Abt Associates works with policymakers, local decision makers, teachers, parents, and community leaders to assess and develop educational programs that meet community needs. We also provide policy and technical assistance to all levels of government to improve the quality of education services.
Abt Associates' leadership in education research and evaluation spans more than 30 years. We work at all levels of education — from primary to post-secondary. Our focus includes kindergarten through 12th-grade systemic improvement, adult and vocational education, school-to-work transition programs, and programs aimed at improving education opportunities for disadvantaged adults and youths. We have evaluated and designed special programs for school governance and finance reforms, math and science curricula, and adult basic education.
U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education
Since its founding in 1965, Abt Associates has helped policymakers explore ways to improve student learning and increase the effectiveness of education in the United States. For example, recently enacted federal legislation reflects the results of our studies documenting school conditions and the wide disparities in student achievement tied to poverty levels. These studies show that students with multiple health, nutrition, and academic needs often exhaust a school's resources. Through our research, we have found promising solutions in a combination of solid school management with concentrated and flexible resources. New legislation is now directing more funds toward these struggling schools and increasing investments in staff development and community outreach.
Our research efforts related to U.S. elementary and secondary education include:
Assessing student achievement and evaluating how to sustain growth and development.
Evaluating the impact of school and classroom organization and practice in reading instruction for adults and children and their relationship to student achievement. We have focused on innovative programs designed to improve education for low-income and minority students.
Conducting congressionally mandated studies of the implementation and impact of Title I and the Even Start Family Literacy Program.
Providing technical assistance and evaluation in the design and implementation of adult basic education services as well as reforms in math and science curricula, instruction, and staff development.
Assessing the status of vocational education in the nation's secondary schools.
Providing technical assistance to state education departments in developing and using models for systemic change to improve the quality of adult education services.
Evaluating distance education programs delivered through satellite linkups, interactive video, and computer technology to rural and urban students.
U.S. Post-Secondary Education
Since 1985, Abt Associates' growing role in U.S. post-secondary education in the United States has included:
Assessing the ways students and their families finance post-secondary education and possible constraints to access and graduation.
Evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to increase the enrollment of minority students in colleges and universities.
Analyzing the effectiveness of programs designed to ease the transition from school to work.
Assessing the offerings of post-secondary technical institutes and community colleges.
Providing technical assistance to federal policymakers related to engineering, science, and technology education and research at America's colleges and universities.
Evaluating efforts intended to improve the state of science and math instruction at all levels, including the preparation of elementary and secondary school science and math teachers.
Distance Teaching in Developing Nations
Abt Associates' work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Rural Satellite Program demonstrated efforts to transfer appropriate and cost-effective communications technologies to developing nations. In this five-year program, Abt Associates assisted government-sponsored university systems in both Indonesia and the Caribbean in assessing the acceptance, feasibility, and impacts of various applications of satellite communication technology to research and distance teaching.
Education Clients
Our clients include the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services, as well as U.S. state governments. In addition, we have worked on projects for the College Board, the National Science Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and General Motors Corporation.
