American Institutes for Research Experts to Present at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2026 Annual Conference

Arlington, Va. - Education experts and researchers from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) will present several sessions at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2026 Annual Conference being held March 28 - April 1 in San Francisco, California.

AIR staff will join thousands of practitioners, policymakers, and researchers from around the world to share key evidence related to foundational learning, language of instruction, and food for education programming, among others.

The conference marks the 70th anniversary of CIES, the largest international education society in the world, dedicated to increasing understanding of educational issues, trends, and policies through comparative perspectives. The theme of this year's conference-Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World-invites reflection on the goal of education to enhance opportunities, foster cohesion, and preserve culture for a more peaceful world.

Sessions featuring AIR experts and their work are listed below. All times are Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). You can the full session program on the CIES conference website.

Sunday, March 29

9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Panel: Scaling Support for Teacher Development for Foundational Learning in Multilingual Settings Through National Systems

Location: Fourth Floor, Union Square 5&6

Presentation: Scaling Effective Teacher Professional Development in Low- and Middle-income Countries: Choosing the Right Model, Identifying Scalability, and Fitting the Model to the Location

AIR Presenter/Author: Kaitlin Carson

Monday, March 30

2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Panel: Re-examining Language of Instruction for Peace, Equity, and Foundational Learning in Senegal

Location: Fourth Floor, Union Square 24

Presentation: The Impact of an After-school Remedial Education Program Using National Senegalese Languages

AIR Presenters/Authors: Uttara Balakrishnan and Pooja Nakamura

4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Panel: Multilingual Education Can Do Wonders: Improve Equitable Learning, Promote Social Cohesion, and Bridge Divides

Location: Ballroom Level, Franciscan B

Presentation: Blueprint for Use of Evidence in Language of Instruction (LOI) Decisions: Framework for a Comparison of LOI Evidence & Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa

AIR Presenters/Authors: Pooja Nakamura, Chinmaya Holla, and Kelsey Woodrick

Wednesday, April 1

9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Panel: Bilingual Literacy in Mozambique: Policy, Evidence, and Interventions

Location: Ballroom Level, Continental 8

Presentations: BUILD Framework Development and Leveraging Evidence to Strengthen Bilingual Education in Mozambique

AIR Presenters/Authors: Pooja Nakamura, Chinmaya Holla, and Kelsey Woodrick

11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Panel: Watering Young Minds: Evidence from Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)-Related Interventions in Schools in Asia

Location: Fourth Floor, Union Square 24

Presentations: Nurturing Learners: The Role of WASH and Nutrition in Promoting Student Well-Being in Sri Lanka and Beyond the Silence: Evaluating a Holistic Menstrual Health and Hygiene Intervention in Tamil Nadu Schools

AIR Presenters/Authors: Adria Molotsky and Hannah Ring

About AIR

Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit https://www.air.org.