RAND's research on pre-K, K-12, and higher education covers issues such as assessment and accountability, choice-based and standards-based school reform, vocational training, and the value of arts education and policy in sustaining communities and promoting a well-rounded community.
Veterans choose for-profit colleges because their tuition rates are set to match allowable GI Bill benefits; they have adult-oriented, career-focused programs with flexible schedules; they accept military transcripts; courses are available when needed; and students can attend the same institution in multiple states if they relocate.
This briefing uses existing statewide and county data to provide California early care and education quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) planners and other stakeholders with important information about some fundamentals of the proposed QRIS rating scheme that could inform California's QRIS design in advance of field-based pilot efforts.
Carnegie Learning's Cognitive Tutor Algebra I (CTAI) curriculum is a technology-based curriculum that combines classroom instruction with individualized instruction by a computer-based tutor. This report examines the cost of implementing CTAI and comparison algebra I curricula, including costs associated with textbooks and software, computers, and teacher training.
In consideration of the many challenges associated with Qatar's continued growth and demographic changes, the government of Qatar is interested in updating its school transportation system (STS). This volume assesses parents' and school administrators' perspectives on Qatar's STS, identifies a vision and goals for the STS, and discusses strategies to achieve the vision and better align Qatar's STS with international norms. This is the…
The ChalleNGe program seeks to alter the life course of high school dropouts ages 16-18. A rigorous evaluation has shown that the program has positive effects on educational attainment and employment. A cost-benefit analysis supports public investment in the program as currently operated and targeted.
California has taken steps to implement components of a comprehensive professional development system for its early child education workforce. However, further advances are needed and more information is required to identify possible inefficiencies in the current system.
Better child outcomes are the ultimate goal of early care and education (ECE) quality improvement (QI) efforts, but assessing these outcomes is difficult and rarely done. This study identifies five strategies for incorporating child assessments into the design, implementation, and evaluation of QI initiatives such as quality rating and improvement systems. The study assesses the merits of each strategy and offers guidance for its use.
Uses two sources of representative data, the 2005 National Household Education Survey and the 2007 RAND California Preschool Study, to describe child care and early learning arrangements for the approximately 2.8 million California children ages 0 to 5 who are younger than the age at which they would enter kindergarten.
Principals new to their school face a variety of challenges that can influence their likelihood of improving their schools' performance and their likelihood of remaining the principal. The authors present research on first-year principals' experiences, actions, working conditions, and outcomes. The research is intended to inform efforts to promote school improvement and principal retention.
Considering the challenges associated with continued growth and demographic changes, the government of Qatar is interested in updating its school transportation system (STS). This volume assesses the perspectives of parents and school administrators, identifies a vision for the STS, and discusses strategies to achieve it.
The earliest years of a child's life are critical to physical, socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. High quality early education can improve readiness and success in school, particularly for disadvantaged children, but access to such programs is uneven.
The Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act funds programs that have been proven effective in curbing crime among juvenile probationers and young at-risk offenders. This report summarizes, for fiscal year 2009–2010, Corrections Standards Authority–mandated outcome measures from each of the programs, as well as county-determined supplemental outcomes.
The ImpactFinder provides an overview of research impact and a basis for more detailed examination of the 'why and how' of research translation. The tool is implemented as a web questionnaire and collects information across a range of social, cultural and economic impacts. It was developed to meet the need of the UK's new framework for research funding but potentially has wider application.
In 2006, the Communities Foundation of Texas allocated $10 million to the Dallas Police Department to establish the W. W. Caruth Jr. Police Institute. An evaluation of the institute's first course considered participants' opinions of the course's impact on their approach to their jobs, their relationships with supervisors and subordinates, and their sense of solidarity with their coworkers.
Japanese translation of Support for Students Exposed to Trauma, including a series of teacher- or school counselor–led lessons aimed at reducing distress for middle school students who have been exposed to a traumatic life event. The program includes skill-building techniques geared toward changing maladaptive thoughts and promoting positive behaviors.
Hurricane Katrina set the stage for a transformation of public education in New Orleans, replacing the city's existing school system with a decentralized choice-based system of both charter and district-run schools. Using principal, teacher, and parent surveys administered three years after Katrina, this study examined schools' governance and operations, educational contexts, educator quality and mobility, and parental choice and…
Brochure for a week-long, intensive course designed for staff and advisors of African First Ladies to develop strategies to manage an effective First Lady's Office and to improve executive decisionmaking through a policy-analysis framework.
Pittsburgh instituted a new college scholarship program to encourage eligible students to continue their education. An assessment of the program offers recommendations for improving its short- and long-term effectiveness.
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…
A New York City program designed to improve student performance through school-based financial incentives for teachers did not improve student achievement, most likely because it did not change teacher behavior and the conditions needed to motivate staff were not achieved.
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