Non-Profit Educational Assessments Provider Joins Community of Top Education Leaders to Support Student Success

October 8, 2020, NEW YORK – Council for Aid to Education, Inc. (CAE), a leading provider of performance-based, authentic assessments measuring essential college and career readiness skills, announced it joined the Education Research and Development Institute (ERDI). Partnering with the well-respected 35-year-old organization, CAE will contribute as a thought leader and work collaboratively to develop insights that will inform the evolution of its studentcentric educational solutions and services.

“We are honored to partner with ERDI whose members comprise our country’s top education practice leaders committed to ensuring all students have access to the highest quality learning experiences,” said Bob Yayac, president and CEO of CAE. “Joining ERDI’s community allows CAE to leverage the latest in PK-12 research and on-the-ground experience to best meet the needs of students today and into the future.”

ERDI gathers top PK-12 education leaders and solutions providers from more than 250 school districts across the U.S. who are focused on the continuous improvement of public education, to analyze, discuss, and propose solutions for current problems of practice in education.

“CAE is a wonderful addition to our community of talented educational innovators who inspire excellence and enrich the achievement of all learners,” said Dr. Jennifer Ferrari, president of ERDI. “They are dedicated to contributing beneficial information and data helping educators to identify and improve students’ real-world skills.”

CAE was recently an expert presenter in ERDI’s first-ever 2020 Virtual Fall Institute, “Leading in a New Education Paradigm”. Engaging with education leaders and secondary school superintendents, CAE shared its research data on the importance of problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills for students’ future success.

“For educational institutions, returning to business as usual may not be feasible in the foreseeable future,” said Doris Zahner, chief academic officer, CAE. “Educators should remain focused on content, but also must understand students’ college and career readiness skills and how to measure students’ areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.”