Education Issues

This page offers an easy way for policymakers to access education research and analysis that is relevant to current Congressional agendas. For additional information, to request documents, or to arrange a briefing, contact the RAND Office of Congressional Relations at ocr@rand.org or (703) 413-1100 x5395.

Recent Findings

Blog

Can Catholic Colleges Block Free Condom Distribution? — Apr 22, 2013

College students pass out free condoms at a health fairIf this issue were to be decided on the basis of public health benefits, the outcome would be clear: Condoms indisputably prevent both unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, writes Chloe Bird.

Blog

Are High-Stakes Tests Counterproductive? — Apr 21, 2013

multiple choice standardized test answer sheetIf we want testing to exert beneficial effects on teaching and learning, we need to advocate for higher-quality tests and for evaluation and accountability systems that use multiple measures and do not rely exclusively on test scores, write Laura Hamilton and Gabriella C. Gonzalez.

Blog

Increase Funds for Quality — Apr 11, 2013

Two students sitting outside on a college campusIn India, perhaps if the funds that are needed are put in with the help of philanthropists like Shiv Nadar, Azim Premji or Rajendra Pawar, it may be possible to build world class universities, writes Rafiq Dossani.

Blog

Give Poor Kids a Chance with Early Education — Apr 9, 2013

Preschool children using letters with a teacherFederal and state initiatives to advance preschool program quality will further ensure that these investments in early learning programs will achieve their full promise and promote healthy child development — physically, socially, emotionally, and academically, writes Lynn Karoly.

Blog

What Do We Know About Charter Schools? Moving Beyond the Talking Points — Apr 4, 2013

two elementary students with a teacherSince their inception in 1992, charter schools have been a lightning rod for controversy in the education policy world. Research highlights the importance of moving beyond test scores and broadening the scope of measures that evaluate success in order to fully assess the performance of charter schools.
More Research on Education

Briefings

Maintaining Accountability and Nurturing Innovation through a Reauthorized ESEA — May 22, 2012

In this panel briefing RAND researchers discuss the possible reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—how it will require several critical decisions about standards, assessments, reporting requirements, and school improvement initiatives.

Performance-Based Accountability for Public Services — Aug 9, 2010

Brian Stecher presents evidence about the effectiveness of performance-based accountability systems in five sectors—child care, education, health care, public health emergency preparedness, and transportation—and provides recommendations about how to improve the effectiveness of such systems.

The Effects of NYC's 5th-Grade Promotion Policy — Oct 19, 2009

Policy analyst Jennifer McCombs and statistician Lou Mariano will discuss the findings of their evaluation of the New York City Department of Education's 5th-grade promotion policy.

Panel Discussion on No Child Left Behind — Jan 9, 2008

RAND will host a panel discussion on No Child Left Behind (NCLB): What Do We Know, and What Does It Tell Us? on January 9. Panelists include John Deasy, Michelle Rhee, Laura Hamilton, Brian Stecher, and Georges Vernez.
More Education Briefings

Alerts & Newsletters

RAND periodically sends alerts and newsletters to update Congress on highlights of recent work about education.

High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Require High-Quality Teachers — Apr 8, 2013

Preschool or kindergarten student raising her hand as teacher reads a bookWhile high-quality early childhood programs can have a dramatic effect on academic achievement and childhood development, federal policymakers must be careful not to expand early childhood education programs faster than an adequate number of qualified teachers can be prepared, credentialed, and recruited.

Performance-Based Incentives for School Principals — Oct 18, 2012

In 2007, the Pittsburgh Public Schools implemented reforms to improve school leadership in the district, which included the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program (PPIP). PPIP provides principals with capacity-building interventions: professional development focused on leadership, feedback and coaching from their supervisors, and bonuses.

Looking Beyond the 2012 U.S. Election — Oct 3, 2012

As the U.S. presidential election draws to a close, there is increasing demand for simple answers to complex questions, immediate solutions to entrenched challenges, and ten-second sound bites to sum it all up. RAND has always focused on big, long-term, core public policy issues and has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address those issues.

Is Inclusionary Zoning Inclusionary? — Jul 9, 2012

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) policies require that a proportion of units in market-rate residential developments are made affordable to lower-income households in exchange for development rights or zoning variances. IZ programs provide greater access to low-poverty neighborhoods, which are often correlated with high-performing schools.

Can Summer Learning Programs Prevent Skill and Knowledge Loss? — Jun 21, 2012

When kids go on summer vacation, their knowledge and skills suffer, with their performance dropping off, on average, one month from where they were when they left school in the spring. Such losses do not affect all kids equally, having the greatest effect on low-income students.

Pay-for-Performance: What Are We Learning? — Jun 1, 2012

One proposal to improve teacher effectiveness--and, by extension, student achievement--is to shift from a uniform teacher salary schedule to a pay-for-performance (P4P) system, which would attach financial rewards to student achievement on standardized tests. But is P4P effective in this domain?

Why Are For-Profit Colleges Appealing to Veterans? — Mar 8, 2012

As veterans return home from combat and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, many have turned to for-profit colleges because of the schools' unique ability to meet their needs.

NCLB Ten Years Out: A Continuing Policy Debate — Jan 31, 2012

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of NCLB. As Congress considers the future direction of federal education policy, the RAND Corporation continues to further the policy debate in this area through its extensive research on the Act's effects.

Senior Staff SOTU Debrief from RAND Corporation — Jan 25, 2012

We've assembled a selection of RAND reports, journal articles, commentary, videos, and experts on these SOTU topics that provide you with analysis, insights, and ideas you can use in the months ahead.

State of the Union Policy Preview — Jan 23, 2012

Preparing for the State of the Union (SOTU) address? Here is a preview of topics the President may cover along with helpful links to related RAND analyses, reports, and commentary.

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Testimony

Military Veterans' Experiences in For-Profit Higher Education

Testimony submitted before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on May 16, 2012.

Building Blocks for a Strong Preschool to Early Elementary Education System

Testimony presented before the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee of the Whole on February 16, 2012.

2006 and prior

August 1, 2006
Assessing the Effectiveness of California Charter Schools

Richard Buddin

Testimony presented to the California Select Committee on the Master Plan for Education.

June 23, 2005
Developing Process Indicators to Improve Educational Governance: Lessons for Education from Health Care

Brian M. Stecher

Testimony presented to the California Little Hoover Commission.

April 24, 2002
Benefits of a Statewide Student Identifier System for California

Laura S. Hamilton

Testimony presented before the California State Senate Education Committee.

June 1, 2001
School Violence Prevention

Jaana Juvonen

Testimony presented to the California State Assembly Select Committee on School Safety.

January 29, 1999
Elements of a National Strategy to Foster Effective Use of Technology in Elementary and Secondary Education

Thomas K. Glennan, Jr.

Testimony presented to the Education Task Force, Budget Committee, U.S. House of Representatives.

More Testimony

Briefs

Advancing the Professional Development System for California's Early Care and Education Workforce — 2012

Offers recommendations for improving the education and training of California's early childhood workforce.

Challenges and Opportunities Facing Principals in the First Year at a School — 2012

Presents a summary of research on first-year principals' experiences, actions, working conditions, and outcomes; the research is intended to inform efforts to promote school improvement and principal retention.

Evaluating Efforts to Improve School Leadership: Challenges and Recommendations — 2012

Efforts to improve school leadership may improve student outcomes. Evaluators and policymakers should allow time for improvements to show, use multiple evaluation measures, and interpret findings carefully before applying them to others.

Improving School Leadership Through the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program — 2012

A RAND Corporation report examines the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program's implementation, how principals have responded to the reforms, and what outcomes followed program implementation.

Incorporating Child Assessments into State Early Childhood Quality Improvement Initiatives — 2012

Identifies five strategies for incorporating child assessments into the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives designed to raise the quality of care in early care and education settings such as quality rating and improvement systems.

More Education Briefs

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Matthew Dicker

Legislative Analyst

(703) 413-1100, ext. 5320
Matthew_Dicker@rand.org

Matthew Dicker

Matthew Dicker is the legislative analyst at the RAND Corporation for education, transportation, energy and environment, the arts, and child policy issues. Prior to joining RAND, he was a legislative aide for Congressman Brad Sherman…

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