Elizabeth D. Steiner (she/her) is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation with expertise in education policy, policy analysis, program evaluation, and qualitative methods and analysis. She is also a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. Steiner's research is focused on ways to improve public education in the United States for teachers and students, reduce racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps, and improve equity of educational and life outcomes.
Her work also addresses implementation of public policy—how systems of rules and incentives intended to encourage behavior toward a desired outcome function in practice, and how policies could be improved to promote desired outcomes. These interests intersect in her work at RAND, which is focused on studying implementation of education reforms and policies. Current research topics include K–12 teacher and principal well-being, working conditions, and the diversity of the educator workforce; personalized and competency-based learning; social and emotional learning; teacher and school leader professional development; and educator evaluation systems.
Steiner holds an M.S.P.P.M. in public policy and management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.
Selected Publications
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Ashley Woo, Job-Related Stress Threatens the Teacher Supply: Key Findings from the 2021 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey, RAND Corporation (RR-A1108-1), 2021
Woo, Ashley, Elizabeth D. Steiner, The Well-Being of Secondary School Principals One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, RAND Corporation (RR-A827-6), 2022
Faherty, Laura J., Benjamin K. Master, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Julia H. Kaufman, Zachary Predmore, Laura Stelitano, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Brian Phillips, Heather L. Schwartz, and Rebecca L. Wolfe, COVID-19 Testing in K–12 Schools: Insights from Early Adopters, RAND Corporation (RR-A1103-1), 2021
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Laura Stelitano, Andy Bogart, and Sophie Meyers, The Promise of Summer as a Time for Teacher Professional Learning: Findings from a National Survey and Implications from the BellXcel Program, RAND Corporation (RR-A196-1), 2021
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Laura S. Hamilton, John F. Pane, Jonathan Schweig, Laura Stelitano, Joseph D. Pane, and Sophie Meyers, Building and Sustaining Innovative High Schools: Findings from the Opportunity by Design Study, RAND Corporation (RR-A322-3), 2020
Laura S. Hamilton, Christopher J. Doss, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Teacher and Principal Perspectives on Social and Emotional Learning in America’s Schools: Findings from the American Educator Panels, RAND (RR-2991), 2019
Julia H. Kaufman, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Matthew D. Baird, Raising the Bar for K–12 Academics Early Signals on How Louisiana’s Education Policy Strategies Are Working for Schools, Teachers, and Students, RAND (RR-2303/2), 2019
John F. Pane, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Matthew D. Baird, Laura S. Hamilton, Joseph D. Pane, Informing Progress: Insights on Personalized Learning Implementation and Effects, (RR-2042), 2017