Media Contact:
| ETS: | Kristen Mitchell |
|---|---|
| Email: | kmitchell002@ets.org |
| aiEDU | Christian Pinedo |
| Email: | christian@aiedu.org |
PRINCETON, NJ and SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 15, 2026) ETS, a global education and talent solutions organization, and aiEDU, a nonprofit dedicated to preparing students for an AI-driven world, have announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate AI literacy and readiness in education. This partnership combines ETS’s global expertise in assessment, measurement, and research with aiEDU’s innovation in curriculum design and educator preparedness and professional development.
“ETS and aiEDU are working together because we collectively recognize that preparing learners for an AI-driven future demands both world-class measurement and innovative educational practice,” said Lydia Liu, Associate Vice President, Research Institute, ETS. “ETS’s global expertise in assessment, research, and measurement science empowers us to drive the evolution of how essential skills are defined and measured.”
According to data from the forthcoming 2026 ETS Human Progress Report—a survey of more than 32,000 people across 18 countries—28% of global respondents believe that the most impactful change to workforce readiness today is implementing comprehensive skills-focused programs in K-12. People across the globe want to see K–12 systems go beyond testing knowledge to measuring real-world skills, calling for earlier detection of skill gaps and clear, actionable pathways to build the competencies essential for the future of work.
“AI readiness isn’t about teaching students to use tools—it’s about ensuring they develop the durable skills, judgment, and agency to thrive alongside AI,” said Alex Kotran, CEO of aiEDU. “Assessment has been the elephant in the room in this conversation, and without it, systems struggle to move from guidance to action. Partnering with ETS allows us to tackle that challenge head-on and create clear, credible pathways for students and educators.”
Shared Vision and Guiding Principles
This partnership is anchored in aiEDU’s AI Readiness Framework and ETS’s globally recognized research and measurement expertise. Guided by a shared commitment to safety, privacy, fairness, and transparency in AI design and deployment, together these organizations will build the tools, knowledge, and pathways to empower students, educators, and policymakers to thrive today and tomorrow.
Key Collaboration Areas
- Research and Measurement Collaboration: ETS will design, pilot, and validate measures of AI competencies for students, educators, schools, and districts, supporting the implementation of aiEDU’s supplemental programs and evaluating outcomes such as math learning and AI literacy.
- Educator Professional Learning: Both organizations will support teachers’ AI literacy skill development and classroom implementation through district-tailored professional development offerings or solutions aligned to the AI Readiness Framework, integrating formative feedback and exploring micro-credentials and badges.
- Policy and Systems Engagement: ETS and aiEDU will generate evidence to contribute to policy conversations at state, district, and national levels, co-authoring white papers, participating in convenings, and supporting AI teacher certification and curriculum integration.
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About ETS
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners to be future ready. Our mission – advancing the science of measurement to power human progress – ensures our focus to enable everyone, everywhere, to demonstrate their skills and chart their path to future readiness for life. We are committed to readying 100M+ people for the next generation of jobs by 2035. We deliver on this commitment through trusted assessments and skills solutions – including TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, Praxis and Futurenav – and groundbreaking initiatives powered by our Research Institute. With a robust global footprint, including subsidiaries (PSI), offices and operations in more than 200 countries and territories, we help over 50 million individuals each year measure their proficiency and unlock new opportunities. Discover how we expand our worldwide impact: www.ets.org.
About aiEDU
The AI Education Project (aiEDU) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit devoted to making sure that all students are ready to live, work, and thrive in a world where AI is everywhere. We work with education systems to advance AI literacy and AI readiness through high quality curriculum, professional development, and strategic partnerships with states, school districts, and other systems. Since 2019, our work has reached more than 19,000 educators reaching 1.14 million students. We believe that preparing all students means supporting the educators in school systems, and families across the country, to embed AI Readiness into the core of their teaching and learning programs.