Five Key Education Priorities for the Obama Administration

The RAND Corporation produced a set of policy briefs that address five key education priorities for the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. Each brief summarizes the current research on the topic and the implications for federal policymakers.

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Improving Accountability in Public Education

Girl at chalkboard working on math problem

The accountability systems put in place by No Child Left Behind have had some positive effects, but not enough to meet the goal of all students reaching proficiency standards by 2014. RAND recommends five policy actions to improve the system.

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Increasing Participation in No Child Left Behind School Choice

Public School building

No Child Left Behind gave students in low-performing schools the opportunity to switch schools, but relatively few use the option. Research suggests that this reform's power to induce educational improvement is limited at this time.

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Designing Effective Pay-for-Performance in K-12 Education

Teacher in front of classroom

While there is some evidence that paying educators for performance works, there are many challenges to adopting such systems in the United States. RAND recommends policy actions and investments to make pay-for-performance systems more likely to succeed.

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Promoting Effective Preschool Programs

Preschool children

High-quality preschool education helps increase school readiness and close achievement gaps for children at risk; however, access varies greatly. Federal policymakers could allocate funds to support states in improving preschool quality and access for the most disadvantaged children.

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The Role of Charter Schools in Improving Education

an insurance form

Despite controversy, the number of charter schools is increasing. Research finds that charter schools do not produce some of the predicted negative effects, and they may have positive effects on student attainment.

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