Julia H. Kaufman

Policy Researcher

Pittsburgh Office

Education

B.A. in English literature, University of Pittsburgh; M.A. in teaching, University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D. in international education, New York University

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Julia Kaufman is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her primary areas of interest are the measurement of teacher instruction and how policies and programs can best support high-quality instruction and student learning. Her expertise includes gathering and analyzing data from observations, interviews, and surveys to understand the complex factors influencing teaching and learning. Her current projects include investigations of how Louisiana state policies are implemented and connected to educational improvement; how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are understood and implemented in schools; costs associated with strong school principal pipelines; and implementation and outcomes associated with alternative pipelines for preparing, selecting and hiring new teachers. Kaufman has also led several projects to develop innovative measures of instructional practice, including measures of instruction intended to support student-centered learning and teachers' mathematics instruction. Prior to coming to RAND, Kaufman's research focused on the main factors that support teachers' use of inquiry-based mathematics curricula and the extent to which survey measures can accurately capture teachers' instruction. She holds a Ph.D. in international education from New York University and an M.A. in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Developing innovative teacher survey methods to measure teachers' instruction
Investigating the resources and expenditures associated with strong principal pipelines
Evaluating new and improved pipelines for preparing, selecting and hiring first-year teachers
Developing measures of student-centered learning in classrooms and schools
An investigation of Louisiana Department of Education strategies and outcomes

Selected Publications

Kaufman, JH; Karam, R; Pane, J & Junker, BJ, "How curriculum and students' algebra readiness influence time teachers spend on traditional and reform-oriented mathematics activities," Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, 2012

Coburn, CE; Russell, JL; Kaufman, JH & Stein, MK, "How teacher social capital shapes the implementation of innovative standards-based mathematics curricula," American Journal of Education, 119(1), 2012

Kaufman, JH & Schunn, CD, "Students' perceptions about peer assessment for writing: Their origin and impact on revision work," Instructional Science, 39(3), 2011

Stein, MK & Kaufman, JH, "Selecting and supporting the use of mathematics curricula at scale," American Educational Research Journal, 47(3), 2010

Kaufman, JH & Stein, MK, "Teacher learning in a shifting policy environment for instruction," Educational Policy, 24(4), 2010

Kaufman, JH, "The interplay between social and cultural determinants of school effort and success," Social Science Quarterly, 85(5), 2004

Kaufman, J.H., Stein, M.K. & Junker, B.J., "Factors associated with alignment between teacher survey reports and classroom observation ratings of mathematics instruction," Elementary School Journal (forthcoming)

Ryan, S., Kaufman, J.H., Greenhouse, J.B., She, R. and Shi, J., "The effectiveness of blended online learning courses at the community college level," Community College Journal of Research and Practice (forthcoming)

Honors & Awards

2018 RAND Bronze Medal Award
Outstanding Dissertation Award, New York University

Commentary

Louisiana's Education System Is Evolving: Here's What Parents Need to Know
Louisiana has taken big steps to improve its education policies and the education of the state's children, from birth to grade 12. Parents can help their children benefit from the reforms by being informed about the changes and knowing how to take advantage of new resources.
Sep 12, 2018 The Advocate
Giving State Educators What They Need to Stand Apart—and Together
States have an opportunity to provide better instructional materials to teachers hungry for more resources aligned with state standards. By focusing on what they agree students should learn, states could work together to build curricula and shore up other key supports.
Apr 4, 2017 U.S. News & World Report
Principals in Small Districts Receive Far Less 'Instructional Leadership' Support, Survey Shows
Until recently, little was known about how much support principals in the United States receive to be effective “instructional leaders.” A national survey shows that mentors and supervisors do provide feedback focused on principals' role in teaching and learning, but the amount varies.
Aug 16, 2016 U.S. News & World Report
Inspiring Better Teacher Planning and Instruction or Just Adding Noise?
Teachers can and should have the freedom to select and develop at least some of their own instructional resources. But whether sites like Amazon Inspire will actually save teachers time and help them find high-quality resources is up for debate.
Jul 20, 2016 The RAND Blog

Publications

Research Brief
Research Brief
What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era: Findings from the 2015–2017 American Teacher Panel
This brief describes work derived from five reports in RAND Education, which summarize some changes in what teachers know about Common Core standards and what they do in the classroom, based on RAND American Teacher Panel surveys.
Oct 2, 2018
Report
Changes in What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era: American Teacher Panel Findings from 2015 to 2017
RAND Corporation researchers use data from surveys of the American Teacher Panel in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to provide evidence of change in teachers' use of instructional materials and knowledge of state standards and standards-aligned practices.
Sep 27, 2018
Report
Aligned Curricula and Implementation of Common Core State Mathematics Standards: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
This report presents findings from a 2016 American Teacher Panel survey, which gathered information about teachers' instructional materials for mathematics, their understanding of their mathematics standards, and their standards-aligned practices.
Aug 9, 2018
Research Brief
Raising the Bar for Student Outcomes in Louisiana
This brief examines Louisiana's approach to improving student outcomes, highlighting overarching themes and identifying potential policy implementation challenges.
Aug 3, 2018
Report
Raising the Bar: Louisiana's Strategies for Improving Student Outcomes
Louisiana has received attention for new education policies and promising early results. This report describes Louisiana's approach to improving student outcomes since 2012 and summarizes potential policy implementation challenges.
Jun 28, 2018
Report
School Supports for Teachers' Implementation of State Standards: Findings from the American School Leader Panel
This report examines two key school supports that could help teachers address state standards in their instruction: curriculum requirements and school leader knowledge of standards.
May 3, 2018
Report
Connecting What Teachers Know About State English Language Arts Standards for Reading and What They Do in Their Classrooms: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
In 2016, RAND researchers reported on teachers' understanding and implementation of their state standards for English language arts. This report provides an update based on a spring 2016 survey of the RAND American Teacher Panel.
Feb 21, 2018
Research Brief
Research Brief
Principal Pipelines: What Are They and What Do They Cost?
RAND Corporation analysts estimated school district costs for putting in place and operating principal pipelines based on data collected from six urban districts that participated in The Wallace Foundation's Principal Pipeline Initiative.
Dec 18, 2017
Report
U.S. Teachers' Support of Their State Standards and Assessments: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
Presents data from the American Teacher Panel to examine teachers' support for their state standards and assessments.
Oct 4, 2017
Report
What It Takes to Operate and Maintain Principal Pipelines: Costs and Other Resources
This report presents an approach for understanding the district resources and expenditures required to prepare, hire, evaluate, develop, and support school leaders and provides estimates of those resources and expenditures.
Jun 20, 2017
Report
Implementation of K–12 State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts and Literacy: Findings from the American Teacher Panel
This report examines teachers' implementation of K--12 state standards for mathematics and English language arts and literacy. Results are intended to identify areas where teachers may benefit from guidance about how to address their state standards.
Apr 4, 2017
Report
Use of Open Educational Resources in an Era of Common Standards: A Case Study on the Use of EngageNY
The purpose of this report is to better understand the uses of EngageNY in order to shed light on the channels through which open educational resources could better support teachers and the implementation of state standards.
Mar 27, 2017
Report
What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy? Findings from the American Teacher and American School Leader Panels
This report shares U.S. educators' perspectives on their readiness and needs for support to help students meet Common Core and other state standards, drawing on findings from a nationally representative survey of K-12 teachers and school leaders.
Dec 19, 2016
Report
Support for Instructional Leadership: Supervision, Mentoring, and Professional Development for U.S. School Leaders: Findings from the American School Leader Panel
This report presents findings from a nationally representative survey of school principals regarding on-the-job supports that districts offer school leaders, particularly focusing on school leader supervision, mentoring, and professional development.
Oct 31, 2016
Report
What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for Mathematics? Findings from the American Teacher and American School Leader Panels
Presents summary data from web-based surveys of U.S. teachers on how prepared they feel to address new mathematics standards in their instruction.
Oct 27, 2016
Report
What Are Teachers' and School Leaders' Major Concerns About New K–12 State Tests? Findings from the American Teacher and American School Leader Panels
This report shares U.S. principals' and teachers' concerns about implementation of state assessment tests aligned to the new standards, drawing on survey data from RAND's American Teacher Panel (ATP) and American School Leader Panel (ASLP).
Oct 18, 2016
Report
Creating a Coherent System to Support Instruction Aligned with State Standards: Promising Practices of the Louisiana Department of Education
RAND researchers provide evidence that teachers in Louisiana implement state standards in ways that are significantly different from teachers in other states and examine department of education strategies that might be contributing to these results.
Oct 13, 2016
Draft
Draft
Preliminary Findings about the Implementation of Common Core State Standards Based on the May 2014 Field Tests of the American Teacher Panel and the American School Leader Panel
Presents illustrative findings from a field test of the American Teacher Panel and the American School Leader Panel, conducted in May 2014, focusing on perceptions and practices related to the Common Core State Standards.
Apr 21, 2016
Journal Article
Journal Article
Factors Associated with Alignment Between Teacher Survey Reports and Classroom Observation Ratings of Mathematics Instruction
We investigated the alignment between a teacher survey self-report measure and classroom observation measure of ambitious mathematics instructional practice among teachers in two urban school districts using two different standards-based mathematics curricula.
Mar 14, 2016
Report
Report
Development of a K–12 Financial Education Curriculum Assessment Rubric
RAND researchers document the current state of the literature and advance a set of criteria for assessing the content, utility, quality, and efficacy of K-12 financial education curricula.
Nov 5, 2015
Tool
A Tool for Reviewing K–12 Financial Education Curricula
To help educators think about which curriculum to use, and to better understand the strengths and gaps in the curriculum currently being used, the RAND Corporation developed this tool for reviewing financial education curricula.
Nov 5, 2015
Report
Student Mental Health in California's K–12 Schools: School Principal Reports of Common Problems and Activities to Address Them
Reports results of a survey of K-12 principals to take inventory of student mental health and wellness needs and the types of programs schools are most often implementing to help students in California's public schools.
Jul 2, 2015
Journal Article
Journal Article
Mathematics Teacher Development in the Context of District Managed Curriculum
The purpose of this study was to develop and test the viability of a conceptual framework for analyzing mathematics instruction and mathematics teacher development within the context of policies regarding district-wide adoption of curriculum.
2014
Journal Article
Journal Article
How Curriculum and Classroom Achievement Predict Teacher Time on Lecture- and Inquiry-Based Mathematics Activities
This study drew on data from a large, randomized trial of Cognitive Tutor Algebra (CTA) in high-poverty settings to investigate how mathematics curricula and classroom achievement related to teacher reports of time spent on inquiry-based and lecture-based mathematics activities.
2012
Journal Article
Supporting Sustainability: Teachers' Advice Networks and Ambitious Instructional Reform
Scaling up instructional improvement remains a central challenge for school systems.
2012