Introducing Align R&D

In this inaugural blog post, we are proud to announce the soft launch of Align R&D, our new organization committed to aligning the education research and development (R&D) ecosystem towards the priority needs of today and the emerging challenges of tomorrow.

Our Origin Story

We initially came together while creating and leading the Accelerate, Transform, Scale (ATS) Initiative at the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The ATS initiative was a pioneering set of grant programs designed to source and support breakthrough ideas through novel R&D processes and funding structures. ATS also served as a pilot for the National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE), a proposed national effort to reimagine how education R&D is funded and executed. We as individuals brought different expertise in education R&D from the vantage of federal and state government, philanthropy, academia, research firms, and technology development; yet, we were united in our commitment to establishing a national model for rapid education R&D funding and support that is critical for the education ecosystem.

In early 2025, the ATS Initiative work was halted abruptly and our team disbanded.As we processed the news, we made plans to attend the ASU+GSV Summit to hear from others in our field and explore our next steps. For our team, the outcome of that trip was a renewed commitment to what we had started at IES, with a clear enthusiasm for exploring how we could adapt our team's strategies and core values to support initiatives to build R&D infrastructure outside the federal government. At a dining room table in San Diego on the last night of the trip, we scoped out how we could create the path to continue our work. What followed was months of planning, many conversations with people across our networks who offered valuable advice (thank you!), and ultimately the establishment of Align R&D.

What We Seek to Accomplish

In our first five years, we aim to support the education R&D ecosystem by building resources and infrastructure, strengthening existing capacity, and supporting collaborative, cross-sector team science approaches.

What sets Align R&D apart is our ability to see the entire system and navigate its complexity. We don't just advocate for change; we design the mechanisms, align the incentives, build the relationships, and coach the teams required to make it happen.

Ultimately, we aim to help:

• Funders make better investment decisions.

• Teachers access research that matters to their practice.

• Developers create more effective educational tools.

• Researchers use appropriate methods for the questions they're investigating.

We are excited about this new chapter and look forward to a future in which an aligned education R&D ecosystem achieves its potential to make a major, positive impact on education.

We’re currently developing our vision and strategy, and we welcome your feedback. Please reach out for a conversation at contact@align-rd.org.

The Align R&D Founding Team at a retreat