Educational administration refers to a range of professionals—from supervisors, program administrators, and principals to deans, department heads, and chief academic officers—as well as organizations formed to administer school functions. RAND studies have focused on topics such as private-sector management of public schools and improving educational leadership to accelerate student achievement.
Improving school leadership may improve student outcomes. Evaluation is critical for effective use of resources, but poses challenges to states and districts. Evaluators and policymakers should allow time for improvements to show, use multiple evaluation measures, and interpret findings carefully.
This document describes recent RAND work related to K-12 education, including teacher pay for performance, measuring teacher effectiveness, school leadership, school systems and reform, and out-of-school time.
Most California school districts with new flexibility about how to spend $4.5 billion in education funds opted to move most of the money into their general funds to balance budgets and avoid teacher layoffs.
This report examines the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program's implementation, how principals and other school staff have responded to the reforms, and what outcomes accompanied program implementation.
Describes statewide patterns in California school district revenues and expenditures in light of a new state policy that increased flexibility over a large number of previously restricted categorical programs.
This study provides a quantitative and qualitative status report on the implementation of school-based management (SBM) in Indonesia, identifies factors associated with the successful practices of SBM, and assesses SBM effects on student achievement.
Presents 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.
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.
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.
Explores correlations between school structure and academic outcomes, and evaluates the effects of Small Learning Communities implementation on school structure and academic outcomes in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The third in this three-volume series presents in-depth case studies of five cities that received funding from The Wallace Foundation to improve out-of-school-time program provision: Providence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
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 outcomes.
To achieve Excellence for All, researchers recommend that Pittsburgh Public Schools give teachers flexibility and time with coaches, reduce reporting requirements, improve communication, and use needs assessments to create action plans.
Reform-minded leaders of Qatar, who have embarked on a sweeping reform of their nation's education system, asked RAND to evaluate the education finance system that has been adopted and to offer suggestions for improvements.
Creating more-cohesive policies and initiatives to improve instructional leadership in schools appears to be a promising approach to developing school principals who are engaged in improving instruction.
Examines how Pennsylvania's value-added assessment program has been implemented at the district, school, and classroom levels and its effects on student achievement.
Since 2002, the nation's largest experiment in the private management of public schools has been under way in Philadelphia. This study examines achievement effects in privately managed schools relative to schools with district-led interventions.
Describes the bid of Los Angeles' mayor to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District and the competing efforts on behalf of various stakeholders.
Reports an evaluation of Edison Schools, the nation’s largest for-profit manager of public schools. RAND analyzed Edison’s school improvement strategies the implementation of those strategies, and effects on student achievement.
Argues that decentralizing decisionmaking authority to schools is a reform worthy of a new look.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.