The goal of standards-based reform is to establish objective metrics to assess student performance and teacher effectiveness, using standardized instructional materials and testing: Individual performance is measured against a set of common criteria rather than in relation to other students. RAND research considers the role of standards-based education reform, including the United States' No Child Left Behind law, in shaping global education policy.
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
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) recently adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This paper summarizes work by researchers at the RAND Corporation and others that can guide DoDEA in strategic implementation of the CCSS.
Journal Article
Standards-based accountability (SBA) has been a primary driver of education policy in the United States for several decades.
Multimedia
Laura Hamilton discusses what has been learned in the ten years since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in January 2002, including recommendations for addressing key limitations as Congress considers reauthorization.
Multimedia
At this June 2011 RAND Policy Circle event in Pittsburgh, a selection of RAND's top experts in education policy shared fresh, evidence-based perspectives on measuring school performance.
Journal Article
Examines the progress that Qatar has made in implementing a comprehensive reform, begun in 2002, of its K-12 education system.
Multimedia
Based on the results of statewide standardized tests, more than 15 percent of U.S. schools are in need of improvement. The students attending these schools need help.
Journal Article
Based on findings from two federally funded studies--the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under NCLB (SSI-NCLB) and the National Longitudinal Study of NCLB (NLS-NCLB)--this report describes the progress that states, districts, and schools have made in implementing the accountability provisions of NCLB through 2006-07.
Report
The New York City Department of Education asked RAND to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its 5th-grade promotion policy. The findings provide a comprehensive view of the policy's implementation and its impact on student outcomes.
Research Brief
This research brief summarizes the development of a standards-based student assessment system in Qatar, lessons for policymakers in Qatar and elsewhere, and challenges in aligning the assessment with future changes in the curriculum standards.
Research Brief
This research brief summarizes the development of a standards-based student assessment system in Qatar, lessons for policymakers in Qatar and elsewhere, and challenges in aligning the assessment with future changes in the curriculum standards.
Journal Article
Summarizes the history of the standards-based reform movement in the United States and discusses how the movement has shaped educators' practices and students' outcomes.
Past Event
In a RAND Policy Circle presentation, education experts will discuss the key findings from research that examines the effects of standards-based accountability and pay-for-performance policies, as well as the roles federal and state governments and the private sector can play in setting standards and accountability policies.
Multimedia
In this Congressional Briefing held on October 19, 2009, researchers Jennifer McCombs and Lou Mariano discuss RAND's recently published evaluation of a test-based promotion policy implemented by the New York City Department of Education. The findings will be of interest as many states and school districts are implementing test-based requirements for promotion at key transitional points in students' schooling careers, thus ending the practice of promoting students who have failed to meet academic standards and requirements for that grade.
News Release
After five years of effort, states have implemented most of the test-based accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, and now must focus their efforts on improving poor-performing schools that have been identified.
Research Brief
This research brief highlights aspects of Phase I (2001-04) of Qatar's K-12 reform initiative, Education for a New Era, based on RAND's experiences in this multi-participant effort to build a world-class standards- and choice-based education system.
Report
Provides an overview of the first phase of Qatar's K-12 education reform initiative, Education for a New Era, based on RAND's experiences in this ambitious, multi-participant effort to build a world-class standards- and choice-based education system.
Past Event
Is the No Child Left Behind Act working to close the achievement gap in U.S. schools? RAND Education policy analysts and a prominent national leader in education discuss the opportunities and challenges involved in making NCLB's promise a reality.
News Release
April 12, 2007 news release: RAND Study Finds Qatar Successfully Implements Redesign of Education System.
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