Rebecca L. Wolfe

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND; Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Santa Monica Office

Education

M.S. in environmental health sciences, University of California, Los Angeles; M.A. in elementary education, Loyola Marymount University; B.A. in political science and urban studies, Rhodes College

One Page Bio

Overview

Rebecca Wolfe is a Ph.D. student in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. Her research interests include K-12 education, foster care advocacy, urban environmental health, STEM and environmental health literacy, and education outcomes for children with special needs.

Prior to joining Pardee RAND, she developed STEM content and facilitated professional development workshops for K–8 educators as a curriculum specialist with the California Science Center and designed tools to evaluate STEM programming and quantify learning in informal museum spaces. She previously taught middle school math and science for Teach for America in Los Angeles. She has has an M.S. in environmental health sciences from the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.A. in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University, and a B.A. in political science and urban studies from Rhodes College.

Research Focus

Publications

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
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
One Year into the Pandemic, What Secondary Math Teachers Said About Challenges to Standards-Aligned Instruction and Skipping Content
The authors use 2020 and 2021 Learn Together Survey data to examine challenges to standards-aligned instruction during COVID-19 reported by secondary math teachers and how frequently and why these teachers skipped standards-aligned math content.
May 11, 2022
Report
The U.S. Equity-First Vaccination Initiative: Early Insights
The Equity-First Vaccination Initiative aims to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. coronavirus vaccination rates. Five demonstration sites are using hyper-local, community-led strategies to increase vaccine confidence and access.
Jan 28, 2022
Research Brief
Early Insights from the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative
The Equity-First Vaccination Initiative aims to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States. Five demonstration sites are using hyper-local, community-led strategies to increase vaccine confidence and access.
Dec 20, 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