V. Darleen Opfer

How to Reopen Schools: Q&A with RAND Experts

The debate over opening U.S. schools is growing more heated by the day. In this Q&A, RAND researchers discuss the different approaches for reopening, how online learning went in the spring, ways to help disadvantaged students, and more.

Schools Pivot Online in Wake of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

Nearly all school-age children in the United States are no longer in the classroom as districts shut down to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. RAND education researchers discuss how this situation might exacerbate educational inequities, how districts and teachers are innovating and what they need, and what parents can do.

Learning Is a Lifelong Process: Q&A with V. Darleen Opfer

As vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor, V. Darleen Opfer oversees a research portfolio that ranges from early childhood education to retirement planning. In this interview, she discusses what she learned from being a teacher, the need for evidence-based practices, and the importance of lifelong learning in today's labor market.

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.

Grading Teachers

Research is starting to demonstrate that teaching, like all professions, is something that can be learned, continuously improved upon, and subject to the conditions under which it occurs, writes V. Darleen Opfer.

Nine Lessons on How to Teach 21st Century Skills and Knowledge

Despite widespread agreement among parents, educators, employers and policymakers worldwide that students need skills like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and creativity, these skills are stubbornly difficult to teach and learn, write Anna R. Saavedra and V. Darleen Opfer.

Consider the Evidence

The Chicago Teachers Union strike erupted over classic issues: an extended day, a new evaluation system and hiring and firing. Yet, somewhat classically, neither the union nor Chicago Public Schools has put forth research evidence to support their stance, writes Darleen Opfer.

Lessons from the Science of Learning for 21st-Century Schools

To succeed in the 21st century, students need to be able to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve with people beyond national boundaries. Director of RAND Education Darleen Opfer describes how teachers can teach 21st-century skills, using nine lessons from the science of learning.

Report

Coherence in English Language Arts and Mathematics Instructional Systems Across the United States

Using survey responses from a nationally representative sample of public school kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) English language arts and math teachers, RAND researchers examine teachers' perceptions of instructional system coherence.

Report

Learning Creates Australia: Evaluation of the Learner's Journey Social Lab

In this report, the authors evaluate 'The Learner's Journey', a social lab designed by Learning Creates Australia to explore ways to assess and accredit learning that better reflect the diverse knowledge sets, skills and dispositions of students.

Report

RAND Behavioral Finance Forum: Financial Security Over the Lifespan

Video compilation of the 2020 Behavioral Finance Forum (BeFi). Leaders from academia, government, regulatory agencies, and industry were invited to share the latest research and exchange ideas on the theme of financial security over the lifespan.

Report

Exploring Coherence in English Language Arts Instructional Systems in the Common Core Era

Coherence among instructional components is key to changing teachers' practices in standards-based reforms. This report uses survey data to explore the coherence of school-level instructional systems in Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Draft

Let's Improve Tanner High School: An Education Policy Game

Describes an education policy game that would reveal the perspectives of different stakeholder groups on current education issues and offers some thoughts on game development and improvement.

Journal Article

Day by Day: Investigating Variation in Elementary Mathematics Instruction That Supports the Common Core

This article investigates the extent to which students were being engaged in complex practices exemplified by Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the Standards for Mathematical Practice on a daily basis, according to teachers' reports.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Journal Article

Learning 21st-Century Skills Requires 21st-Century Teaching

The authors summarize nine lessons from the science of learning telling how students learn 21st-century skills and how pedagogy can address their needs.

Periodical

RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 2, Fall 2012

The cover story focuses on nine key issues in the 2012 U.S. presidential election: income inequality, health care costs, immigration reform, energy options, education, al Qaeda, Iraq, democratization in the Middle East, and China.

Journal Article

Consider the Evidence

One of the best ways to increase student learning is to simultaneously increase the time spent on learning and the quality of instruction.

Journal Article

Teaching and Learning 21st Century Skills: Lessons from the Learning Sciences

This paper focuses on explaining how 21st century skills should be taught, given what we know about how students learn.

Journal Article

Professional Learning Orientations: Patterns of Dissonance and Alignment Between Teachers' Values and Practices

Through its positive influence on teachers' classroom practices and their students' learning, effective professional learning of teachers is an important condition for school improvement. The concept of dissonance between values and practice is a strong theme in the findings and for policy development.

Journal Article

Are We Realising the Full Potential of Teachers' Professional Learning in Schools in England? Policy Issues and Recommendations from a National Study

The purpose of this article is to bring together findings developed from the Schools and Continuing Professional Development in England – State of the Nation Study.

Journal Article

Defining and Identifying Hard-To-Staff Schools: The Role of School Demographics and Conditions

The study relies on a survey of Ohio schools to ascertain information on vacancies for 2004-2005. The survey also collected information on principal perceptions of the impact of various school conditions and difficulty in hiring.

Journal Article

Conceptualizing Teacher Professional Learning

The article concludes that to understand teacher learning scholars must adopt methodological practices that focus on explanatory causality and the reciprocal influences of all three subsystems.

Journal Article

The influence of school orientation to learning on teachers' professional learning change

Results from a structural equation modeling process of 1,126 teacher survey responses in England show that schools have an orientation to learning that includes beliefs about learning, systems and supports for learning, and collective capacity for learning.

Journal Article

The lost promise of teacher professional development in England

The analysis indicates that while the professional development of teachers in England is generally ineffectual and lacks school level systems and supports, the professional development and supports for professional learning by teachers in high performing schools display many of the characteristics associated with effective professional learning.

Journal Article

The Role of Teachers' Orientation to Learning in Professional Development and Change: A National Study of Teachers in England

Results from a structural equation modeling process of 1126 teacher survey responses show that teachers bring an internal, external and collaborative orientation to their professional learning.

Journal Article

Access to Continuous Professional Development by Teachers in England

The paper also explores the barriers to access to high quality CPD that exist for teachers at both the individual and school levels. Data for the analyses presented were collected as part of the nationally representative, "Schools and Continuing Professional Development in England--State of the Nation" research study which was funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

Journal Article

Planning and Organisation of Teachers' Continuous Professional Development in Schools in England

Journal Article

Benefits, Status and Effectiveness of Continuous Professional Development for Teachers in England

This paper sets out to understand how teachers and school leaders in England perceive the benefits and effectiveness of CPD activity.

Journal Article

Globalization and the International Context for Literacy Policy Reform in England

The authors address globalization and political control of education, with a focus on understanding the larger contextual conditions associated with globalization and regulation.

Journal Article

Commentary: Getting "Critically Real" About the State of Education Politics and Policy Process Research

This chapter discusses educational politics and policy process research and illustrates the ways research can utilize a transdisciplinary approach to address educational concerns of equity, efficiency, student learning, and educational outcomes.

Journal Article

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Systemic Responses to High Stakes Accountability Policies in Six Southern States

Our focus for this article is on school district level responses to HSA reforms that could produce positive changes in teaching and learning. We set out to determine whether a district effect was present in the implementation of HSA systems in six southern states and whether that effect was accompanied by the types of activities previously identified in the research literature as being associated with changes in teaching and learning and student achievement.