AERDF was founded to unlock scientific breakthroughs and advance research-backed solutions to pressing challenges in PreK-12 education. Last year, we launched a search for our next program. Our call attracted close to 400 proposals at the cutting edge of education, with strong potential for discovering new capabilities that would significantly improve our teaching, learning and assessment systems.
We’re proud to introduce AERDF’s newest program.
Founded and led by Sherry Lachman and Caitlin Mills, AugmentED tackles one of education’s most urgent challenges: how to harness the power of AI to transform teaching and learning. While much of today’s conversation centers on using AI to make current approaches to education more efficient, AugmentED will bring together expert educators, researchers, and technologists to reimagine the role of educators and the learning experiences of students for the age of AI and co-create AI-powered tools to support this transformation.
Our Vision
AugmentED envisions a future where teachers and AI work in harmony to nurture the full potential of all students. This vision imagines educators in a new role: as conductors of a symphony of learning, managing an orchestra of students and AI-powered tools to transform student outcomes. Educators, for example, might use one AI tool for personalized projects, another to guide group collaboration, and a third to run engaging simulations. With data and support from these tools, educators will better tailor their instruction to their students’ needs and spend more time motivating and building relationships with students in ways only humans can.
A Path toward Reimagining Teaching and Learning for the Age of AI
Joining our three existing programs, AugmentED will leverage AERDF’s Advanced R&D model to generate new scientific research and build dynamic prototypes. Unlike traditional technology efforts that engage teachers as product testers, AugmentED will put teachers in the driver’s seat from day one as true co-designers. Throughout the initiative’s lifecycle, AugmentED will partner with expert teachers, cutting edge researchers, and technologists to:
- Reimagine the roles of educators by designing innovative and AI-enhanced approaches to teaching that will equip students with future-ready skills.
- Co-design AI-powered tools alongside more effective teaching approaches to accelerate student learning and support teachers in their new roles.
- Iterate on and refine innovations in classroom settings to ensure they are effective and scalable across learning contexts.
- Generate research insights and share them widely, building an open community where educators, researchers, and technologists can learn from and build on our discoveries.
Meet the Founder, Executive Director of AugmentED
Sherry Lachman
A policymaker, lawyer, and social entrepreneur, Sherry has served in senior White House roles in two presidential administrations, focusing on education, labor, and social services. She has also led social impact initiatives at OpenAI, founded Foster America, a nonprofit dedicated to reforming the U.S. child welfare system, and served as a senior education advisor in the U.S. Senate and Department of Education.
And the Co-Founder, Chief Research and Impact Officer
Caitlin Mills, PhD
A researcher at the intersection of psychology, computer science, and education, Caitlin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her lab focuses on mind wandering, engagement, and emotions during learning with multi-method approaches to inform theory and practice.
What’s Next for AugmentED
In the coming months, AugmentED will be seeking partners in education, research, and technology to join us in reimagining education for the age of generative AI. By combining the best of AI with the best of teacher instruction, we can create a future where every child—regardless of background—has access to an education that prepares them for a rapidly evolving world.
Let’s co-create the future of learning, together.
