
School District of Philadelphia & ImpactSTATS Inc.
Dr. Melodie Baker & Dr. Claire Cameron
Seeing Student Thinking: Reducing Algebraic Misconceptions in Grades 6-8
The Northeastern Collaborative (NEC)
Something special is brewing among four of our cohort members (East Harlem Scholars, LEAP, New Visions, and Foxborough) who've banded together as the Northeastern Collaborative Research Cohort. Through cross-school sessions, they're swapping notes on student thinking, comparing instructional moves, and building toward a shared vision for how student work can drive stronger math instruction at scale.
Research partner spotlight
We're also delighted to continue our partnership with Dr. Lara Condon of the University of Memphis College of Education, who will support our cohort and deepen her research into how AI can support and strengthen math instruction.
What's next ?
Research kicks off this summer, with most teams launching full implementation by fall 2026.
