Child Policy

RAND Child Policy serves as a gateway to RAND research on children's issues from prenatal to age 18, and provides easy access to objective information that will help improve policy and decisionmaking. RAND research on child policy is conducted by multiple research divisions, and draws upon the expertise of over 140 researchers and consultants.

Child Policy research is organized by topic area, including research projects and publications. We deliver up-to-date research findings on children's issues to those who need it at the local, state, and national level. In addition, we offer a monthly email announcement of new RAND publications and projects, as well as a quarterly newsletter for Congressional staff.

We also operate the Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities to provide easy-to-understand information on what works to improve outcomes for children and their families.

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Ending Social Promotion Without Leaving Children Behind: The Case of New York City — Oct. 15, 2009

The New York City Department of Education's test-based promotion and retention policy, which identifies and provides support for struggling students, has demonstrated positive effects for student achievement in fifth grade that continue into seventh grade.

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Major Health Care Challenges Persist for D.C. Children Despite High Rates of Insurance Coverage — Oct. 8, 2009

Despite high rates of health insurance coverage among children in the District of Columbia, their access to health care is inadequate and poses a significant health problem—particularly for those who are publicly insured.

Full Document News Release Research Brief

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Community-Based Project Aims to Build a Model Maternal and Child Health Care System — Sep. 25, 2009

The Allegheny County Maternal Depression and Child Health Care Initiative will promote healthy lifestyles and positive health outcomes, reduce preventable disease and environmental health risks, eliminate health disparities, and ensure access to quality care for young children, mothers, and families.

November 6, 2009: Independent Schools Adopted New Curricula and Teaching Methods Early in Qatar's Education Reform

October 15, 2009: New York City's School Promotion and Retention Policy Shows Positive Results for Students

October 8, 2009: Major Health Care Challenges Persist for D.C. Children Despite High Rates of Health Insurance Coverage

July 16, 2009: RAND Gulf States to Conduct Further Study of New Orleans Residents Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

July 14, 2009: Alabama's Challenge: Better Prepared Workforce, By Melissa Flournoy (Montgomery Advertiser)

View All »Featured Reports

Helping Each Other in Times of Need:
Financial Help as a Means of Coping with the Economic Crisis

Cover: Helping Each Other in Times of Need

One way that U.S. households are coping with the global economic downturn is by reaching out to each other via financial help. This paper reports survey results from late 2008 and early 2009 that detail patterns of giving and receiving financial help among households in response to the economic crisis, and how these patterns vary by age and income.

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Charter Schools in Eight States:
Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration, and Competition

Charter schools now exist in 40 states, but the best charter-school studies to date have focused on individual states. This book examines charter schools in eight states with varied policy contexts. It assesses the characteristics of charter schools’ students, their effectiveness in raising student achievement and promoting graduation and college entry, and their competitive effects on student achievement in traditional public schools.

Full Document

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