State Training Partnerships

AIM Institute for Learning & Research has been selected by the Kentucky Department of Education as one of three approved professional learning pathways to support the state’s new Science of Reading training requirements for K–5 educators. Through Kentucky’s Read to Succeed funding, eligible educators and leaders will be able to participate in approved professional learning opportunities at no cost.

Under House Bill 253 (2026), all Kentucky K–5 educators must complete KDE-approved Science of Reading professional learning by June 30, 2029. AIM’s Pathways to Proficient Reading and Pathways to Literacy Leadership meet those requirements, providing sustained, job-embedded learning that connects literacy research with classroom and system-level practice.

Pathways to Proficient Reading offers approximately 55 hours of learning focused on reading development, language comprehension, word recognition, assessment, and effective instructional practices. Pathways to Literacy Leadership provides approximately 30 hours of learning designed for school and district leaders responsible for supporting educators and sustaining strong literacy implementation.

Kentucky educators will also have access to additional AIM Pathways professional learning opportunities funded through Read to Succeed. Optional offerings include Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary and Demystifying Dyslexia, with additional learning opportunities such as Pathways to Structured Literacy and Pathways to Proficient Writing planned for Winter 2027. These courses allow educators in a range of roles and grade levels to deepen their literacy knowledge and build more specialized instructional expertise.

Registration for initial learning cohorts will open in September.

Learn more about AIM Pathways for Kentucky educators

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in education, educators and school leaders are looking for practical ways to ensure technology supports meaningful learning. The Tool Is Not the Pedagogy: AI, Literacy Instruction, and the Science of Learning explores how AI can support literacy instruction while preserving the cognitive work students need to become skilled readers, writers, and thinkers.

Grounded in the science of reading, the science of learning, and implementation research, the article by AIM's Russ Kliman presents a practical framework for evaluating AI in literacy instruction. It expands on ideas shared by Russ during a July 2026 Campaign for Grade-Level Reading webinar, A Chance to Thrive: Technology's Critical Support for Students With Learning Differences, where education leaders discussed the role of technology in supporting student learning.

Read the full article here.

Education Week’s November special report on secondary literacy prominently features AIM as a leading provider of professional learning for middle and high school educators. The report highlights AIM’s training in Georgia, partnership work in New Mexico, and national leadership in addressing adolescent literacy.

The AIM Institute for Learning & Research is proud to announce a multi-year partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) to deliver required, evidence-based literacy training to all 6th–12th grade English language arts, English language development, and special education teachers across the state. This initiative will utilize AIM’s Pathways to Proficient Reading: Secondary (PPR:S) course and represents one of the first known efforts in the U.S. to include high school teachers in legislated literacy professional development. The training will reach more than 1,000 teachers in year one.

The AIM Institute for Learning & Research is proud to announce the selection of 10 schools for our new AIM Early Reading Success Schools initiative. This fully-funded, yearlong demonstration project is designed to transform early literacy instruction and ensure that more than 1,000 children in more than 60 classrooms across the country are reading at grade level by the end of the school year.

Supported with a $750,000 donation by the Raphael Family Foundation, the initiative provides AIM-led professional learning, coaching, and implementation support per school to help participating teams accelerate reading outcomes and build sustainable systems for early literacy success. The participating schools represent a diverse cross-section of the country,  including rural communities and major cities, and span public, private, and charter school settings.

AIM Institute for Learning & Research is excited to partner with the Nebraska Department of Education to further literacy and reading improvement efforts through HEROES (Helping to Elevate Reading Outcomes for Every Student) Training. This summer training opportunity, which will take place in Kearney in July, focuses on the art of literacy coaching and is designed to equip educators and leaders with evidence-based practices aligned with the Science of Reading.