Why Inclusive R&D Matters: AERDF’s Auditi Chakravarty on Building Better Solutions

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Auditi Chakravarty is CEO of AERDF (the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund). AERDF applies Advanced Inclusive R&D to find potentially transformative teaching and learning solutions that can scale, centering on the assets, strengths, and needs of Black and Latino learners and all learners experiencing poverty. Auditi also chairs the Board of Bottom Line, a national college access and success organization, and is a venture partner with LearnLaunch Accelerator. A former high school English teacher, Auditi holds a BA in English and M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How AERDF models inclusive research by engaging students, educators, and researchers throughout the design process.
• Why centering Black, Latino, and low-income learners in R&D creates solutions that benefit all students.
• How AERDF’s three programs—EF+Math, Reading Reimagined, and Assessment for Good—are driving impact in education.
• The challenges of breaking silos between research, practice, and product development in education.
• The potential of AI to accelerate equity in education—and why it’s crucial to align it with evidence-based practices.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:51] Introduction to AERDF’s mission inspired by DARPA’s innovation model
[00:03:58] Centering Black, Latino, and low-income learners in R&D for solutions that benefit all students
[00:09:45] Building cross-sector collaboration to bridge gaps between research and practice
[00:22:22] Teachers feel ownership when involved in the co-design process
[00:30:25] Why edtech solutions must align with evidence to serve underserved communities effectively
[00:46:53] Creating an ecosystem of funders to support risk-taking and innovation in education
[00:48:31] AI as an accelerant for good or bad, depending on how it is used and supported by evidence

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