RAND Research Topic: Disadvantaged Students

Getting Schooled: How the United States Ranks Among Other Countries in Educational Achievement

May 11, 2012

Andreas Schleicher of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development provides a global perspective on what drives high-performing educational systems.

Narrowing the Economic Achievement Gap: The Role of Housing

Jan 11, 2012

The results from Montgomery County demonstrate that an integrative housing policy can be an effective form of school policy for disadvantaged children, writes Heather Schwartz.

Not Making the Transition to College: School, Work, and Opportunities in the Lives of Contemporary American Youth

Jun 30, 2011

In applying latent class analysis techniques, we identified multiple types of students who do not pursue college. One group of non-enrollees (27.6%) reports forgoing college because the economic barriers are too high – either because of college affordability or family financial responsibility.

Making Summer Count

Jun 13, 2011

Catherine Augustine and Jennifer McCombs, researchers at the RAND Corporation, spoke with RAND media relations officer Joseph Dougherty about the loss of knowledge and educational skills during the summer months and how students who attend summer programs can disrupt the educational loss and do better in school than peers who do not attend the same programs.

Investment in Summer Learning Programs Can Help Stop the 'Summer Slide'

Jun 12, 2011

The loss of knowledge and educational skills during the summer months is cumulative over the course of a student's career and further widens the achievement gap between low- and upper-income students.

Investment in Summer Learning Programs Can Help Stop the 'Summer Slide'

Jun 12, 2011

The loss of knowledge and educational skills during the summer is cumulative over the course of a student's career and further widens the achievement gap between low- and upper-income students. Those who attend summer programs can disrupt that loss and do better in school.

Summer Counts: Making Summer Programs Part of the Learning Equation

Jun 12, 2011

Summer learning programs can prevent the summertime loss of knowledge and skills that disproportionately affects low-income students. A study of existing programs resulted in targeted recommendations for school districts, policymakers, and funders.

Coordination Efforts Could Boost After-School Programming

Oct 21, 2010

Coordinating the work of the many different institutions involved in after-school activities—including schools, nonprofits and municipal agencies like parks and libraries—holds the promise of making programs better and more accessible to urban children and teens who need them.

Coordination Efforts Could Boost After-School Programming

Oct 20, 2010

Coordinating the work of the many different institutions involved in after-school activities -- including schools, nonprofits and municipal agencies like parks and libraries -- holds the promise of making programs better and more accessible to urban children and teens who need them.

Hours of Opportunity: How Cities Can Use Data to Improve Services in Out-of-School Time Programs

Oct 19, 2010

Five cities that received a grant from The Wallace Foundation, along with three other cities that were not part of the initiative, were successful in using data from management information systems to improve out-of-school-time programs.

Hours of Opportunity: How Cities Can Build Systems to Improve Out-of-School-Time Programs

Oct 18, 2010

Five cities that received a grant from The Wallace Foundation to increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time systems used different planning approaches to meet the initiative's goals.

Hours of Opportunity, Volume 3: Profiles of Five Cities Improving After-School Programs Through a Systems Approach

Sep 27, 2010

The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time (OST) systems. The third in this three-volume series presents in-depth case studies of the grantees (Providence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.) and reveals lessons learned and best practices for the OST field.

Hours of Opportunity, Volume 2: The Power of Data to Improve After-School Programs Citywide

Sep 13, 2010

The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time systems. The second in this three-volume series describes how Wallace Foundation grantees and three other cities used management information systems to collect and use data on out-of-school-time programs, including enrollment, attendance, and student outcomes.

Are Public-Service Subsidies Good for the Public?

Jul 13, 2010

In the federal legislation signed this spring to reform student lending, one feature has been largely overlooked by the press: The new law increases the incentive for college graduates to choose public-service careers, such as teaching, write Jennifer L. Steele, Richard J. Murnane, and John B. Willett.

Exploring Family, Neighborhood and School Factors in Racial Achievement Gap

Feb 25, 2010

Examines the contribution of family, school, and neighborhood factors to the racial achievement gap in education.

Studies Examine California's School Readiness and Student Achievement Gaps, and the State's System of Publicly Funded Programs for Preschool-Age Children

Nov 8, 2007

California's sizeable achievement gaps in English-language arts and mathematics in second and third grades have early roots, with the same groups of children that lag in academic performance in elementary school trailing in measures of school readiness when they enter kindergarten.

Schools Not Sustaining Mental Health Aid to Children Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Oct 18, 2007

Despite strong initial efforts to support the mental health needs of students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many schools have not been able to fulfill students' mental health needs over the long term.

How the 2005 Hurricanes Affected Students in Louisiana

Nov 29, 2006

This research brief summarizes a study of the movements of Louisiana public school students in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and of the short-term effects of these displaced students on the state's public education system.

RAND Study Says Many Louisiana Students Displaced by Hurricanes May Suffer Academically

Nov 29, 2006

November 29, 2006 News Release: RAND Study Says Many Louisiana Students Displaced by Hurricanes May Suffer Academically.

Charter School Performance in Two Large Urban Districts

Dec 31, 2005

In the national effort to improve educational achievement, urban districts offer the greatest challenge as they often serve the most disadvantaged students.