Secondary education encompasses the years between elementary school and college, with curricula ranging from language arts, social studies, and mathematics to vocational and physical education. RAND conducts research on secondary education throughout the world, exploring such topics as the role of sports and physical education, programs that improve reading, the effects of school choice on academic achievement, and school-based drug prevention and education programs, among others.
News Release
Middle school students in the United States feel less positive about learning conditions and report more physical and emotional problems at their schools than their peers in 11 other nations, according to a RAND Corporation study that highlights challenges facing American middle schools.
Journal Article
It is unclear if vouchers increase educational productivity or are purely redistributive, benefiting recipients by giving them access to more desirable peers at others' expense. To examine this, the authors study an educational voucher programme in Colombia which allocated vouchers by lottery.
Journal Article
This study capitalizes on a natural experiment that occurred in California between 2000 and 2002.
Journal Article
The authors propose several guidelines for using existing graduation and persistence rate data and argue that a national effort to track students as they progress through high school is essential to reconcile conflicting estimates.
Journal Article
Although reading coaches are increasingly prevalent in schools nationwide, empirical evidence for their effects on student achievement is scarce. This article helps to address this gap by conducting an evaluation of a statewide reading coach program in Florida middle schools.
Journal Article
This chapter presents evidence on the impact of a voucher program implemented in 1991 in Colombia. Specifically, the analysis is centered on the mechanism by which the program increased learning outcomes.
Journal Article
Qatar-a small, natural-resource-rich country in the Persian Gulf-has embarked on an ambitious, comprehensive effort to upgrade its educational institutions.
Research Brief
This research brief reports the results of a study examining the implementation and effectiveness of a middle school reading coach program in Florida.
Report
Presents the results of a survey of Qatari students enrolled in their final year of secondary school about their attitudes about further education and future work plans.
Report
Presents the results of a survey of Qataris who left secondary school in 1998 concerning their education and employment experiences since graduation.
News Release
Chicago's multi-grade charter high schools (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) appear to improve their students' chances of graduating and attending college, as compared with the city's traditional public high schools.
Report
To improve the progression of students through the educational system and to improve education quality, California needs a robust data system that can track an individual student's progress from kindergarten to college and beyond.
Journal Article
In this paper, the authors focus explicitly on both district size and school size and look at a particular aspect of educational output.
Journal Article
Examines the relationship between hard drug use in high school and occupational and job quality outcomes measured at approximately age 29.
Journal Article
This report describes a project to develop procedures for characterizing classroom practices in mathematics and science on the basis of collected classroom artifacts.
Journal Article
This paper draws on a recent project funded by the Learning and Skills Research Centre (LSRC) on Modelling a Vocational Learning System for the 21st Century.
Journal Article
Opportunities for participation in high school extracurricular sports are limited. Future studies should test whether increased opportunities will increase physical activity and impact the increasing overweight problem in youths.
Journal Article
The current study reports findings from a pilot evaluation of a voluntary alcohol and marijuana intervention for young teens.
News Release
July 12, 2006 News Release: RAND Study Breaks New Ground in Examining Pittsburgh Public Schools' Graduation Rates.
Research Brief
This fact sheet reports lowered use of marijuana among ninth graders exposed to anti-drug messages from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign along with Project ALERT Plus, a drug prevention curriculum for middle school students.
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