Choice-Based Education Reform

commentary

How Parents Can Find Out What They Need to Know in an Era of School Choice

To make an informed choice about schools, parents need to know about the quality of instruction, services, and the overall school climate. Schools need a better system of measuring and collecting data on performance, and a way to make it accessible to families.

Andrew McEachin, Laura S. Hamilton

commentary

How School Choice Could Disadvantage Low-Income Students

The flexibility to allow Title I-A funds to follow students across schools has a certain appeal. But it could have negative consequences for some of the poorest students.

Andrew McEachin, Brian M. Stecher, et al.

commentary

Narrowing the Income Achievement Gap

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.

Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl

blog

What Do We Know About Charter Schools? Moving Beyond the Talking Points

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.

commentary

Parents of Schoolchildren: Start Your Information Engines

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Brian Gill, Laura S. Hamilton

commentary

Navigating Research on Alternative Schools

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Ron Zimmer, Christopher Nelson