Heather L. Schwartz

@schwartz_hl on Twitter

Director, Pre-K to 12 Educational Systems Program; Senior Policy Researcher; Co-Director of American School District Panel

Off Site Office

Education

Ph.D. in education policy, Columbia University; B.A. in English, Swarthmore College

Overview

Heather Schwartz is the director of the Pre-K to 12 educational systems program and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She also co-directs the American School District Panel. She researches education and housing policies intended to reduce the negative effects of poverty on children and families. She leads mixed-method studies with experimental and non-experimental designs, and her methodological skills include survey design, qualitative data collection methods, and benefit-cost analyses. Schwartz earned her Ph.D. in education policy from Columbia University.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Social and Emotional Learning Evaluation
Chicago Regional Housing Choice Initiative Experiment
School Safety and Technology

Selected Publications

Schwartz, Heather L., Melissa Kay Diliberti, Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey, RAND Corporation (RR-A956-9), 2022

Master, B. K., Schwartz, H., Unlu, F., Schweig, J., Mariano, L. T., Coe, J., Wang, E. L., Phillips, B., & Berglund, T, "Developing School Leaders: Findings From a Randomized Control Trial Study of the Executive Development Program and Paired Coaching," Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2021

Catherine Augustine, Jennifer Sloan McCombs, Heather Schwartz, Laura Zakaras, Getting to Work on Summer Learning. Recommended Practices for Success, RAND Corporation (RR-366), 2013

"Housing policy is school policy: Economically integrative housing promotes academic success in Montgomery County, Maryland," in Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Future of School Integration, Century Foundation, 2012

Heather Schwartz, Kata Mihaly, Breann Gala, "Encouraging residential moves to opportunity neighborhoods: An experiment testing incentives offered to housing voucher recipients," Housing Policy Debate, 2017

Randall Reback, Jonah Rockoff, Heather Schwartz, "Under Pressure: Job Security, Resource Allocation, and Productivity in Schools Under No Child Left Behind," American Economic Journal, 6(3), 2014

Heather Schwartz, Susan Burkhauser, Beth Ann Griffin, David Kennedy, Hank Green, Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, Craig Pollack, "Do the Joneses Help You Keep Up? A Natural Experiment in Exposure to Non-Poor Neighbors," Housing Policy Debate, 2015

Honors & Awards

Phi Beta Kappa, Swarthmore College
Mellon Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, Columbia University
Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellow, Spencer Foundation

Commentary

Workplace Well-Being

Educators' Poor Morale Matters, Even If They Don't Quit. Here's Why
State and district education leaders can take steps now to reduce teacher and principal stress this fall in two ways: Recognize that job-related stress is systemic and that educators closer to the classroom may experience more of it, and talk with teachers and principals about the sources of stress in their job, and what could alleviate them.
Aug 11, 2022
The 74 Million
Summer Learning

Summer Learning Is More Popular Than Ever. How to Make Sure Your District's Program Is Effective
In the best of times, it is no small feat to put together a quality summer learning program. Given that districts are focusing not only on academic recovery from COVID learning loss, but on retaining teachers, supporting students' and teachers' mental health, and addressing increases in misbehavior, they need immediate, digestible guidance for summer programming.
Mar 30, 2022
The 74 Million
Educational Institutions

What Is Really Polarizing Schools Right Now?
Political polarization that rises to the level of interfering with schooling isn't simply a headache; it's a fundamental problem for public education. When there is deep disagreement over the essentials—what schools teach, how they keep children safe—schools are at risk of becoming ungovernable.
Mar 14, 2022
Education Week
Education Administration

Finding Teachers and Bus Drivers Is a Big Problem, but a Different Staffing Challenge Is Looming in School Districts
The majority of school districts report they don't have enough staff to hire, particularly substitutes, bus drivers, and special education teachers. A recent survey also revealed a major challenge for the superintendency. Only half of superintendents said they were likely to stay in their jobs for the long term.
Feb 17, 2022
Center on Reinventing Public Education
Educational Institutions

The Remote Learning Paradox: Some Educators, Parents Want to Keep Online Classes Option Even Though Instruction Suffered
Despite remote learning not going particularly well during the pandemic, about one-third of U.S. schools are keeping it as an option. Is remote learning a pandemic blip or a permanent feature of public education moving ahead?
Jun 24, 2021
The 74
Summer Learning

Commit Now to Get Summer Programming Right
When summer programs are targeted to needs, intentionally designed, and well attended, they produce positive outcomes in math and reading. But these programs need federal support, and they require early planning.
Apr 15, 2021
The RAND Blog
Educational Institutions

Lost Learning and the Costs of COVID-19
President Biden's plan calls for $130 billion to help schools safely reopen and identifies summer school or other supports to help students compensate for lost learning time as permissible uses of this funding. Recent RAND research can shed light on how Congress might consider divvying up these funds to support students over the next year.
Feb 10, 2021
The RAND Blog
Educational Technology

School District Leaders Indicate Online Instruction Will Outlast COVID-19. Here's What to Consider
Remote K–12 learning at scale is an unprecedented challenge for everyone involved. It can and would improve dramatically if educators, government, and philanthropy treated it as a work in progress, featuring evidence-based development of quality online curricula, continuous improvement, and engagement of teachers.
Jan 27, 2021
The 74
School Security

Coronavirus Will Require Changes in Schools When They Reopen to Protect Students
Schools will likely need to modify their practices so that their teachers, staff, and students maintain social distancing standards whenever they reopen. If a federal agency would create guidance, then educators could focus on teaching students.
Apr 16, 2020
Fox News Channel
Education Curriculum

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.
Apr 2, 2020
School Security

How Can the U.S. Do a Better Job of Keeping Kids Safe at School?
Many proposals to improve school safety promote the use of technology, such as metal detectors and video cameras. How effective are these devices? The evidence is mixed.
Mar 26, 2018
Fox News Channel
Residential Housing

Why Rents Have Gone Through the Roof in New Orleans and Across the Nation
The rental affordability crisis was caused by declining incomes since 2000, the slowing of new construction, households getting smaller, and the seven million foreclosures during the recession. It is a national problem in need of a national solution.
Aug 2, 2016
NOLA.com
Educational Equity

Narrowing the Income Achievement Gap
The achievement gap between children from the highest- and lowest-income families has substantially grown since 1960. The income achievement gap is now about twice the size of the black-white achievement gap.
Jun 12, 2014
Education Week
Urban Planning

Narrowing the Economic Achievement Gap: The Role of Housing
The results from Montgomery County demonstrate that an integrative housing policy can be an effective form of school policy for disadvantaged children, writes Heather Schwartz.
Jan 11, 2012
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

Publications

Report
Skills for Success: Developing Social and Emotional Competencies in Out-of-School-Time Programs
This report offers guidance for out-of-school-time programs that wish to incorporate social and emotional learning activities into their programming. The lessons are derived from the RAND Corporation's study of more than 100 afterschool programs.
Feb 27, 2023
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Fall 2022 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare superintendents' responses to the fall 2022 American School District Panel survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by locale, student race and ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Feb 16, 2023
Report
Educator Turnover Has Markedly Increased, but Districts Have Taken Actions to Boost Teacher Ranks: Selected Findings from the Sixth American School District Panel Survey
Researchers analyzed district leader survey results to see whether educator turnover increased nationally at the end of the 2021–2022 school year and to learn whether districts continued to experience staff shortages during the 2022–2023 school year.
Feb 16, 2023
Report
Evaluation of Delaware's Opportunity Funding and Student Success Block Grant Programs: Third and Final Year
The authors evaluated two Delaware programs for local education agencies with students experiencing poverty and multilingual learners during the 2019–2020 to 2021–2022 school years: Opportunity Funding and the Student Success Block Grant program.
Feb 7, 2023
Report
Flexible Opportunity Funding Investments in Delaware: Lessons from District Leaders
The authors drew on surveys of Delaware local education agencies that received Opportunity Funding and describe the investments they made to improve the academic achievement of multilingual learners and students experiencing poverty.
Feb 7, 2023
Journal Article
Navigating Political Tensions Over Schooling: Findings from the Fall 2022 American School District Panel Survey
Using survey data and interviews with superintendents, researchers investigate the extent to which polarization about issues such as race, sexuality, gender, and Covid-19 was interfering with schooling as of fall 2022.
Feb 1, 2023
Report
Andover's Teaching and Departmental Reviews: Findings and Recommendations
This report offers recommendations for how Phillips Academy Andover, an independent boarding school in Massachusetts, can update its processes for departmental review and teacher review to develop a more coherent instructional system.
Jan 31, 2023
Report
Prioritizing Strategies to Racially Diversify the K–12 Teacher Workforce: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys
The authors of this report surveyed and interviewed teachers and convened a panel of education policymakers to identify policies and strategies that could help racially diversify the teacher workforce in the United States.
Sep 20, 2022
Report
Building an Effective Social and Emotional Learning Committee in Dallas: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 3)
This case study explores how Dallas's Webster Elementary School and its out-of-school-time program, Thriving Minds After School, formed a social and emotional learning committee that became more effective over time, focusing on daily activities.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Engaging Teachers, Staff, and Parents in Social and Emotional Learning in Palm Beach County: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 5)
This case study explores how Palm Beach County's Diamond View Elementary School and its out-of-school-time program increased adult awareness of social and emotional learning practices to promote positive interactions with children throughout the day.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Expanding Social and Emotional Learning Beyond the School Walls in Boston: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 2)
This case study explores how the Russell Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester partnered in Boston to provide social and emotional learning enrichment off campus as part of the school day.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Jointly Prioritizing Time for Social and Emotional Learning In Denver: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 4)
This case study explores how Denver's Cowell Elementary School and its out-of-school-time partner, Discovery Link, worked together to find time for social and emotional learning (SEL) and to provide consistent SEL instruction during and after school.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Learning to Focus on Adult Social and Emotional Learning First in Tulsa: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 7)
This case study explores how Whitman Elementary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its out-of-school-time program partner, Youth at Heart, learned to first invest in adults so that they are equipped to support students' social and emotional learning.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Prioritizing Racial Equity Within Social and Emotional Learning in Tacoma: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 6)
This case study explores how Lister Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington, established social and emotional learning and equity as a nonnegotiable foundation for its work with students, staff, and families.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Strengthening Students' Social and Emotional Skills: Lessons from Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 1)
How do elementary schools and out-of-school-time programs partner to deliver social and emotional learning to children? This cross-cutting report summarizes six case studies and highlights shared themes.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Walking a Fine Line—Educators' Views on Politicized Topics in Schooling: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys
Using nationally representative survey data, the authors analyze educators' views on two politicized issues—COVID-19 mitigation policies and teaching about race, racism, or bias—to better understand the consequences of politicization in schools.
Aug 10, 2022
Report
RAND American School District Panel: Creation and Technical Description
This report describes the American School District Panel (ASDP) sample design, methods used to recruit districts, recruitment results, and methods used to weight ASDP data to the national population of public school districts in the United States.
Aug 4, 2022
Report
Districts Continue to Struggle with Staffing, Political Polarization, and Unfinished Instruction: Selected Findings from the Fifth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of districts' challenges at the end of the third school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors assess nationally representative survey responses from 291 district leaders who completed the American School District Panel in spring 2022.
Jul 19, 2022
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Spring 2022 COVID-19 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare superintendents' responses to the final section of the spring 2022 survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student race and ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Jul 12, 2022
Report
State of the Superintendent — High Job Satisfaction and a Projected Normal Turnover Rate: Selected Findings from the Fifth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of U.S. superintendents' job satisfaction and intentions to remain in their position, researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 222 superintendents in the American School District Panel in spring 2022.
Jul 12, 2022
Report
Social and Emotional Learning In Schools Nationally and in the Collaborating Districts Initiative: Selected Findings from the American Teacher Panel and American School Leader Panel Surveys
This report presents survey results examining whether school districts' participation in the Collaborating Districts Initiative has resulted in more frequent implementation of social and emotional learning practices than in comparable districts.
Jun 15, 2022
Report
Restoring Teacher and Principal Well-Being Is an Essential Step for Rebuilding Schools: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys
Researchers present selected findings on teacher and principal well-being, working conditions, and intentions to leave their jobs from the 2022 State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal surveys.
Jun 15, 2022
Report
State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys: 2022 Technical Documentation and Survey Results
This technical report on the 2022 State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal surveys includes descriptions of the survey content, administration, and weighting and detailed data tables of the survey results.
Jun 15, 2022
Report
Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of the staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021-2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel from October to December 2021.
Feb 15, 2022
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Fall 2021 COVID-19 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare district leaders' responses to each question in the fall 2021 survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student race/ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
District Leaders' Concerns About Mental Health and Political Polarization in Schools: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel to learn about the extent of challenges to schooling in 2021-2022, including student and teacher mental health and political polarization.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Delaware's Opportunity Funding and Student Success Block Grant Programs: Second Year
This is the second of three annual reports evaluating the implementation and effects of two Delaware funding programs for disadvantaged K–12 schools in the 2019–2020 to 2021–2022 school years: Opportunity Funding and the Student Success Block Grant.
Jan 27, 2022
Report
The Rise of Virtual Schools: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
Results from the June 2021 American School District Panel survey suggest that K–12 remote instruction will outlast the pandemic. This report highlights districts' plans for temporary and more-lasting remote instruction options starting in fall 2021.
Aug 30, 2021
Report
School Districts Have Expanded Their Nonacademic Services for 2021–2022, While Academic Offerings Remain Much the Same: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
Results from the June 2021 American School District Panel survey suggest that while public schools are expanding their nonacademic offerings due to the pandemic, most academic programs for the 2021–2022 school year will remain the same.
Aug 23, 2021
Report
Will Students Come Back? A July 2021 Parent Survey About School Hesitancy and Parental Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools
This report provides the survey questions and weighted responses from a July 2021 survey of parents concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in schools in the United States.
Aug 18, 2021
Report
The K–12 Pandemic Budget and Staffing Crises Have Not Panned Out—Yet: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
This report presents district leaders' accounts of staff turnover and fiscal health at the end of the 2020–2021 school year. The authors highlight district leaders' concerns about facing a fiscal cliff after federal aid expires.
Aug 16, 2021
Visualization
Summer 2021 COVID-19 Survey Results: American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool
This tool allows users to compare district leaders' responses to each question in the June 2021 survey. Bar charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student racial and ethnicity composition, and district poverty level.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Will Students Come Back? School Hesitancy Among Parents and Their Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools
RAND researchers surveyed more than 2,000 parents of children ages 5-18 in May 2021 about their willingness to send their children to school in person in fall 2021 and whether they would vaccinate their children against coronavirus disease 2019.
Jun 10, 2021
Visualization
American School District Panel Winter 2021 COVID-19 Survey
A total of 434 district leaders from school districts and charter management organizations (CMOs) took the second survey of the American School District Panel between January 21 and March 5, 2021. This tool presents weighted survey results that are nationally representative of school districts in the United States.
May 11, 2021
Report
Urban and Rural Districts Showed a Strong Divide During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Second American School District Panel Survey
This report includes results from the second survey of district leaders by the RAND Corporation's American School District Panel. The survey covered 2020-2021 school year instruction, COVID-19 testing and vaccines, enrollments, budget, and staffing.
May 11, 2021
Report
Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success, 2nd Ed. — Executive Summary
The authors distill lessons about implementing and improving summer learning programs gleaned from a six-year study in the five urban districts participating in the National Summer Learning Project.
Mar 25, 2021
Journal Article
Improvements in Neighborhood Socioeconomic Conditions May Improve Resident Diet
Investing in neighborhoods may support resident diet through improvements in neighborhood commercial environments for renters, but mechanisms appear to differ for homeowners.
Mar 11, 2021
Report
COVID-19 Testing in K–12 Schools: Insights from Early Adopters
This report describes approaches that early adopters of COVID-19 testing in U.S. K–12 schools were using as of December 2020, highlighting key facilitators that made testing feasible, acceptable, and effective.
Mar 9, 2021
Report
Stress Topped the Reasons Why Public School Teachers Quit, Even Before COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has added more stress to an already high-stress profession: American public school teacher. The authors of this report reveal how important stress has been—even more so than pay—to teachers' decisions to leave the profession.
Feb 22, 2021
Report
Evaluation of Delaware's Opportunity Funding and Student Success Block Grant Programs: Early Implementation
The authors examine the 2019-2020 implementation of two newly expanded Delaware weighted education funding programs, the Opportunity Fund and Student Success Block Grant, and emerging best practices, as reported by local education agency leaders.
Jan 21, 2021
Journal Article
Developing School Leaders: Findings From a Randomized Control Trial Study of the Executive Development Program and Paired Coaching
This article presents the results of two randomized control trials evaluating the impacts of the National Center on Education and the Economy's Executive Development Program and coaching on schoolwide practices and performance.
2021
Report
Remote Learning Is Here to Stay: Results from the First American School District Panel Survey
The RAND Corporation fielded a survey to the new American School District Panel to develop a national picture of school districts' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and innovations that they plan to keep after the pandemic.
Dec 15, 2020
Report
COVID-19 and the State of K-12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Fall 2020 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys
This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and data for the coronavirus disease 2019 surveys that were administered to principals and teachers in fall 2020 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.
Nov 16, 2020
Report
Early Lessons from Schools and Out-of-School Time Programs Implementing Social and Emotional Learning
In this report, RAND researchers describe the Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative, as well as findings and early lessons from the first two years of implementation in the six participating communities.
Oct 20, 2020
Report
Early Lessons from Schools and Out-of-School Time Programs Implementing Social and Emotional Learning: Executive Summary
In this summary, RAND researchers describe the Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative, as well as findings and early lessons from the first two years of implementation in the six participating communities.
Oct 20, 2020
Report
Prepared for a Pandemic? How Schools' Preparedness Related to Their Remote Instruction During COVID-19
Using responses to the American Educator Panels, RAND researchers investigate how schools' pre-pandemic planning translated into remote learning practices and principals' confidence in student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sep 29, 2020
Report
Effects of the Executive Development Program and Aligned Coaching for School Principals in Three U.S. States: Investing in Innovation Study Final Report
In this report, part of a series on professional development for school principals, the authors analyze the effects of a professional development program and paired coaching for middle school principals in three states.
Jul 1, 2020
Report
COVID-19 and the State of K–12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Spring 2020 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys
This technical report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveys administered to principals and teachers via RAND's American Educator Panels in spring 2020.
May 26, 2020
Journal Article
Feasibility of Social Distancing Practices in US Schools to Reduce Influenza Transmission During a Pandemic
We assessed the feasibility of implementing other social distancing practices in K-12 schools as a first step in seeking an alternative to preemptive school closures.
May 22, 2020
Journal Article
Broken Windows, Broken Zzs: Poor Housing and Neighborhood Conditions Are Associated with Objective Measures of Sleep Health
Sleep is a critical contributor to health and well-being. Sleep disturbances may contribute to racial and socioeconomic disparities in health. Understanding socio-environmental determinants of sleep health disparities is a public health imperative.
Apr 29, 2020
Draft
Opportunities and Challenges in Using Online Learning to Maintain Continuity of Instruction in K–12 Schools in Emergencies
Explores the use of online instruction in K-12 schools during prolonged school closures and preparedness when it occurs with little warning.
Apr 16, 2020
Journal Article
Does Large-Scale Neighborhood Reinvestment Work? Effects of Public–Private Real Estate Investment on Local Sales Prices, Rental Prices, and Crime Rates
We examine whether the substantial, combined public–private investments in Hill District, Pittsburgh, (a) increased that neighborhood's residential and commercial sales prices, (b) increased residential rental prices, and (c) reduced crime.
Mar 5, 2020
Report
Putting Professional Learning to Work: What Principals Do with Their Executive Development Program Learning
This report presents findings from part of RAND's evaluation of the National Institute for School Leadership's Executive Development Program (EDP) for sitting school principals, focusing on how principals applied their EDP learning and coaching.
Oct 7, 2019
Journal Article
Get Smart About Social and Emotional Learning Measurement
This paper provides guidance to educators and policymakers who are interested in measuring social and emotional learning practices and competencies. It is part of a series of papers on SEL published by the American Enterprise Institute.
Aug 22, 2019
Journal Article
School and Preparedness Officials' Perspectives on Social Distancing Practices to Reduce Influenza Transmission During a Pandemic: Considerations to Guide Future Work
The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of school and preparedness officials on the feasibility of implementing a range of social distancing practices to reduce influenza transmission during a pandemic.
2019
Report
Energy Efficiency as a Tool for Preservation of Affordable Rental Housing: Evaluation of the Efficiency Emphasis in the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative
From 2012 to 2015 the MacArthur Foundation awarded 39 grants and loans totaling $27.5 million to promote the energy efficiency of multifamily affordable rental housing. The initiative had a positive influence on most of its targeted outcomes.
Dec 10, 2018
Report
Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success, 2nd Ed.
The RAND Corporation's six-year study of the National Summer Learning Project culminates in this final report about district implementation of summer learning programs and presents the best available guidance about how to establish and sustain them.
Nov 4, 2018
Journal Article
School Practices to Promote Social Distancing in K-12 Schools: Review of Influenza Pandemic Policies and Practices
Little information is available to schools to develop policies and procedures on social distancing during a flu pandemic. Additional research is needed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of these policies and procedures.
May 4, 2018
Report
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for Early Care and Education Programs: Making the Second Generation Better
This perspective explores ways in which states can be more strategic about the allocation of funds for and within quality rating and improvement systems to achieve their goals of expanding access to and improving the quality of ECE programs.
May 1, 2017
Journal Article
Encouraging Residential Moves to Opportunity Neighborhoods: An Experiment Testing Incentives Offered to Housing Voucher Recipients
Given the potential benefits of upwardly mobile residential moves, housing practitioners should continue testing policies to facilitate voucher-based opportunity moves.
Jan 24, 2017
Report
Evaluation of Delaware Stars for Early Success: Final Report
In 2013, the Delaware Office of Early Learning contracted with the RAND Corporation to evaluate Delaware Stars for Early Success, the state's quality rating and improvement system for early learning and care programs. This report shares all findings.
Nov 7, 2016
Research Brief
Kids Who Attend More Benefit More: Voluntary Summer Learning Programs
This brief summarizes the outcomes of two summers of voluntary academic programming (2013 and 2014) on 3,192 low-income urban students accepted into the programs who had completed third grade before the first summer.
Sep 7, 2016
Infographic
Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth
This infographic summarizes several student outcomes from an assessment of five voluntary, district-led summer learning programs offered at no cost to low-income, urban elementary students.
Sep 7, 2016
Report
Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth
RAND researchers assess voluntary, district-led summer learning programs for low-income, urban elementary students. This third report in a series examines student outcomes after one and two summers of programming.
Sep 7, 2016
Research Brief
Can Technology Make Schools Safer?
Key technology needs to improve safety in U.S. schools include two-way communication between teachers and emergency responders and "all-in-one" applications to integrate school safety policies, procedures, training, and alerts for staff and parents.
Aug 22, 2016
Report
Preservation of Affordable Rental Housing: Evaluation of the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative
Evaluates the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity, a 20-year philanthropic initiative begun in 2000 that has allocated $187 million to preserve privately owned affordable rental housing.
Jun 6, 2016
Research Brief
Preserving the Supply of Affordable Housing: The MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative
Summarizes the achievements of the MacArthur Foundation's Window of Opportunity -- a 20-year philanthropic initiative begun in 2000 to preserve privately owned affordable rental housing -- and the lessons it offers for other philanthropic initiatives.
Jun 6, 2016
Report
The Role of Technology in Improving K–12 School Safety
The report categorizes school safety technologies, summarizes research on school violence, presents six case studies of innovative technologies, and summarizes experts' views of technologies and safety problems and their rankings of technology needs.
Apr 14, 2016
Journal Article
Health Implications of Social Networks for Children Living in Public Housing
This study examines the health composition of the social networks of children living in subsidized housing within market rate developments.
Dec 3, 2015
Journal Article
Fifty Ways to Leave a Child Behind: Idiosyncrasies and Discrepancies in States' Implementation of NCLB
Using a data set we constructed, this paper is the first national study examining which schools failed during the early years of NCLB and which performance targets they failed to meet.
Nov 24, 2015
Journal Article
Intergenerational Social Networks and Health Behaviors Among Children Living in Public Housing
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Sep 25, 2015
Report
Evaluation of Delaware Stars for Early Success: Year 2 Report
This second report from a multiyear study of Delaware's quality rating and improvement system for early learning and care programs addresses program participation and quality ratings, as well as financial incentives and technical assistance.
Jun 2, 2015
Research Brief
First Outcomes from the National Summer Learning Study
This brief describes the near-term effects of voluntary summer learning programs provided by five urban school districts to large numbers of struggling low-income elementary students in the summer of 2013.
Feb 13, 2015
Report
Ready for Fall? Near-Term Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Students' Learning Opportunities and Outcomes
As part of a randomized controlled trial study assessing the effect of district-run voluntary summer programs, this second report in a series looks at how summer programs affected student performance in certain categories in fall 2013.
Dec 16, 2014
Report
Evaluation of Delaware Stars for Early Success: Year 1 Report (2014)
As a first step in a larger study of Delaware Stars, a voluntary quality rating and improvement system for early learning and care programs, RAND research reviewed prior literature, examined existing data, and interviewed key stakeholders.
Jun 9, 2014
Journal Article
The Impact of Public Housing on Social Networks: A Natural Experiment
Different types of public housing have a modest impact on the health composition of one's social network, suggesting the importance of housing policy for health.
2014
Report
Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success, 1st Ed.
RAND is conducting a longitudinal study that examines the implementation and effectiveness of voluntary summer learning programs. This second report in the series provides research-based advice for school district leaders developing summer programs.
Aug 13, 2013
Research Brief
How to Get the Most out of a Summer Learning Program
The Wallace Foundation is funding a project in six urban school districts to combat summer learning loss. RAND evaluated the summer programs in these districts over two summers, drawing lessons for district leaders on how to create strong programs.
Aug 13, 2013
Journal Article
Improving Accountability Through Expanded Measures of Performance
Examines the influence of test-based accountability and explores how states and districts might consider creating expanded systems of measures to address the shortcomings of traditional accountability.
2013
Report
Is Inclusionary Zoning Inclusionary? A Guide for Practitioners
Examines whether inclusionary zoning programs in the United States serve lower-income families and provide recipients with access to low-poverty neighborhoods and high-performing schools.
Jun 1, 2012
Journal Article
Integrating Schools Is a Matter of Housing Policy
Inclusionary zoning and economic integration in suburban neighborhoods not only reduces concentration of poverty, it directly improves low-income children's academic achievement.
Oct 1, 2011
Journal Article
Knowing and Doing: What Teachers Learn from Formative Assessment and How They Use Information
This study analyzed three different middle school mathematics formative assessment programs, examining how features of each program were associated with the information they provided to teachers and the manner in which teachers used the information.
Jul 1, 2011
Report
Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children's Learning
Students typically lose knowledge and skills during the summer, particularly low-income students. Districts and private providers can benefit from the evidence on summer programming to maximize program effectiveness, quality, reach, and funding.
Jun 13, 2011
Research Brief
Summer Counts: Making Summer Programs Part of the Learning Equation
Summer learning programs can prevent the summertime loss of knowledge and skills that disproportionately affects low-income students. A study of existing programs resulted in targeted recommendations for school districts, policymakers, and funders.
Jun 13, 2011
Research Brief
Expanding Measures of School Performance Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
How can the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act encourage states to expand their measures of school performance to address goals beyond just mathematics and English Language Arts?
Apr 26, 2011
Report
Expanded Measures of School Performance
Critics of No Child Left Behind dislike the narrowing effects of the law's focus on math and reading achievement and have called for efforts to broaden the measures used to rate schools. This report examines expanded measures of school quality.
Apr 26, 2011
Research Brief
The Cost of Providing Quality Early Care and Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Shares results of a RAND analysis of programs participating in Minnesota's Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to cover the cost of high-quality early childhood education programs.
Mar 15, 2011
Report
Cost Study of the Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program
Minnesota's Saint Paul Early Childhood Scholarship Program provides scholarships to cover the cost of high-quality early childhood education programs. This report provides detailed cost and program data for 12 participating programs.
Mar 15, 2011
Journal Article
Under Pressure: Job Security, Resource Allocation, and Productivity in Schools Under NCLB
The authors assemble the first comprehensive, national, school-level dataset concerning detailed performance measures used to calculate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
2011
Journal Article
The Central Office in a Decentralized System
As the charter school movement has come to scale within the United States, it poses new questions about how to govern public education.
Dec 1, 2010
Report
Building a More Resilient Haitian State: French translation of summary
Ce rapport passe en revue les défis auxquels est confrontée la République d'Haïti, ainsi que les projets de réforme envisagés, afin d'identifier les priorités les plus nécessaires, réalisables et durables dans le domaine de la construction étatique.
Aug 24, 2010
Research Brief
Building a More Resilient Haitian State: Key Recommendations and Priorities
Haiti's future prosperity and peace require building a more effective, resilient state. RAND researchers identified Haiti's main challenges and recommended a set of state-building priorities that are necessary, feasible, and sustainable.
Aug 12, 2010
Report
Building a More Resilient Haitian State
Haiti's future prosperity and peace require building a more effective, resilient state. This report sifts through Haiti's many challenges and reform plans to identify the state-building priorities that are most necessary, feasible, and sustainable.
Aug 6, 2010
Journal Article
Housing Policy Is School Policy: Economically Integrative Housing Promotes Academic Success in Montgomery County, MD.
This article reports on the economic factors that influenced academic achievement for elementary school students in public housing in Montgomery County, Maryland. It argues that economic integration in housing and school policy is vital to student success.
2010
Journal Article
Educational Vouchers for Universal Pre-Schools
This article provides a brief set of arguments for government funding of universal, pre-school education. It explores the applicability of a voucher plan using a regulated market approach for the funding of universal, pre-school education.
Feb 1, 2007

Multimedia

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Building Strong Communities Through Affordable Housing
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