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.
Many factors contribute to a student's academic performance, but research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. What's less clear is how to measure an individual teacher's effectiveness. A new RAND Education website features fact sheets, blog posts, research briefs, and more on this important issue.
Report
This fact sheet examines what students' scores on achievement tests do and don't reveal about how well teachers are meeting expectations.
Report
This fact sheet describes value-added modeling and its limitations in measuring teaching effectiveness.
Report
This fact sheet describes student growth percentiles and their limitations in measuring teaching effectiveness.
News Release
Ten current and former African first ladies joined former U.S. first lady Laura Bush and Cherie Blair, wife of the former U.K. prime minister, today at a Pardee RAND Graduate School-organized forum focused on becoming more effective leaders.
Commentary
Many countries have long traditions of full or partial government funding for higher education, but as they struggle with fiscal pressures, they seek ways to shift costs to users. Implementing greater cost sharing without coherent policies to mitigate its impact on students and institutions threatens to worsen both student access and institutional quality.
Blog
For nearly 65 years, RAND has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address the big, long-term public policy issues. In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote “farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world,” the latest edition of the RAND Corporation’s magazine offers commentaries that transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.
Periodical
Both President Obama and Governor Romney have argued that while NCLB's goals of holding schools accountable and shrinking the achievement gap are admirable, the law is in dire need of adjustment. Both platforms do appear to be largely based on existing evidence from education research, with a few caveats.
Periodical
The cover story focuses on nine key issues in the 2012 U.S. presidential election: income inequality, health care costs, immigration reform, energy options, education, al Qaeda, Iraq, democratization in the Middle East, and China.
News Release
In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote "farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world," the latest edition of the RAND Corporation's magazine offers commentaries intended to transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.
Periodical
California's 28th chief justice discusses the importance of collaborative courts, her efforts to help the judiciary deal with the state's budget crisis, and the importance of civics education.
Report
The Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act funds programs that curb crime among juvenile probationers and young at-risk offenders. This report summarizes, for fiscal year 2010-2011, state- and county-determined outcome measures from each program.
Journal Article
One of the best ways to increase student learning is to simultaneously increase the time spent on learning and the quality of instruction.
Commentary
The Chicago Teachers Union strike erupted over classic issues: an extended day, a new evaluation system and hiring and firing. Yet, somewhat classically, neither the union nor Chicago Public Schools has put forth research evidence to support their stance, writes Darleen Opfer.
Multimedia
Several factors–such as globalization, technology, migration, international competition, and changing markets–present new challenges in preparing today's students for work, citizenship, and life. V. Darleen Opfer discusses what we know about how students learn and about how to teach these skills in the 21st century.
Past Event
To succeed in the 21st century, students need to be able to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve with people beyond national boundaries. Director of RAND Education Darleen Opfer describes how teachers can teach 21st century skills, using nine lessons from the science of learning.
Report
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.
Journal Article
Exposure to violence correlated with absenteeism and suspension. The strength of these relationships depended on mode and role in exposure.
Journal Article
Integrating decision training enhanced academic performance and improved an important, general life skill associated with improved life outcomes.
Journal Article
In this paper, we outline a practical guide for policymakers interested in developing institutional performance measures for the higher education sector.
Report
Presents an assessment of the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC), which trains foreign nationals in English prior to their attending U.S. military education and training courses.
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