Welcome to RAND Education

Bringing accurate data and objective analysis to education policy

For over three decades, RAND Education has applied its expertise to almost every aspect of the education system. RAND Education's staff includes more than 70 experts from a wide range of disciplines. Sponsors of our research include government agencies, foundations, and private-sector organizations.

Our mission is to bring accurate data and objective analysis to education policy. We are a division within RAND, a nonprofit institute that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.

What's NewMore »

RAND Partners with Cincinnati Public Schools on Innovative Summer Learning Program — May 16, 2012

With support from the Wallace Foundation, RAND Education and the Cincinnati Public Schools are collaborating on “5th Quarter”—a full-day summer learning program for students K–7 that combines reading, writing, and math instruction with educational field trips. Profiled in an article on www.soapboxmedia.com, 5th Quarter is serving as a national model for school systems that are interested in providing summer academic and social enrichment activities.

Remaking a School System in the Wake of Natural Disaster — May 15, 2012

In this Resilient Communities podcast, Jennifer Steele discusses the differences in policies and practices between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans, where charter-based reform spread in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The 2012 WISE Awards Will Honor Innovative Education Projects Worldwide — Apr 23, 2012

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) is accepting applications for the 2012 WISE Awards, which honor education projects around the world—including in primary education—that have had a positive societal impact and can serve as models for other institutions or nations. Submissions for the awards will be accepted through May 31, and the winners will be announced at the 2012 WISE Summit in November in Doha, which will include presentations and discussions by RAND researchers. RAND is a partner to the annual event.

Huffington Post Blogger References Report on Military Students' Academic Achievement — Apr 2, 2012

Social work professor Ron Avi Astor—arguing that students from military families are "one of the most neglected populations in public education"—references a RAND report that examined the association between parental deployment and student achievement scores. The study, authored by military, health, and education experts at RAND, focused on military students in North Carolina and Washington in 2002–2008.

RAND Experts to Share Education Insights at AERA 2012 Annual Meeting — Mar 28, 2012

RAND's contributions to education research and analysis will be in the spotlight at the American Educational Research Association's yearly conference on April 13-17. RAND experts will present their work in key sessions and panel discussions, and AERA's Division L will give RAND its "Outstanding Policy Report" award for "A Big Apple for Educators."

Recent PublicationsMore »

Cover: Analysis of Costs in an Algebra I Curriculum Effectiveness Study

Analysis of Costs in an Algebra I Curriculum Effectiveness Study — April 30, 2012

Examines the costs of implementing Carnegie Learning's Cognitive Tutor Algebra I curriculum and comparison algebra I curricula published by Prentice Hall, Glencoe, and McDougal Littell.

Cover: Closing Schools in a Shrinking District

Closing Schools in a Shrinking District: Do Student Outcomes Depend on Which Schools Are Closed? — March 1, 2012

This study examines an anonymous urban district that, faced with declining enrollment, chose to make student achievement a major criterion in determining which schools would be closed. The district targeted low-performing schools in its closure plan, and sought to move their students to higher-performing schools.

Cover: A Golden Opportunity

A Golden Opportunity: Advancing California's Early Care and Education Workforce Professional Development System — February 28, 2012

Focuses on the education, training, and ongoing professional development of early care and education caregivers, teachers, and administrators who work with infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children from birth to kindergarten entry in California.

International Education ResearchMore »

Qatar

The leadership of the Arabian Gulf nation of Qatar sees education as the key to Qatar's economic and social progress. Long concerned that the country's education system was not meeting the needs of its society, the Qatari leadership approached the RAND Corporation in 2001, asking it to examine the kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) education system.

Featured Report:

Cover: Promoting Quality and Variety Through the Public Financing of Privately Operated Schools in Qatar

Promoting Quality and Variety Through the Public Financing of Privately Operated Schools in Qatar — January 1, 2010