Christopher Joseph Doss

@Chris_J_Doss on Twitter

Policy Researcher

Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in economics of education, Stanford University; M.A. in economics, Stanford University; M.Ed. in teaching at the secondary level, Harvard University; B.S. in chemistry, Brown University

One Page Bio

Overview

Christopher Doss (he/him/his) is a quantitative researcher at the RAND Corporation who specializes in fielding causal and descriptive studies in education. His research interests are broad and have focused on early childhood education policies, educational technologies, STEM education, alternative teacher and principal preparation programs, and post-secondary workforce success. He is currently leading a study to understand the effects of an SEL program in pre-K, leading a study seeking to integrate computational thinking into Head Start classrooms, co-leading a study looking at micro-credentials as a way to train high school teachers to teach STEM pathway courses, and continues to co-led studies on how text-messaging technology can help parents support the academic growth of their children at home.

Though he is broadly interested in early childhood education, educational technologies, STEM education, educator training, and the intersection of the aforeenioned topics, he is also interested in answering questions at all levels of education through rigorous quantitative research.

Prior to entering research, Doss was a high school physics teacher and school leader. His experiences in schools provide a unique perspective that continues to inform his current work. Doss received his Ph.D. in economics of education from Stanford University.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Doss, C., Zaber, M., Gates, S.M., Hamilton, L.S., "The Relationship Between Measures of Preservice Principal Performance and Future Principal Job Performance.," Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(1), 2022

Kilburn, M. Rebecca, Andrea Phillips, Celia J. Gomez, Louis T. Mariano, Christopher Joseph Doss, Wendy M. Troxel, Emily Morton, and Kevin Estes, Does Four Equal Five? Implementation and Outcomes of the Four-Day School Week, RAND Corporation (RR-A373-1), 2021

Master, Benjamin K., Elizabeth D. Steiner, Christopher Joseph Doss, and Hannah Acheson-Field, Pathways to Instructional Leadership: Implementation and Outcomes from a Job-Embedded School Leader Training Program, RAND Corporation (RR-A255-1), 2020

Robert Bozick, Christopher Doss, Kyle-Silar Evans, and Gabriella Gonzalez., "Occupational credentials for jobs in the sub-baccalaureate STEM economy: The case of the emerging energy sector in Ohio," AREA Open, 6(3), 2020

Christopher Doss, Erin M. Fahle, Susanna Loeb, Benjamin York, "More Than Just a Nudge: Supporting Kindergarten Parents with Personalized and Differentiated Text Messages," Journal of Human Resources, 56(1), 2019

Benjamin York, Susanna Loeb, Christopher Doss, "One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers," Journal of Human Resources, 56(1), 2019

Christopher Doss, "How Much Regulation? A Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Student Literacy Skills in Prekindergarten vs. Transitional Kindergarten," Education Finance and Policy, 14(2), 2019

Doss, C., Fricke, H., Loeb, S., and Doromal, J., "Engaging Girls in Math: The unequal effects of text messaging to help parents support early math development.," Economics of Education Review, 2022

Commentary

Academic Achievement

The Four-Day School Week: Are the Pros Worth the Cons?
The past two decades have seen an explosion in the adoption of the four-day school week. Against this growing trend, however, there is increasing evidence that, by and large, a four-day school week causes student achievement to suffer.
Apr 6, 2023
The 74
Media Literacy

America May Not Be Ready for the Looming Tsunami of Deepfakes
Images and videos have been falsified since the first photographs were taken. But deepfakes are fundamentally different. Their realism, and the scale and ease with which they can be produced, make them incredibly potent disinformation tools.
Nov 10, 2022
The Hill
Teachers and Teaching

'Grow Your Own' Prep Programs Can Improve Diversity of the Teaching Workforce
Black and Hispanic educators are much more likely than white educators to say they plan to leave the profession, threatening to exacerbate an already overwhelming lack of diversity. Local, “grow your own” alternative teacher preparation programs can help to strengthen the diversity of the teaching workforce, as well as enable districts to address broader staffing challenges.
Mar 9, 2022
The 74 Million
Social and Emotional Learning

Back to School Means Back to SEL for America's Teachers and Principals
Schools are increasingly adopting programs and practices to build social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Policymakers can benefit from understanding the educator perspective: how they feel about SEL, what they're doing to promote it, and what resources they need.
Sep 4, 2019
CASEL Measuring SEL Blog

Publications

Report
Vermont Early Care and Education Financing Study: Estimated Costs, Financing Options, and Economic Impacts
Vermont is interested in expanding families' subsidies for early care and education (ECE) programs. This report estimates the costs of a high-quality ECE system with a well-compensated workforce and identifies possible funding sources.
Jan 17, 2023
Journal Article
Use of Personalized Learning Platforms in One Pandemic-Era Microschool: A Case Study
The many pandemic-era uses of personalized learning platforms can provide insight into how they might affect students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes. This report discusses one example: the Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy (SNUMA).
Jul 1, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative
The UNITE Initiative aims to promote readiness and resilience in the Air Force through events that focus on unit cohesion. The authors describe the results of their evaluation of UNITE and the program's association with unit cohesion.
May 20, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: Executive Summary
This executive summary encapsulates the findings in Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative (RR-A554-1) 2022.
May 20, 2022
Report
Widening the Pathway: Implementation and Impacts of Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs Across Three Contexts
The authors describe implementation of three alternative teacher preparation programs—called Teacher Effectiveness and Certification (TEACh) programs—and their effect on teacher recruitment, teacher retention, and student achievement.
Dec 16, 2021
Research Brief
Can Four Equal Five? Assessing the Four-Day School Week
This brief provides information on the implementation and outcomes of a four-day school week using quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources, including surveys of parents and students, across six states.
Oct 7, 2021
Report
Does Four Equal Five? Implementation and Outcomes of the Four-Day School Week
The authors provide information on the implementation and outcomes of the four-day school week using quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources, including surveys of parents and students in 36 districts in three states.
Oct 7, 2021
Journal Article
A Pilot Study Investigating STEM Learners' Ability to Decipher AI-generated Video
In this study, state of the art AI algorithms are trained on a specific STEM context (e.g., climate change) using publicly-available data.
Aug 12, 2021
Research Brief
Supports for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
Survey results about teachers' social and emotional learning (SEL) practices, beliefs about SEL, emotional well-being, professional development related to SEL, school-level supports for SEL, and district and state SEL standards.
Oct 13, 2020
Report
Supports for Social and Emotional Learning in American Schools and Classrooms: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
Researchers present survey results about teachers' social and emotional learning (SEL) practices, beliefs about SEL, emotional well-being, professional development related to SEL, school-level supports for SEL, and district and state SEL standards.
Oct 13, 2020
Report
High School Teachers' Perceptions and Use of Personalized Learning: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
This report presents findings from RAND's 2018 American Teacher Panel about high school teachers' use of instructional practices consistent with personalized learning and access to necessary supports.
Aug 10, 2020
Research Brief
How Can Assistant Principals Be Trained as Instructional Leaders? Insights from the PLUS Program
This research brief summarizes study findings of a school leadership program and offers three recommendations for school districts and school leadership training programs to consider as they strive to improve instructional leadership effectiveness.
Jul 7, 2020
Report
Pathways to Instructional Leadership: Implementation and Outcomes from a Job-Embedded School Leader Training Program
The authors describe the initial implementation and impacts on staff and student outcomes of the Pathway to Leadership in Urban Schools program, which focused on newly hired school assistant principals, in one large urban district over four years.
Jul 7, 2020
Report
Perceptions of School Leadership: Implications for Principal Effectiveness
This American Educator Panels Data Note examines both teachers' and principals' perceptions of principals' leadership practices.
Apr 9, 2020
Report
School Improvement Plans: Is There Room for Improvement?
School Improvement Plans (SIPs) have been a central feature of American school reform for over two decades. This Data Note explores teacher and principal awareness of and attitudes toward SIP effectiveness and areas where views diverge.
Apr 8, 2020
Report
School Reform Efforts: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Educator Perspectives on the Rapid Life Cycle of School Reforms
This American Educator Panels Data Note highlights discrepancies in principals' and teachers' perceptions of the continuity of school reforms in their schools.
Apr 7, 2020
Report
Are Educators Setting Goals for Social-Emotional Learning? Evidence from Nationally Representative Surveys
This American Educator Panels Data Note details the extent to which a nationally representative sample of teachers and school leaders report setting goals for the social-emotional growth of their students.
Apr 7, 2020
Report
How Much Influence Do Teachers Have in Their Schools? It Depends on Whom You Ask
This American Educator Panels Data Note highlights discrepancies between principals' and teachers' perceptions of teacher influence in schools.
Apr 7, 2020
Report
Learn Together Surveys: 2019 Technical Documentation and Survey Results
This report provides additional information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the 2019 Learn Together Surveys that were administered to principals and teachers via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.
Dec 31, 2019
Report
Student Growth Percentiles 101: Using Relative Ranks in Student Test Scores to Help Measure Teaching Effectiveness
The author defines student growth percentiles (SGPs) and discusses how they are used to rank student test-score growth compared with peers and to produce a score for a teacher.
Dec 4, 2019
Report
Teacher Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in Massachusetts: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
This report presents American Teacher Panel survey results on teachers' perspectives about social and emotional learning. The researchers analyze results from teachers in Massachusetts and how they compare with those of their national peers.
Oct 2, 2019
Report
AEP Data Note Technical Appendix 2
This technical appendix provides additional information about the sample, data, and estimation strategy that were used for a series of AEP Data Notes published by the RAND Corporation in 2019.
Aug 15, 2019
Research Brief
Support for Social and Emotional Learning Is Widespread: Principals and Teachers Give Insight into How They Value, Address, and Measure It, and Which Supports They Need
This research brief presents an overview of the results of the American Educator Panels survey questions on social and emotional learning in schools.
May 30, 2019
Report
Teacher and Principal Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in America's Schools: Findings from the American Educator Panels
This report presents findings from surveys of nationally representative samples of teachers and principals who responded to questions addressing their beliefs about social and emotional learning in schools and the practices they implemented.
May 30, 2019
Report
Preparing School Leaders for Success: Evaluation of New Leaders' Aspiring Principals Program, 2012–2017
This report analyzes whether schools and students led by graduates of New Leaders‘ Aspiring Principals program outperformed comparison schools and students in the same district.
Feb 25, 2019
Research Brief
How Educators and Employers Can Align Efforts to Fill Middle-Skills STEM Jobs
This Research Brief explores the alignment of oil and gas industry--related college courses with employer needs in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, as well as ways in which employers and educators can collaborate to improve these courses.
Feb 7, 2019
Report
Supporting Middle-Skills STEM Workforce Development: Analysis of Workplace Skills in Demand and Education Institutions' Curricular Offerings in the Oil and Gas Sector
In this report, researchers examine the alignment of college STEM education with the needs of employers in the tri-state region of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, as well as STEM areas in which college students need more support.
Feb 7, 2019
Report
AEP Data Note Technical Appendix
This technical appendix provides additional information about the sample, data, and estimation strategy that were used for a series of AEP Data Notes published by the RAND Corporation in 2018 and 2019.
Dec 13, 2018