Elaine Lin Wang

Policy Researcher

Pittsburgh Office

Education

Ph.D. in learning sciences and policy, University of Pittsburgh; M.A. in curriculum, teaching, and learning, University of Toronto; B.Ed. in secondary English and French education, University of British Columbia; B.A. in English and French, University of British Columbia

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

Elaine Lin Wang (she/her) is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her primary research interest concerns instructional systems in K–12 education settings, especially with a focus on literacy/English language arts (ELA). Instructional systems include at its core curriculum, professional learning, student assessments, and other structures and policies that influence instruction and student outcomes. Wang has (co-)led projects that: identify and measure aspects of instruction and interactions that support personalized and student-centered learning; examine educators' perceptions of instructional materials; aim to develop an automated writing evaluation system to support young student's writing development. She also researches the development of school leaders. Wang specializes in using qualitative and case study methods to examine relationships between instruction and student learning outcomes, and to understand factors that facilitate or pose challenges for policy or program implementation. Wang received her Ph.D. in the learning sciences and policy program, with a minor in research methodology, from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to pursuing her graduate studies, Wang taught high school English for nine years.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Effectiveness Replication of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI)
Understanding and Supporting Coherent Instructional Systems
Characteristics of Coherent Instructional Systems and Their Relationship to Outcomes for Black, Latino, English Learner-Designated and Low-Income Students
Evaluation of the University Principal Preparation Initiative
Response-to-Text Tasks to Assess Students’ Use of Evidence and Organization in Writing: Using Natural Language Processing for Scoring Writing and Providing Feedback At-Scale

Selected Publications

Wang, E.L., Silver, D., Polikoff, M.S., Woo, A., Kaufman, J.H. Gittens, A., & Clay, I. , English language arts instructional systems in the time of COVID-19. , RAND Corporation (RR-A279-2), 2022

Wang, E.L., Prado-Tuma, A., Doan, S., Henry, D., Lawrence, R., Woo, A., & Kaufman, J.H. , Teachers' Perceptions of What Makes Instructional Materials Engaging, Appropriately Challenging, and Usable: A Survey and Interview Study, RAND Corporation (RR-A134-2), 2021

Polikoff, M., Wang, E.L., Korn, S., Kaufman, J.H., Woo, A., Silver, D., & Opfer, D. , Exploring Coherence in ELA Instructional Systems in the Common Core Era , RAND Corporation (RR-A279-1), 2020

Wang, E.L., Matsumura, L.C., Correnti, R., Litman, D., Zhang, H., Howe, E., Magooda, A., & Quintana, R., "eRevis(ing): Students’ revision of text evidence use in an automated writing evaluation system," Assessing Writing, 44, 2020

Wang, E.L., & Smart, R., Understanding and Using Research on Gun Policy in America: An Interdisciplinary Unit Plan Based on RAND’s Gun Policy in America Website, Suggested Grades 10–12 , RAND Corporation (TL-A243-1), 2020

Wang, E.L., Schwartz, H.L., Mean, M., Stelitano, L., & Master, B.K., Putting Professional Learning to Work: What Principals Do with Their Executive Development Program Learning, RAND Corporation (RR-3082-DOED), 2019

Wang, E., Gates, S., Herman, R., Mean, M., Perera, R., Tsai, T., Whipkey, K., & Andrew, M., Launching a Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs: Partners Collaborate for Change, RAND Corporation (RR-2612-WF), 2018

Augustine, C.H., Engberg, J., Grimm, G., Lee, E., & Wang, E., Christianson, K., Joseph, A.A., Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions? An Evaluation of the Impact of Restorative Practices in a Mid-Sized Urban School District, RAND Corporation (RR-2840-DOJ), 2018