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.
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 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.
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'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."
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe—an intensive residential mentoring program for high school dropouts ages 16–18 that emphasizes educational attainment and employment—yields $2.66 in social benefits for every dollar spent. Researchers in RAND Education and RAND Labor and Population conducted the program evaluation.
More than one-fifth of principals in urban districts, especially in schools that fall short of annual progress goals, leave their positions within two years, according to a RAND Education study of six school systems.
Education Week, a leading publication for educators and policymakers, reflects on new insights into principal "churn."
At its annual meeting in April, Division L of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) will give the first "Outstanding Policy Report (Short Report)" award to "A Big Apple for Educators"—an evaluation of New York City's Schoolwide Teacher Bonus Program. RAND Education research on teacher quality also will be presented in a panel discussion.
In the California Preschool Study—a research project conducted with RAND Labor and Population—early childhood education expert Lynn Karoly identified the need to strengthen providers' competencies and instructional approaches, including for dual-language students, and to better allocate resources.
In her testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia's Committee of the Whole, RAND Education researcher Lynn Karoly explained how providing high-quality learning opportunities for children in the P–3 years (preschool through third grade) can help to close "school readiness" gaps, build developmental skills, and better prepare them for success in school.
Many military veterans who attend college on the post-9/11 GI Bill choose for-profit educational institutions. In a www.militarytimes.com commentary, RAND Education researcher Jennifer Steele explains why adult learners are drawn to "consumer-centric" colleges that offer evening and weekend classes, online options, and career-focused courses.
RAND's "Making Summer Count" study showed that summer learning programs can help children from lower-income families to improve their academic outcomes. In an interview with KERA, public media for North Texas, Catherine Augustine, one of the principal investigators, and Ann Stone, an officer at the Wallace Foundation, which commissioned the study, reflected on the research findings.
In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama remarked that "A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstances." RAND Education actively investigates many of the education issues that he touched on, from teacher effectiveness to graduation rates and continuing education.
Laura Hamilton discusses what has been learned in the ten years since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in January 2002, including recommendations for addressing key limitations as Congress considers reauthorization.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)—as controversial now as when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Jan. 8, 2002—tied federal funding for public schools to student achievement as measured by statewide standardized tests. In the decade since NCLB, which is being reexamined by Congress, was enacted, RAND experts have analyzed its provisions, outcomes, and implications. A
U.S. News & World Report blog on NCLB quotes Laura Hamilton and Brian Stecher of RAND Education.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2012 RAND Corporation. Last Modified: March 26, 2012 Site Feedback »