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Education Legislation

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Seven Takeaways on How Teachers Are Reacting to Restrictions on Discussing Race and Gender
U.S. teachers say they are experiencing limitations on a variety of topics many people consider to be controversial or sensitive, above and beyond race and gender. So how are teachers in the United States reacting?
May 17, 2024

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How the 'Ostrich Europe' Scenario Could Help Guide EU Education Policy
A future scenarios approach can help identify different ways in which the future may plausibly unfold. Seeing how policies implemented now play out in the different scenarios can show us what the possible implications of policy decisions could be. This in turn can contribute to evidence-based policy making.
Jan 13, 2020
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How Work-Based Learning Can Bring Employers and Students Together
Work-based learning experiences help college grads better prepare for work. WBL programs often serve as a workforce pipeline for companies. WBL is also successful at the K–12 level and at
Jul 24, 2019
essay

Social and Emotional Learning Prepares Students for Life
The goal of social and emotional learning is to give students the skills they need to work in teams, communicate their ideas, and manage their emotions. Research can help educators determine which programs work and which ones qualify for federal funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Aug 27, 2018
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How States and Districts Can Leverage the Every Student Succeeds Act to Improve School Leadership
The Every Student Succeeds Act provides states and districts with new chances to invest in school leadership. A review of interventions can serve as a starting point to enact relevant solutions and build the evidence base for what works.
Dec 12, 2016
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The Opt-Out Reckoning
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?
May 10, 2016
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The High Stakes of 'Soft Skills'
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.
Apr 7, 2016
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Strengthening Our Democracy Starts in School
The teaching of civics and other social studies courses has hit hard times in most states, driven in part by accountability systems that reward schools for math and reading scores. Yet civic education is critical to the stability of our democracy and seems warranted now more than ever.
Dec 17, 2015
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Implementing Education Reforms to Enhance School Performance
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.
Nov 13, 2015
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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.
Sep 1, 2015
blog

The 2015 Summer Reading List for Congress
With Capitol Hill slowing for August recess, this list of must-read research and commentaries will help ensure that policymakers are ready to dive right back in this fall.
Aug 5, 2015
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Reauthorizing ESEA: What We Know and Where We Should Go with School Improvement
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.
Feb 11, 2015
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Reauthorizing ESEA: Four Recommendations to Improve Teaching Effectiveness
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.
Feb 3, 2015
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Making Room for New Approaches: Recommendations for ESEA Reauthorization That Support Innovation
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.
Jan 27, 2015
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Reauthorizing ESEA: Four Recommendations to Make Testing Work
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.
Jan 21, 2015
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Flexibility Is Key in Administration's Call for Teacher Equity Plans
Metrics like teacher experience and licensure reveal little about teachers' impact on student learning. The focus should be on disadvantaged students' access to effective teachers.
Aug 22, 2014
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The Long-Term Benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill for Military and Veteran Families
Almost 450,000 servicemembers have elected to transfer some portion of their GI Bill benefits, predominantly to their children. These numbers suggest the extent of the Bill's potential effects on social mobility and post-secondary educational attainment for the next generation.
May 14, 2014
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Post-9/11 GI Bill: A Good Investment in Our Veterans Can Be Better
To better tailor the benefits to the actual needs of veterans, it is important to determine how much the implementation has really improved, and if there are lessons that can be drawn to improve future initiatives. Of critical concern is whether veterans have the information they need to take the best advantage of their GI Bill benefits.
Nov 8, 2013
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Making Colleges More Affordable
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.
Aug 26, 2013
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Are High-Stakes Tests Counterproductive?
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.
Apr 22, 2013
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Taking Stock on the Anniversary of 'No Child Left Behind'
While “No Child Left Behind” aims to improve schools, Congress can improve the law. Flexibility and capacity are crucial, particularly for struggling schools, writes Brian Stecher.
Jan 10, 2013
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No Child Left Behind, Act II
The bill's eleventh anniversary presents an opportunity to consider what the evidence tells us about how to make NCLB more effective.
Jan 8, 2013
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Children Left Behind with Brown's Cuts to Programs
Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget for the next fiscal year slices funds from established, successful programs that for decades have helped California's youngest and most at-risk children gain a foothold in their own educations.
Jun 24, 2012
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Colleges Can Learn from For-Profits' Emphasis on the Consumer
Though for-profit institutions had been criticized in the Senate report as offering credits that were hard to transfer elsewhere, it was the colleges' willingness to accept military transcripts that appealed to veterans who wanted to complete their degrees as fast as possible, writes Jennifer Steele.
Feb 9, 2012
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Why We Need to Study the Tutors
Based on the results of statewide standardized tests, more than 15 percent of U.S. schools are in need of improvement. The students attending these schools need help, writes Megan Beckett.
Jan 20, 2010
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Revamp NCLB to Fulfill Its Promise
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.
Sep 16, 2007
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The Limits of Average Test Scores
The Limits of Average Test Scores, in Pittsburgh Business Times on May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007
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'No Child' Leaves Too Much Behind
Published commentary by RAND staff: 'No Child' Leaves Too Much Behind, in Washingtonpost.com.
Sep 13, 2006
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Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar
Published commentary by RAND staff: Benefits of Preschool Come with Every Dollar, in the Los Angeles Times.
Apr 26, 2006
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Parents of Schoolchildren: Start Your Information Engines
Published commentary by RAND staff.
Oct 10, 2004
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Test-Based Accountability: Making It Work Better
Published commentary by RAND staff.
Feb 20, 2002

Quoted

The [Israel-Hamas] war has exacerbated a divide in American politics. Historically, Israel enjoyed wide bipartisan support. That's no longer the case with more progressives and younger voters questioning this core tenet of U.S. foreign policy. The Gaza war has certainly exacerbated this shift and it's going to continue to influence the politics of American support for years to come

Raphael S. Cohen

Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE, and Director of the Pardee RAND Graduate School National Security Program
Source: rand.org
While there have sometimes been intense policy debates, American support for Israel was historically bipartisan. Judging by the reaction to the Gaza war at many of the leading college campuses—the crucible of future leaders—Western attitudes will only further harden against Israel. Israel has an American problem that it will struggle to effectively address.

Brian Michael Jenkins

Senior Adviser to the RAND President
Source: rand.org