With computer technology has come the growth of local and online databases: collections of structured information stored on a computer or network of computers for querying and analysis. RAND has been a leader in the collection, analysis, and processing of databases for multidisciplinary projects in a range of research areas from census data and economic statistics to survey research and medical studies.
PROJECT
By using newly available data from more than 15 countries, researchers are analyzing how the interaction between individual behavior, social context, institutions, and policies shapes health and well-being in old age.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
The authors adopt a cross-country perspective to assess Qatar's performance in the various components of the knowledge economy using multiple indicators.
TOOL
The Health and Retirement Study is a longitudinal survey of the elderly dating back to 1992. With the support of the National Institute on Aging and Social Security Administration, RAND has made five data sets available for researchers.
REPORT
The Modified Kalman Filter approach for pooling information across time and outcomes is shown to improve accuracy in national estimates of health outcomes including cancer, diabetes, and hypertension especially in small racial/ethnic subgroups. The developed SAS macro models true health states in each subgroup assuming a linear time evolution and an autoregressive deviation around such trend. The macro provides multiple options for users.
REPORT
The EC Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General commissioned RAND Europe to provide support in developing a comprehensive data strategy for DG SANCO that meets the needs of increasingly evidence-based policymaking in the future.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Assesses the effect that missing data in student achievement records, and the assumption that such data are missing at random, have on value-added modeling approaches to using student achievement data to assess school and teacher performance.
REPORT
This report presents results of a preliminary assessment of the National Science Foundation's National Science Digital Library/Distributed Learning (NSDL) program based largely on existing data and makes recommendations for the design of a full formative evaluation. The authors explore the state of health of the STEM resource collections, the availability of web metrics to probe their use, and the potential usability and impact of…
REPORT
This report provides an overview of international good practice in using data for policymaking. It develops a conceptual framework for analysing data strategies and provides examples of good practice in data management from thirteen case studies.
PROJECT
The standard model of educational decisions predicts no (or minimal) effects of deferral on educational attainment, but this model may not tell the whole story. A study of those who were not accepted by lottery to a Mexican college shows that labor market effects must also be considered.
PROJECT
Does one's level of education influence one's patience? A study examining the time preferences of students accepted by lottery to a Mexican college, compared to those of individuals who were not accepted, indicates that more educated individuals do tend to be more patient.
REPORT
The Global Force Management Data Initiative was launched to improve aggregation of unclassified force-structure data. Aggregation, though, raised concerns about classification because the system might be attractive to a potential adversary. The authors develop a framework for evaluating classification decisions to determine that, while overall classification is not indicated, the inclusion of some data will require careful consideration.
RESEARCH BRIEF
This research brief describes a method for determining whether information should be classified and applies the method to the Global Force Management Data Initiative.
PROJECT
To understand what policies and incentives influence the decisionmaking patterns of middle-aged and elderly Mexicans, RAND researchers used panel data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study to compare the retirement behavior of non-migrant Mexicans with those who had migration spells to the United States and later returned to Mexico.
PROJECT
The Population Research Center is dedicated to the scientific advancement of population studies in a period when demographic changes are creating especially complex theoretical and public policy issues.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This paper sets out to understand how teachers and school leaders in England perceive the benefits and effectiveness of CPD activity.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Active use of Web search engines and initiatives for open access suggest that research databases will integrate into an evolving Web-based infrastructure that supports discovery and access of scholarly literature.
REPORT
Offers results that address the potential role of the British Library (BL) in facilitating access to relevant datasets in the biosciences and environmental science. The aim is to assist the BL in developing an appropriate strategy to enable it to establish a role for itself in the intake, curation, archiving, and preservation of scientific, technical, and medical reference datasets, in order to provide access for research purposes.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This article examines the convergence of two popular school improvement policies: instructional coaching and data-driven decision making (DDDM). Drawing on a mixed methods study of a statewide reading coach program in Florida middle schools, the article examines how coaches support DDDM and how this support relates to student and teacher outcomes.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Although reading coaches are increasingly prevalent in schools nationwide, empirical evidence for their effects on student achievement is scarce. This article helps to address this gap by conducting an evaluation of a statewide reading coach program in Florida middle schools.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This article uses matched survey and administrative data to estimate, as of 2006, the size of the population eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), which was designed to provide "extra help" with premiums, deductibles, and copayments for Medicare Part D beneficiaries with low income and limited assets.
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