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Academic Achievement

Principals
essay
Investing in Principals Helps Students Succeed
Jul 5, 2019
Hiring good principals is one of the most important things a district can do for its students, second only to hiring good teachers. Students whose schools participated in a principal pipeline initiative outperformed their peers by six percentage points on reading tests and nearly three points in math.
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Principals
commentary
For Teachers, a Good Boss Makes All the Difference
Susan M. Gates, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Apr 4, 2019
The 74 Million
Districts that try to place an effective leader in every school could reap educational benefits in the classroom. Giving a teacher a good boss also could be a powerful element in a broader strategy to recruit and retain highly effective educators.
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Social and Emotional Learning
commentary
Measuring Social-Emotional Skills, Carefully
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Brian M. Stecher
Feb 28, 2019
FutureEd
In the often-fraught debate over education policy, there is growing agreement that educators should pay close attention to the development of the social and emotional skills that allow students to persevere when working on difficult tasks, regulate emotions, and work effectively in teams. But measuring such skills remains a significant challenge.
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Academic Achievement Gap
commentary
The Potential for Early Years Programmes to Close the Disadvantage Gap Is Under-Examined
Megan Sim, Julie Belanger
Oct 12, 2018
Schools Week
Many schools are looking to close the disadvantage gap in their communities, but they need more evidence about what actually works. Research that helps policymakers and practitioners understand how early years interventions can promote equity and close the disadvantage gap is needed.
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Personalized Learning
commentary
What Emerging Research Says About the Promise of Personalized Learning
John F. Pane @JohnFPane
Aug 16, 2017
Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard
Personalized learning could lead to improved student outcomes. But those implementing this approach should temper their expectations for how big these benefits will be—and be patient while the benefits emerge. It's also important to consider the challenges of implementation.
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Education Reform
commentary
Going Forward, Looking Back: Lessons from School Improvement Grants
Rebecca Herman
May 10, 2017
The Hill
The Every Student Succeeds Act takes effect this fall, returning significant power to states and local districts to set goals and prescribe strategies to lift achievement. As schools finalize their plans under the new law, they can learn from the shortcomings of School Improvement Grants.
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Teacher Effectiveness
blog
The Challenges of Measuring Effective Teaching
Nov 16, 2016
While educators, policymakers, and parents may agree on the need for more effective teachers, they often use different criteria to judge whether schools are doing their job. Parents have varied priorities for what they want in teachers and in schools.
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Secondary Education
commentary
What's Behind Record High School Graduation Rates? It's Complicated
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Oct 21, 2016
United Press International
Graduation rates among U.S. high schoolers have risen for the fourth straight year. Which reforms are making a difference? And who, or what, should get credit?
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Academic Achievement
essay
Personalized Learning: The Latest Buzz in Classroom Instruction
Aug 22, 2016
Students in personalized learning classrooms made greater gains in math and reading than their peers in other schools. But there are barriers to fully personalized learning, including rigid state standards and time demands on teachers.
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Principals
commentary
Principals in Small Districts Receive Far Less 'Instructional Leadership' Support, Survey Shows
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman
Aug 16, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Until recently, little was known about how much support principals in the United States receive to be effective “instructional leaders.” A national survey shows that mentors and supervisors do provide feedback focused on principals' role in teaching and learning, but the amount varies.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
Pittsburgh Schools Are Making Progress
John Engberg
Jul 11, 2016
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools can reach new levels of excellence if its leadership boldly and wisely chooses initiatives that will serve all children and if it uses data to decide which initiatives should continue.
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Standards-Based Education Reform
commentary
The Opt-Out Reckoning
Jonathan Schweig
May 10, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Criticism of standardized testing is nearly as old as the testing itself. Will the opt-out movement promote meaningful and enduring changes in the educational system, and will these changes benefit the most at-risk and disadvantaged students?
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Principals
commentary
Improving School Leadership: What Works
Rebecca Herman, Susan M. Gates
Apr 28, 2016
The RAND Blog
There is evidence that having strong school leaders is instrumental for improving the quality of teaching. But resource constraints and pressure to spend money directly on students have left interventions focused on principals largely overlooked. However, the new Every Student Succeeds Act may be changing the script.
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Education Reform
commentary
The High Stakes of 'Soft Skills'
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Brian M. Stecher, Grace Evans
Apr 7, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
With the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, Congress is broadening what it considers success when it comes to judging school quality. One potential new indicator being discussed in some states is social and emotional learning, which has been linked to success later in life.
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Students
commentary
Technology Is Only Part of Personalized Learning
John F. Pane @JohnFPane, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Mar 4, 2016
The RAND Blog
The concept of personalized learning has gained favor in recent years, partly because new technology applications help to facilitate it. But those who characterize this instructional approach as
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Education Reform
commentary
Implementing Education Reforms to Enhance School Performance
Rita Karam
Nov 13, 2015
The RAND Blog
Although countries differ greatly in how their education systems are structured, financed, and the extent to which they are centralized, they share common obstacles that undermine reform success. Beyond the obvious steps of providing adequate resources and professional development, there are ways to improve the implementation of school-wide reforms.
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Education Reform
commentary
Standardized Tests Can Be Smarter
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Brian M. Stecher
Nov 2, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
Capping the amount of time students spend testing is a reasonable response to unchecked growth. However, a better response would be to systematically review testing programs, focusing on tests that offer the most value.
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Summer Learning
blog
Summer Learning Day: Stopping the Summer Slide
Jun 19, 2015
RAND is conducting the first-ever assessment of large-scale, voluntary, district-run, summer learning programs serving low-income elementary students. The results may help districts, educators, and policymakers make better decisions about funding and implementing programs to stop summer learning loss.
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Education Reform
commentary
Reauthorizing ESEA: What We Know and Where We Should Go with School Improvement
Rebecca Herman, Brian M. Stecher, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Feb 11, 2015
The RAND Blog
Federal policy should ensure that school improvement is a priority, that schools adopt proven reforms that fit the school context, and that schools and their districts are held accountable when federal resources are used for school improvement.
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Education Reform
commentary
Reauthorizing ESEA: Four Recommendations to Improve Teaching Effectiveness
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Brian M. Stecher, Grace Evans
Feb 3, 2015
The RAND Blog
Policies aimed at boosting teaching effectiveness are a key component of a strong ESEA reauthorization. Addressing discrepancies in teacher quality helps teachers improve, retains effective teachers, and makes the teaching profession an attractive option for those contemplating careers.
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
commentary
Making Room for New Approaches: Recommendations for ESEA Reauthorization That Support Innovation
John F. Pane @JohnFPane
Jan 27, 2015
The RAND Blog
As lawmakers consider the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is critical that in meeting their objectives they do not create unnecessary obstacles to the productive innovations being explored at schools, such as personalized learning.
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
commentary
Reauthorizing ESEA: Four Recommendations to Make Testing Work
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Brian M. Stecher, Grace Evans
Jan 21, 2015
The RAND Blog
Will Congress be able to reauthorize ESEA in 2015? Success will depend on legislators clearing several hurdles, such as decisions regarding teacher quality, school improvement, and charter schools. And at the center of the debate remains the issue of federal requirements for testing.
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Principals
commentary
A Principal Role in Education
Susan M. Gates
Nov 26, 2014
The RAND Blog
Principals are second only to teachers as the most important school factor affecting student achievement, but their contributions are often underappreciated. They establish a vision that motivates the entire community, build a school culture that supports student learning, ensure resources are used effectively, and engage with the community.
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Summer Learning
blog
Ask Me Anything: Catherine Augustine on Summer Learning
Jul 3, 2014
With summer now underway, RAND's Catherine Augustine hosted an
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Educational Equity
commentary
Narrowing the Income Achievement Gap
Heather L. Schwartz
Jun 12, 2014
Education Week
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.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
How to Assess 21st Century Competencies: 12 Key Lessons
Brian M. Stecher, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Feb 18, 2014
Education Week
Assessing competencies such as creativity and global awareness can provide educators with a broader set of indicators they can use to inform instruction and set goals with students. However, evidence about the effects of testing suggests that caution and careful planning is warranted when developing a new assessment system.
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Education Curriculum
blog
Cognitive Tutor: Encouraging Signs for Computers in the Classroom
Nov 19, 2013
A first-year algebra curriculum that blends tutoring software with conventional textbook learning had a positive effect for high school algebra students. Researchers found significant improvements—a change equivalent to moving from the 50th percentile to the 58th on an algebra posttest.
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Postsecondary Education
commentary
Making Colleges More Affordable
Rafiq Dossani
Aug 26, 2013
The RAND Blog
President Obama has released a plan to make colleges more affordable for the middle class. The plan calls for linking federal student aid to college performance, capping student loans at 10% of income, and incentivizing innovative instructional approaches to cut costs and improve quality.
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Summer Learning
blog
Early Planning Key to Effective Summer Learning Programs
Aug 14, 2013
RAND education experts Jennifer McCombs and Catherine Augustine hosted a news media conference call to discuss the best steps school districts can take to provide the most effective and rewarding summer learning programs.
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Mathematics
commentary
The Limits of Career and Technical Education in Improving Math Achievement among High School Students
Robert Bozick
Jun 19, 2013
Policy Analysis for California Education
Students who had taken occupationally focused career and technical education (CTE) courses in addition to their regular academic courses had similar learning gains to those who had only taken academic courses: an academic curriculum that includes CTE courses neither bolstered nor curtailed the acquisition of math skills.
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Academic Achievement
blog
Three Summer Learning Tips Parents Can Use
Jun 10, 2013
There’s plenty that parents can do at home to help their kids stay sharp until the new school year begins.
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Academic Achievement
commentary
Are High-Stakes Tests Counterproductive?
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, Gabriella C. Gonzalez @GabCGonzalez
Apr 22, 2013
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
If we want testing to exert beneficial effects on teaching and learning, we need to advocate for higher-quality tests and for evaluation and accountability systems that use multiple measures and do not rely exclusively on test scores, write Laura Hamilton and Gabriella C. Gonzalez.
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Preschool Children
commentary
Give Poor Kids a Chance with Early Education
Lynn A. Karoly
Apr 10, 2013
The Guardian
Federal and state initiatives to advance preschool program quality will further ensure that these investments in early learning programs will achieve their full promise and promote healthy child development — physically, socially, emotionally, and academically, writes Lynn Karoly.
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blog
What Do We Know About Charter Schools? Moving Beyond the Talking Points
Apr 4, 2013
Since their inception in 1992, charter schools have been a lightning rod for controversy in the education policy world. Research highlights the importance of moving beyond test scores and broadening the scope of measures that evaluate success in order to fully assess the performance of charter schools.
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Early Childhood Education
commentary
High-Quality Early Childhood Programs Require High-Quality Teachers
Brian M. Stecher
Mar 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
High-quality early childhood interventions can improve academic achievement, reduce crime and delinquency, and enhance future labor market success. But the operative word is "high-quality." And for early childhood programs to be high-quality, they must have qualified instructors.
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Value-Added Modeling in Education
commentary
A Better Method for Estimating Teacher Performance
Terrance Dean Savitsky
Feb 19, 2013
The RAND Blog
Structured observation protocols for assessing how teachers provide lessons to their students offer the opportunity to provide teachers with valuable feedback on how their practices could be improved, writes Terrance Dean Savitsky.
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Academic Achievement
commentary
No Child Left Behind, Act II
Brian M. Stecher
Jan 8, 2013
Philadelphia Inquirer
The bill's eleventh anniversary presents an opportunity to consider what the evidence tells us about how to make NCLB more effective.
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Students
commentary
Helping Displaced Students in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy
John F. Pane @JohnFPane
Oct 31, 2012
The RAND Blog
If Hurricane Sandy causes extensive disruptions in public schools—particularly in hard-hit New York City—our research shows that choices made by parents and policymakers could significantly limit the negative short-term effects of changing schools under such difficult circumstances, writes John Pane.
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Public Sector Governance
commentary
Consider the Evidence
V. Darleen Opfer @VDarleenOpfer
Sep 11, 2012
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Teachers Union strike erupted over classic issues: an extended day, a new evaluation system and hiring and firing. Yet, somewhat classically, neither the union nor Chicago Public Schools has put forth research evidence to support their stance, writes Darleen Opfer.
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Teacher Incentives
announcement
American Educational Research Association Honors RAND Research with 'Outstanding Policy Report' Award
Apr 2, 2012
A RAND Education report, A Big Apple for Educators, will receive the first Outstanding Policy Report award from the American Educational Research Association. The report analyzes the Schoolwide Performance Bonus Program.
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commentary
Seeking New Approaches to Old Problems
Melissa Flournoy
Apr 9, 2009
Sun Herald - Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi
Mississippi can work to find smart ways to address the chronic social and economic problems that have plagued the state for decades — now, not in some far-flung future, writes Melissa Flournoy.
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Economic Development
commentary
Change Choices, Not Conversation
Melissa Flournoy
Aug 24, 2008
Monroe (LA) News Star
Too often we talk only about the ongoing challenges facing education, health care, transportation and economic development across the Gulf South — Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.... We need to determine new ways to work together across state lines to focus on solutions that will benefit the entire region, writes Melissa Flournoy.
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
commentary
Revamp NCLB to Fulfill Its Promise
Brian M. Stecher
Sep 16, 2007
Baltimore Sun
Research reveals that NCLB has flaws, but changes can be made that preserve its basic goals of school accountability and student improvement, writes Brian Stecher.
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Academic Achievement
commentary
Think It Through on Tests
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Mar 27, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published commentary by RAND staff: Think It Through on Tests, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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commentary
Straight Talk About a Report on Achievement at City Schools
Brian Gill, Jolley Christman
Feb 11, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published commentary by RAND staff: Straight Talk About a Report on Achievement at City Schools, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
commentary
'No Child' Leaves Too Much Behind
Brian M. Stecher
Sep 13, 2006
Washingtonpost.com
Published commentary by RAND staff: 'No Child' Leaves Too Much Behind, in Washingtonpost.com.
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commentary
Forum: Leaner Learning
Brian Gill
Dec 4, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff: Forum: Leaner Learning in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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commentary
Parents of Schoolchildren: Start Your Information Engines
Brian Gill, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Oct 10, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
My Dog Ate My Argument
Brian Gill, Steven L. Schlossman
Dec 11, 2003
Los Angeles Times
Today's emblem of terror is Osama bin Laden. If bin Laden were a fictional villain created by Hollywood, his death or capture would end the reign of terror he has visited upon the world. Al-Qaida would fold its tent. The violent jihad that bin Laden has endeavored to inspire and direct would fade away. And, as a result, the world would return to quieter and less threatening times.
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commentary
Test-Based Accountability: Making It Work Better
Brian M. Stecher, Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS
Feb 20, 2002
Education Week
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Test Schemes Look More Like Lotto Than Lessons
Brian M. Stecher
Sep 27, 2000
Los Angeles Times
Incentives may be effective if they target the right outcomes and encourage the right behaviors, but this set of tests and rewards has shortcomings on both fronts.
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