The American Institutes for Research is one of the leading social and behavioral science evaluation and research organizations in the world. The organization’s overriding objective is to make use of the best science presently available to create optimal approaches and ideas for the betterment of our day to day lives. For the American Institutes for Research creating this betterment of everyday life is not wishful thinking. It is what drives the organization.

The American Institutes for Research was launched as a non-profit and has conducted its operation with strict independence, non-partisanship, and objectivity ever since. The organization comprises a team of intellectually diverse individuals and this allows them to assemble brilliant minds from different fields in the quest for innovative solutions to problems that humans encounter every day. The mission of the American Institutes for Research is to explore and make use of rigorous evidence that makes the world better and more equitable. The organization’s vision is to establish itself as the leading technical assistance, research, and evaluation organization, guided by the fundamentals of ethical decision making, innovation, collaboration, and inclusion. As part of their vision, the American Institutes for Research has various commitments. The organization informs advancements in workforce development, health, education, and other related areas. The American Institutes for Research also collaborates with practitioners, and policymakers as well as other like-minded organizations to adopt practices that are evidence-based. The social and behavioral science organization also partners locally and globally with various communities and organizations. The American Institutes for Research also integrates its expertise in policy and substantive arenas, evaluation and research, as well as the implementation of practices and interventions that are evidence-based.

Since the American Institutes for Research was launched in 1946, the organization has led various innovative initiatives in education as well as the behavioral and social sciences. John Flanagan, the organization’s founder was himself a prominent figure in American Psychology. During the Second World War, Flanagan crafted the aptitude test that was used to select the most ideal candidates who would serve as American fighter pilots. At the American Institutes for Research, Flanagan also created the critical incident technique which was dubbed the most significant milestone for selecting personnel in the last six decades by the Annual review of psychology. He went on to apply this brilliant technique. Presently, we use many of Flanagan’s in health as well as other areas.

The success of the American Institutes for Research is directly related to the diversified expertise that drives the organization’s mission and work of enhancing people’s well-being and lives across the globe. The American Institutes for Research takes pride in the common threads–innovative techniques, rigorous research, as well as transforming people’s lives for the better–that can be seen throughout the organization’s history. Below are some of the instances where the American Institutes for Research has helped shape the course of history.

After the incorporation of the American Institutes for Research as a non-partisan, non-profit organization in 1946, Flanagan crafted the critical incident technique. During the 1950s, the American Institutes for Research team developed research models in placement and aptitude tests that are still used as the standards today. Through these and other similar projects, the American Institutes for Research made information accessible to people and enhanced many lives as a result.