Stephani L. Wrabel

Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in urban education policy, University of Southern California; M.Ed. in student personnel in higher education, University of Florida; B.A. in psychology, Boston University

One Page Bio

Overview

Stephani L. Wrabel (she/her) is a policy researcher at RAND with expertise in education and military-connected youth, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She conducts research to improve practices, programs, and policies that shape the lives of students and military-connected people. Her portfolio includes studies focused on standards-based school accountability policy, student and school mobility, social and emotional learning, Department of Defense (DoD)-funded youth programs, and military resiliency and morale, welfare, and recreation programs. Her work has shaped both state and federal policy. Wrabel currently serves as a principal investigator on a series of studies focused on DoD-funded youth programs, such as the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. She also leads the independent evaluation of the U.S. Department of Education’s Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety.

Before pursuing her doctorate, she was a university administrator, an experience that shaped her interest in research to support young people. Wrabel earned her Ph.D. in urban education policy from the University of Southern California. She holds an M.Ed. from the University of Florida and a B.A. from Boston University.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Wenger, Jennie W., Stephani L. Wrabel, Thomas E. Trail, Louay Constant, Wing Yi Chan, Kathryn A. Edwards, Joy S. Moini, and Hanna Han, Developing Outcome Measures for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, RAND Corporation (RR-A271-5), 2022

Wrabel, Stephani L., Susan Bush-Mecenas, and Ashley Woo, Seeking Balance in the Provision of Technical Assistance: Insights from the National Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, RAND Corporation (RR-A1161-1), 2021

Wrabel, Stephani L., Laura S. Hamilton, Anamarie A. Whitaker, and Sean Grant, Investing in Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning: Companion Guide to Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review, (RR-2739), 2018

Schwartz, Heather L., Laura S. Hamilton, Susannah Faxon-Mills, Celia J. Gomez, Alice Huguet, Lisa H. Jaycox, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Andrea Prado Tuma, Katie Tosh, Anamarie A. Whitaker, and Stephani L. Wrabel, Early Lessons from Schools and Out-of-School Time Programs Implementing Social and Emotional Learning, RAND Corporation (RR-A379-1), 2020

Meadows, Sarah O., Stephanie B. Holliday, Wing Chan, Stephani L. Wrabel, Margaret Tankard, Dana Schultz, Chris M. Busque, Felix Knutson, Leslie A. Payne, and Laura L. Miller, Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs and Services: Contributions to Airman and Family Resilience and Readiness, (RR-2670), 2019

Grant, Sean, Laura S. Hamilton, Stephani L. Wrabel, Celia J. Gomez, Anamarie Whitaker, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Fatih Unlu, Emilio R. Chavez-Herrerias, Garrett Baker, Mark Barrett, Mark Harris, and Alyssa Ramos., Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review, (RR-2133), 2017

Wenger, Jennie W., Louay Constant, Linda Cottrell, Thomas E. Trail, Michael J. D. Vermeer, and Stephani L. Wrabel., National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2015–2016., (RR-1848), 2017

Herman, Rebecca, Susan M. Gates, Aziza Arifkhanova, Mark Barrett, Andriy Bega, Emilio R. Chavez-Herrerias, Eugeniu Han, Mark Harris, Katya Migacheva, Rachel Ross, Jennifer T. Leschitz, and Stephani L. Wrabel, School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review: Updated and Expanded, (RR-1550-3), 2017

Honors & Awards

Innovation Spotlight Award, RAND

Commentary

Social and Emotional Learning

Choosing the Right Social and Emotional Learning Programs and Practices
Educators have become increasingly interested in supporting students to cultivate the inter- and intra-personal skills that are developed through the process of social and emotional learning. A new guide developed at RAND is meant to help educators adopt evidenced-based interventions that fit the needs of their students and communities.
Feb 5, 2019
The Wallace Foundation

Publications

Report
Building Organizational and Individual Capacities in State and Local Education Agencies: The First Five Years of the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
The authors explore how the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety designed and implemented its technical assistance supports and how these supports contributed to capacity building among technical assistance recipients.
Sep 27, 2023
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2021–2022
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people ages 16 to 18 experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. This report covers the program years 2021–2022 and is the seventh in a series on this quasi-military residential program.
Jun 1, 2023
Report
The Impact of Army JROTC Participation on School and Career Outcomes
To understand the relationship between participating in the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AJROTC) program and longer-term outcomes, the authors analyzed longitudinal student data and Army service member records.
Mar 7, 2023
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2020–2021
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. This report documents program trends in 2020–2021 and presents analyses on the Job ChalleNGe program.

Aug 22, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative
The UNITE Initiative aims to promote readiness and resilience in the Air Force through events that focus on unit cohesion. The authors describe the results of their evaluation of UNITE and the program's association with unit cohesion.
May 20, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: Executive Summary
This executive summary encapsulates the findings in Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative (RR-A554-1) 2022.
May 20, 2022
Report
Developing Outcome Measures for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential program for youth experiencing difficulties in traditional high school. This capstone report describes some of RAND's research and analyses on the ChalleNGe program from late 2017 through mid-2020.
Mar 2, 2022
Report
Seeking Balance in the Provision of Technical Assistance: Insights from the National Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
The authors examine the first three years of operation for the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety (CISELSS) and offer insights that might help guide efforts to continuously improve CISELSS's provision of supports.
Nov 9, 2021
Tool
A Guide to Evaluating Marine and Family Division Programs, Services, and Capabilities
The goal of this program evaluation toolkit is to help those responsible for implementing U.S. Marine Corps Marine and Family Division programs to determine whether those programs are effective and ultimately to guide efficient use of resources.
Sep 30, 2021
Tool
A Guide to Evaluating Marine and Family Division Programs, Services, and Capabilities: An Introduction to Program Evaluation
The U.S. Marine Corps' Marine and Family Program Division (MF) portfolio includes a variety of programs and services. This tool provides a brief introduction to program evaluation, the use of systematic processes to assess a program's effectiveness.
Sep 30, 2021
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2019–2020
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school through a 5.5-month residential program. The authors of this report document the progress of program participants in 2019 and 2020.
Mar 15, 2021
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2018–2019
In the fourth annual report on the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a residential, quasi-military program for youth struggling in traditional high school, researchers provide information on participants who entered the program in 2018.
Nov 6, 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
Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs and Services: Contribution to Airman and Family Resilience and Readiness
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs are key to resilient and ready Airmen and families. The authors developed a resilience and readiness model and compared it with target outcomes of MWR services. Next steps are also provided.
Jul 31, 2019
Report
Investing in Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning: Companion Guide to Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review
How can schools, districts, and states assess their local needs and identify appropriate interventions for social and emotional learning (SEL)? This report provides insight for educators investing in evidence-based SEL interventions.
Dec 10, 2018
Tool
RAND School Leadership Intervention Evaluation Toolkit
This toolkit is a companion to School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: An Evidence Review. The authors provide guidance and tools for designing and conducting evaluations of school leadership interventions.
Feb 7, 2018
Report
School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review: Updated and Expanded
This updated report presents a synthesis of the evidence base on school leadership interventions and describes the opportunities for supporting such interventions under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Dec 14, 2017
Research Brief
How the Every Student Succeeds Act Can Support Social and Emotional Learning
This brief examines the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and evaluations of social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions to understand how states can use ESSA to support SEL and what SEL interventions meet ESSA evidence requirements.
Dec 5, 2017
Report
Social and Emotional Learning Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review
This report reviews recent evidence on U.S.-based social and emotional learning interventions for K--12 students to better inform the use of these interventions under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Dec 5, 2017
Report
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2015–2016
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential, quasi-military program for young people at risk of dropping out of high school. This report provides information on recent ChalleNGe participants and develops metrics of program success.
Nov 1, 2017