JUNE 29 – JULY 2, 2025- San Antonio, Texas
Explore our latest discoveries & inventions. Join AERDF's Awardee Showcase all week!
You’re invited to join The Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF), our awardees, and our AdvancED Fellows in San Antonio, Texas at ISTELive 25 & ASCD Annual Conference from June 29 – July 2!
One of the world’s most comprehensive education events, ISTELive 25 & ASCD Annual Experience is attended by over 15,000 education leaders, teachers, coaches, librarians/media specialists and more.
Join AERDF all week in the Hyatt Lonestar Ballroom C and on the Expo floor at Booth 1600 at ISTELive 25.
Explore our latest advancements in math, literacy, assessment, and AI with us.
Witness the debut of cutting-edge instructional prototypes and solutions from our awardees. Connect with education R&D leaders pushing innovation and explore grant opportunities to contribute your expertise to transform education.
Register for our sessions in the Hyatt Lonestar Ballroom C and the Expo floor main entrance.
Check out the schedule
AERDF Room Hyatt Lonestar Ballroom C
Sunday - June 29th
11:00 - 3:00pm
American Group of Innovative Learning Environments (AGILE) Network Annual Convening
Invitation Only
AERDF Awardee
AGILE Network is a group of innovative schools and educators. Members contribute to evidence-based learning solutions and receive research compensation, grants, professional development, and skills in innovation, research, and equity.
SPEAKERS
Taylor Haun
Director of School R&D and Strategic Programs, Leanlab Education
Monday, June 30th
8:30 - 9:00am
From Struggle to Strategy: The FREE Big Words Program and PD Course
AERDF Awardee
The free evidence-based Big Words literacy program for struggling readers offers online teacher professional development created by experts Dr. Philippakos (UTK) and Dr. Quinn (Texas A&M). Developed with teachers through Design-Based Research, it’s designed to be very user-friendly. Explore the resources & research.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Zoi Philippakos
Associate Professor, University of Tennessee
Dr. Margaret Quinn
Associate Professor,
Texas A&M
9:00 - 10:15am
Futures Beyond Today’s Neurotypical Classroom: Can We Finally Personalize Learning?
AERDF Fellows Foresight Series
Join us for an interactive workshop to confront futures beyond today’s neurotypical instruction.
Come explore three questions
How will AI-powered assistants change teaching & learning? What if we could unlock every learner’s potential? In a world where learners have access to all the answers, what are we optimizing for?
SPEAKERS
Carina Wong
Partner and Founder,
Craft Futures
Sam Ha
Partner and Co-Founder, Craft Futures
10:30 - 11:30am
Codesigning the Future of Education with the AGILE Network
AERDF Awardee
Discover how Leanlab Education’s AGILE Network connects educators with edtech companies to codesign edtech for real classrooms. Join a rapid codesign session, learn about paid research opportunities, and see how your expertise can drive innovation.
SPEAKERS
Taylor Haun
Director of School R&D and Strategic Programs, Leanlab Education
11:30 - 12:30pm
Adaptable and Grounded for the Future: A Design Session
AERDF Fellows Foresight Series
The world is changing fast. What if students were ready for anything? In this session, you will work together to design learning experiences for your students that build true adaptability—rooted in purpose, powered by deep knowledge, and transferable across whatever the future brings.
SPEAKERS
Jessica Tsang
Co-Founder, Grounded Adaptability
Jason Atwood
Co-Founder, Grounded Adaptability
12:30 - 1:30pm
Deepfakes to Deep Trust: Navigating AI's Impact on Connection, Belonging, and Youth Thriving
AERDF Fellows Foresight Series
From deepfakes to AI companions, today’s youth are navigating blurred lines between real and synthetic connection. This session explores how generative AI is reshaping belonging, trust, and wellbeing—and offers actionable principles for educators to support young people to reclaim human connection in the age of AI.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Alison Lee
Chief R&D Officer,
The Rithm Project
1:30 - 2:30pm
Closing the Poverty Opportunity Gap by Integrating Breakthroughs from Neuroscience
AERDF Fellows Foresight Series
The goal of OBTAIN is to integrate remarkable breakthroughs in neuroscience; robotics and sensor technologies; and AI and data science to address the challenges of closing the Poverty Opportunity Gap and enhance learning for all students. This session is for leaders ready to explore the new frontier.
SPEAKERS
Jay N. Giedd, MD
Professor, University of California, San Diego
Stephan Leeds
Deputy, OBTAIN
2:30 - 3:15pm
System-Level R&D: Creating the Conditions for Scalable, Sustainable Change
AERDF Awardee
We need to move beyond isolated innovations and start treating school systems as active engines of R&D. In this session, Dr. Devin Vodicka and Dr. Katie Martin—co-founders and co-CEOs of Learner-Centered Collaborative—will share a call to action: every district needs an embedded R&D strategy to drive scalable innovation.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Devin Vodicka
Co-CEO, Learner-Centerered Collaborative
Dr. Katie Martin
Co-CEO, Learner-Centerered Collaborative
3:45 - 5:30pm
AERDF Community Reception at ISTELIVE 25: Creating the Innovation Gems: A State and Regional Deep Dive on R&D
AERDF Foresight Series
Discover where education innovation is thriving! Join educators and leaders from across the country to map breakthrough initiatives across the country. Through collaborative storytelling and hands-on mapping, you’ll uncover hidden innovation gems, connect with changemakers, and help shape the future of education R&D.
The session will include hors d’oeuvres and open time to celebrate innovation together!
SPEAKERS
Welcoming
Richard Culatta
CEO, ISTE ASCD
Joseph South
Chief Innovation Officer, ISTE ASCD
Auditi Chakravarty
CEO, AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Dr. Sasha Rabkin
Chief of Program Strategy and Innovation, AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Session
Dr. Devin Vodicka
Co-CEO, Learner-Centerered Collaborative
Timothy Michalak
Director of Strategic Policy Initiatives, Alliance for Learning Innovation
Katie Boody Adoro
Founder & CEO, LeanLab Education
Chris Liang-Vergara
Senior Advisor, AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Treah Hutchings
InnovateEDU
Tuesday, July 1st
10:00 - 1:00pm
AERDF AugmentED: Co-Creating the Future of Teaching and Learning with AI
Invitation Only
AERDF AugmentED Program
AugmentED, in collaboration with Playlab and Teach for America, is hosting a 3-hour interactive workshop about the future of teaching and learning in the age of AI. In this workshop, educators will integrate their classroom expertise with future-casting techniques to dream of ways AI can support educational transformation.
SPEAKERS
Sherry Lachman
Executive Director, AugmentED AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Brian David Johnson
Futurist in Residence,
Arizona State University – Center for Science and the Imagination
Sarah Zaner
Co President, Bendable Labs
Mike Yates
Senior Product Designer, AI,
The Reinvention Lab at Teach for America
1:00 - 2:00pm
The Virtuous Cycle: Accelerating Your K-12 Literacy Screening to the Research Lab with ROAR from Stanford University
AERDF Awardee
What if your approach to literacy screening could do more than just generate data? What if it could create a dynamic partnership between your school and leading neuroscience researchers?
The ROAR platform, born out of Stanford’s Brain Development & Education Lab, offers a new path forward. In this session, you’ll see how the latest neuroscience is translated into a fast, reliable, and scalable screening tool that saves critical district resources and time.
We’ll discuss how your implementation provides invaluable data that shapes the future of educational neuroscience. Leave this session with a clear understanding of how this virtuous cycle works and how it can empower your teachers to focus on targeted instruction by making screening efficient, insightful, and part of an exciting, collaborative ecosystem.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Carrie Townley-Flores
Director of Research & Partnerships at the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR), Stanford University
2:00 - 3:00pm
Read STOP Write: A Multicomponent Intervention to Improve Foundational Skills and Comprehension
AERDF Awardee
Read STOP Write (grades 4-9) is a novel intervention developed by Dr. Strong (Univ Buffalo) and Dr. Tortorelli (Mich St Univ). Come explore evidence-based practices to improve foundational reading skills, comprehension, writing, and motivation using informational text to build knowledge.
SPEAKERS
Dr. John Z. Strong
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo
Dr. Laura Tortorell
Associate Professor, Michigan State University
3:00 - 4:00pm
From Playgrounds to Classrooms: Boosting Math Mastery with Play
AERDF Awardee
Let’s Play! Step onto a Fraction Ball court and experience how play improves math learning! Discover research-backed, standards-aligned strategies that spark collaboration, confidence, and joy to fuel academic gains. Explore designs, discuss evidence, and forge partnerships to reimagine K-12 education where students thrive.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Kreshnik (Keka) Begolli
Research Scientist, UC Irvine, Founder, Chief Innovation & Success Officer, Juego!
Emir Elliot-Lindo
Co-Founder,
Juego!
4:00 - 5:00pm
Smart Tech, Smarter Teaching: Critical Considerations for using AI in the Classroom
AERDF Awardee
Join AI experts Dr. Stephen Hutt (Univ Denver) and Dr. Sam Rhodes (GSU) in this workshop to equip educators and school leaders with frameworks and questions to make informed, equity-centered decisions around AI in classrooms. We’ll explore how AI can support — or hinder — student thinking, highlight risks and opportunities, and foster critical reflection on AI adoption.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Stephen J. Hutt
Assistant Professor, University of Denver
Dr. Sam Rhodes
Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University
Wednesday, July 2nd
8:30 - 9:30am
If It Works, Study It Again: A Research Strategy for Real-World EdTech Confidence
AERDF Awardee
Most edtech research stops after one successful study. Real-world schools need confidence a program will consistently work. This session reveals MIND Research Institute’s continuous, multi-method research strategy (Impact Rate, LADDDER, MILD) to track repeatability, reduce risk, and improve outcomes, creating a relevant evidence infrastructure.
SPEAKERS
Andrew Coulson
Chief Data Science Officer, MIND Research Institute
9:30 - 10:30am
Top of Mind, Bottom of List: Grow Your District AI Capacity & Lesson Planning
AERDF Awardee
Differentiation, standards-alignment, interest-based engagement, building academic mindsets, SEL… the list of important aspects of lesson planning for each lesson can be overwhelming and time consuming. Explore a new AI tool that leverages a research-validated Student Experience Survey that was co-designed with educators & learners to efficiently & effectively design lessons and empower teachers.
SPEAKERS
Malika Ali
Chief Innovation Officer, Throughline Learning
10:30 - 11:30am
Flip the Script on Assessment Culture with ASELA, a Strengths-based Assessment
AERDF Awardee
As teachers, we often focus on what needs fixing—in students, schools, and ourselves. In this session, you’ll experience ASELA, a strengths-based assessment that helps reframe challenges through an assets-based lens. Walk away with practical strategies for building classrooms that center assets over deficits.
SPEAKERS
Nakeyshia Kendall Williams
CEO,
MindCatcher Education
Uzma Chowdhury
MindCatcher Education
Expo Booth 1600 Events
Monday, June 30th
9:00 - 10:00am
Meet AGILE: The American Group of Innovative Learning Environments (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Learn how to apply to AGILE, a cutting-edge national network of diverse education innovators, including school districts, charter schools, and educators. Members collaborate on evidence-based solutions, receive grants, professional development, and build skills in innovation & research.
SPEAKERS
Taylor Haun
Director of School R&D and Strategic Programs, Leanlab Education
10:00 - 11:00am
Stanford ROAR: From the Lab to Your Classroom and Back
AERDF Awardee
Stop the cycle of time-consuming literacy screening and start a virtuous one. The ROAR platform, born out of Stanford’s Brain Development & Education Lab, offers a new path forward and is approved in multiple states. In this session, you’ll see how the latest neuroscience is translated into a fast, reliable, and scalable screening tool that saves critical district resources. We’ll demonstrate the core of our model: “from the lab to the classroom and back again.”
Discover how this creates a powerful, virtuous cycle where your school’s participation not only provides you with immediate, actionable data but also contributes to the research that will shape the future of reading instruction. Learn how to free up your teachers to focus on teaching by making screening a seamless, insightful, and collaborative process.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Carrie Townley-Flores
Director of Research & Partnerships at the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR), Stanford University
11:00 - 12:00pm
45 Minutes a Week, Big Results: Magpie Literacy K-5 in Action (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Discover how just 45 minutes a week can transform early literacy outcomes. Magpie Literacy is a K–5 solution grounded in the science of reading. Through videos, games and assessment, Magpie delivers measurable gains with minimal lift. Join us to see big results from a small time & cost investment.
SPEAKERS
Juan Cabrera
Sales Lead, Magpie Literacy
12:00 - 1:00pm
Fraction Ball by Juego – Play to Boost Math, Confidence, & Engagement (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Sink a shot on our court and watch fraction concepts land with every bounce. Explore our research-backed games that turn schoolyards/classrooms into standards-aligned math playspaces. Chat with researchers, receive special offers, and leave with ideas, swag, and partnership details to help students thrive on tests and beyond.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Kreshnik (Keka) Begolli
Research Scientist, UC Irvine, Founder, Chief Innovation & Success Officer, Juego!
Emir Elliot-Lindo
Co-Founder
Juego!
1:00 - 2:00pm
MathFluency+: Researching Dual Gains in Math and Executive Function
AERDF Awardee
MathFluency+ is designed to improve math fluency and executive functions through game-based learning. Learn how its nine games integrate cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory into core math practice, offering a dual-benefit model for adaptive learning.
SPEAKERS
Andrew Coulson
Chief Data Science Officer, MIND Research Institute
2:00 - 3:00pm
The AI Effect: Does AI Augment or Erode Human Connection? (Or, does it depend?) (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Fellows Foresight Series
Come join us as we play The AI Effect, a card game to help uncover the effects of AI on human connection. We’ll debate, compare notes, mine disagreement, and ultimately try to distill the principles that differentiate ways we want to leverage AI in service of connection, and what to avoid.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Alison Lee
Chief R&D Officer,
The Rithm Project
3:00 - 3:30 pm
AI-Enabled, Student Experience & Data-Driven Lesson Planning (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Differentiation, standards-alignment, interest-based engagement, building academic mindsets, SEL… the list of important aspects of lesson planning for each lesson can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Explore a new AI tool that leverages a research-validated Student Experience Survey to efficiently & effectively design lessons and empower teachers.
SPEAKERS
Malika Ali
Chief Innovation Officer, Throughline Learning
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Meet the Creators of Read STOP Write: A Multicomponent Intervention for Students in Grades 4-9 (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Meet the creators of Read STOP Write, Dr. John Strong and Dr. Laura Tortorelli. Read STOP Write is a multicomponent intervention funded by AERDF designed to improve foundational reading skills, comprehension, motivation, and writing proficiency for students in grades 4-9.
SPEAKERS
Dr. John Z. Strong
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo
Dr. Laura Tortorelli
Associate Professor, Michigan State University
Tuesday, July 1st
10:00 - 11:00am
Fraction Ball by Juego – Play to Boost Math, Confidence, & Engagement (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Sink a shot on our court and watch fraction concepts land with every bounce. Explore our research-backed games that turn schoolyards/classrooms into standards-aligned math playspaces. Chat with researchers, receive special offers, and leave with ideas, swag, and partnership details to help students thrive on tests and beyond.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Kreshnik (Keka) Begolli
Research Scientist, UC Irvine, Co-Founder, Chief Innovation & Success Officer, Juego!
Emir Elliot-Lindo
Co-Founder
Juego!
11:00 - 12:00pm
Stanford ROAR: From the Lab to Your Classroom and Back
AERDF Awardee
Stop the cycle of time-consuming literacy screening and start a virtuous one. The ROAR platform, born out of Stanford’s Brain Development & Education Lab, offers a new path forward and is approved in multiple states. In this session, you’ll see how the latest neuroscience is translated into a fast, reliable, and scalable screening tool that saves critical district resources. We’ll demonstrate the core of our model: “from the lab to the classroom and back again.”
Discover how this creates a powerful, virtuous cycle where your school’s participation not only provides you with immediate, actionable data but also contributes to the research that will shape the future of reading instruction. Learn how to free up your teachers to focus on teaching by making screening a seamless, insightful, and collaborative process.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Carrie Townley-Flores
Director of Research & Partnerships at the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR), Stanford University
12:00 - 1:00pm
Meet the Creators of Read STOP Write: A Multicomponent Intervention for Students in Grades 4-9 (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Meet the creators of Read STOP Write, Dr. John Strong and Dr. Laura Tortorelli. Read STOP Write is a multicomponent intervention funded by AERDF designed to improve foundational reading skills, comprehension, motivation, and writing proficiency for students in grades 4-9.
SPEAKERS
Dr. John Z. Strong
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo
Dr. Laura Tortorelli
Associate Professor, Michigan State University
1:00 - 2:00pm
Unlocking Early Literacy Gains in Just 45 Minutes a Week (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Discover how just 45 minutes a week can transform early literacy outcomes. This demo highlights Magpie Literacy—a K–5 solution grounded in the science of reading. Through videos, games and assessment, Magpie delivers measurable gains with minimal lift. Join us to see big results from a small time & cost investment.
SPEAKERS
Juan Cabrera
Sales Lead, Magpie Literacy
2:00 - 3:00pm
AI-Enabled, Student Experience & Data-Driven Lesson Planning (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Differentiation, standards-alignment, interest-based engagement, building academic mindsets, SEL… the list of important aspects of lesson planning for each lesson can be overwhelming and time consuming. Explore a new AI tool that leverages a research-validated Student Experience Survey that was co-designed with educators & learners to efficiently & effectively design lessons and empower teachers.
SPEAKERS
Malika Ali
Chief Innovation Officer, Throughline Learning
3:00 - 4:00pm
Middle & High School Illiteracy, and A Cutting-edge Invention Out of Stanford to Help Address It
AERDF Awardee
Stop the cycle of time-consuming literacy screening and start a virtuous one. The ROAR platform, born out of Stanford’s Brain Development & Education Lab, offers a new path forward and is approved in multiple states.
In this session, you’ll see how the latest neuroscience is translated into a fast, reliable, and scalable screening tool that saves critical district resources. We’ll demonstrate the core of our model: “from the lab to the classroom and back again.” Discover how this creates a powerful, virtuous cycle where your school’s participation not only provides you with immediate, actionable data but also contributes to the research that will shape the future of reading instruction. Learn how to free up your teachers to focus on teaching by making screening a seamless, insightful, and collaborative process.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Carrie Townley-Flores
Director of Research & Partnerships at the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR), Stanford University
4:00 - 5:00pm
Afternoon Shootaround: Fraction Ball by Juego – Play to Boost Math, Confidence, & Engagement (Expo Main Entrance)
AERDF Awardee
Sink a shot on our court and watch fraction concepts land with every bounce. Explore our research-backed games that turn schoolyards/classrooms into standards-aligned math playspaces. Chat with researchers, receive special offers, and leave with ideas, swag, and partnership details to help students thrive on tests and beyond.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Kreshnik (Keka) Begolli
Research Scientist, UC Irvine, Co-Founder, Chief Innovation & Success Officer, Juego!
Emir Elliot-Lindo
Co-Founder
Juego!
ISTE Content
Sunday, June 29th
1:40pm
ISTE Solutions Summit What is Co-Design in EdTech? Why Does It Matter Now?
Consistently impactful EdTech almost always involves product development processes that start with deep understanding of classroom needs, teaching practices, and learning environments. Co-design—the practice of creating solutions collaboratively with users—has emerged as a critical approach for developing EdTech products by introducing the ideas and insights of a product’s intended audience. This workshop session explores the transformative value of co-design with multiple audiences, including young people, educators, schools, and school districts, and provides practical guidance for implementation across different educational stakeholders.
SPEAKERS
Tal Havivi
Managing Director, Research and Development, ISTE
Jenny Bradbury
Senior Director, R&D for EdTech and Emerging Technologies, Digital Promise
Katie Boody Adoro
Founder & CEO, LeanLab Education
Chris Liang-Vergara
Senior Advisor, AERDF
Medha Tare
Senior Director of Research, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
Monday, June 30th
8:30 - 9:30am
Beyond the Buzz: Harnessing AI for Meaningful Learning
Room: 221B, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
Discover how to harness today’s unprecedented convergence of global disruption and technological advancement to fundamentally transform learning experiences. Against the backdrop of post-pandemic education and the emergence of generative AI, a panel of influential speakers will share insights on creating more relevant, competency-based, and skills-focused learning environments. This forward-looking session will help you move beyond reactive responses to technological change and embrace this pivotal moment to create transformative learning experiences that better serve all students.
SPEAKERS
Moderator
Michael Fung
Executive Director, Institute for the Future of Education
Participants
Auditi Chakravarty
President and CEO, AERDF
Patrick O’Steen
Director, Learner Programs, Microsoft Philanthropies
Sophia Mendoza
Director, Instructional Technology Initiative,
Los Angeles Unified School District
Emily Anne Gullickson
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education
Tuesday, July 1st
4:00 - 5:00pm
Designing for Impact: Human-Centered R&D in EdTech Innovation
Location: HBGCC - 303BC
Join Assessment for Good, educators, and school leaders in a conversation about an ongoing effort to co-design culturally responsive, asset-based formative assessments with Black and Latine learners. Hear insights from the collaborative R&D process, and learn about the innovative assessment tools emerging from this human-centered design.
SPEAKERS
Ramya Gopal
Director of Strategy, Assessment for Good, AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Dr. Temple Lovelace
Executive Director, Assessment for Good, AERDF (Advanced Education Research & Development Fund)
Katie Boody Adorno
Founder & CEO,
Leanlab Education
Malika Ali
Chief Innovation Officer
Throughline Learning
Nakeyshia Kendall Williams
Founder & CEO,
MindCatcher Education