The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is committed to providing a world-class education to the children of America’s service members and eligible civilians.

DoDEA’s Research, Accountability, and Evaluation division identified a need for robust research support and advising on strategic data warehouse solution to further their mission. As part of an expert team, AEM provided specialized research and data services to inform both policy and practice decisions.

AEM researchers conducted thorough literature and benchmarking reviews on key topics such as professional learning, world languages, classroom observation tools, staffing roles, early warning systems, military student identifier, school improvement, and data governance/data strategy. These reviews offered evidence-based insights to guide DoDEA in refining policies and instructional practices and shaping strategic initiatives. AEM also applied best practices in survey development, ensuring that DoDEA’s data collection tools would be both methodologically sound and aligned with the organization's research priorities and needs.

As a member of the project team, AEM applied its experience in building data solutions in the education sector by providing high-level advisory services on the design and implementation of DoDEA’s data infrastructure.

Together, these support activities enable DoDEA to make well-informed decisions that support its overarching goal: delivering top-tier educational services to the military-connected community. By synthesizing existing research, designing targeted surveys, and offering strategic advice on data infrastructure, AEM's work has helped to position the organization to leverage timely and accurate information for continuous improvement in the coming years.