ARLINGTON, Va. – October 29, 2026 -- The American Institutes for Research (AIR), a Gold Conference Sponsor, will present in 10 panels, roundtables and paper sessions, plus two poster events, at the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference, November 5-7, 2026, at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston.
The conference theme is "Fifty States, Fifty Systems: State Policy Variations and Impacts." AIR will also staff a booth in the Exhibitor Hall and a table at the APPAM Career & PhD Program Fair on Friday, November 6, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET in the Gloucester Meeting Room.
AI research features in three AIR sessions on Friday and Saturday
On Friday, Ruhan Circi will present a paper comparing semantic ranking and local large language models (LLMs) for assigning proposals to experts. Burhan Ogut will present a human-in-the-loop, LLM-assisted framework for interview analysis. Samia Amin and Jaiden Samatha Butler will join a panel at 10:15 a.m. on whether AI delivers results in training programs, the workforce and career pathways.
On Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Circi will present a system-level, multidimensional policy framework for operationalizing transparency in AI systems.
Workforce and education sessions span career and technical education and apprenticeships
Kristin Kelley will present a meta-analysis of career and technical education and work-based learning, with findings from three states, on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. Christina Yancey and Siobhan Mills De La Rosa will discuss adapting and scaling apprenticeships across service environments on Saturday at 1:45 p.m.
Preeya Mbekeani is a co-author on a Friday panel on English learners. Christopher Brooks, Stephanie Levin and Susan Therriault will lead a Friday roundtable on preparing leaders and researchers for the Education Freedom Tax Credit.
Gun violence, criminal justice and child care research round out the schedule
Candace Hester and Bryant Crubaugh will present a Friday roundtable on implementing and evaluating gun violence interventions across state and community contexts. Hester will also join a panel on racial disparities in criminal justice decision-making. Amanda Danks will present on child care subsidy rates and the sustainability of the child care market.
Poster presentations include Ryan Eisner on the Texas Dual Language Project, Rachel Feldman on a benefit-cost evaluation of a Special Olympics schoolwide program, Katherine Canniff on school mobility among students in foster care, and Danks on the cost of Alternative Response.