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.
Journal Article
This paper focuses on explaining how 21st century skills should be taught, given what we know about how students learn.
Report
Assesses stakeholder perspectives on Qatar's school transportation system (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 Arabic-language version.
Report
Assesses the performance of The Army Distributed Learning Program (TADLP) and looks at ways to strengthen the Army's interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) program by improving both the quality of the product and the efficiency of the process.
Past Event
This year's conference includes a presentation on "toxic stress" and its impact on early learning, social-emotional development and long-term health, and a discussion about creating a community system that supports the success of children from cradle to career.
Announcement
At its annual meeting in April, Division L of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) will give the first "Outstanding Policy Report (Short Report)" award to "A Big Apple for Educators"—an evaluation of New York City's Schoolwide Teacher Bonus Program. RAND Education research on teacher quality also will be presented in a panel discussion.
Report
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.
Journal Article
This study examines an anonymous urban district that, faced with declining enrollment, chose to make student achievement a major criterion in determining which schools would be closed. The district targeted low-performing schools in its closure plan, and sought to move their students to higher-performing schools.
Report
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.
Research Brief
A cost-benefit analysis of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a program serving high school dropouts, indicates that every dollar invested in the program yields $2.66 in social benefits, an estimated return on investment of 166 percent.
Report
Describes 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.
Report
Identifies five strategies for incorporating child assessments into the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives designed to raise the quality of care in early care and education settings such as quality rating and improvement systems.
Research Brief
Offers recommendations for improving the education and training of California's early childhood workforce.
Research Brief
Identifies five strategies for incorporating child assessments into the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives designed to raise the quality of care in early care and education settings such as quality rating and improvement systems.
Research Brief
Presents a summary of 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.
Report
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.
Report
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.
Report
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.
Research Brief
Describes a vision for updating Qatar's school transportation system and identifies strategies for achieving the proposed vision.
Commentary
Though for-profit institutions had been criticized in the Senate report as offering credits that were hard to transfer elsewhere, it was the colleges' willingness to accept military transcripts that appealed to veterans who wanted to complete their degrees as fast as possible, writes Jennifer Steele.
Journal Article
If prevention researchers build programs with developmentally relevant content, and provide this content in an engaging, confidential, and non-judgmental way, it can help middle school-aged children avoid alcohol.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.