Skip to page content

Educational Equity

Summer Learning
commentary
Commit Now to Get Summer Programming Right
Heather L. Schwartz, Catherine H. Augustine, Jennifer Sloan McCombs
Apr 15, 2021
The RAND Blog
Summer programs, when targeted to needs, intentionally designed, and well-attended, produce positive outcomes for children in math and reading. But they need federal support, and require early planning to make them worthwhile.
Read More »

Students
commentary
Unpacking COVID-19's Long-Term Effects on Students
Jonathan Schweig, Andrew McEachin, Megan Kuhfeld
Dec 29, 2020
The RAND Blog
The pandemic has created an unprecedented set of obstacles for schools and exacerbated existing structural inequalities in public education. It may take years to understand how COVID-19 affected student learning and social and emotional development and to identify any lasting effects on low-income communities and communities of color.
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
Teleworking During the COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Educational Inequity
Jason M. Ward
Dec 23, 2020
The RAND Blog
The ability to telework is associated with both reduced risk of COVID-19 infection and with significantly lower risk of job loss. There are large disparities in who is able to telework by race and ethnicity—but even larger ones by educational attainment.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
The Most Popular RAND Research of 2020
Dec 21, 2020
Here are the RAND research projects that resonated most in 2020, a year unlike any in living memory. Topics include remote learning, election disinformation, income inequality, and more.
Read More »
Information Operations
blog
Election Interference on Twitter, Insulin Prices, Remote Learning: RAND Weekly Recap
Oct 9, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on evidence of interference in the 2020 election on Twitter, U.S. insulin prices compared to those of other countries, how parents can help their kids' education stay on track during the pandemic, and more.
Read More »
Information Operations
blog
How Russia Targets U.S. Elections, Black Workers and COVID-19, TikTok: RAND Weekly Recap
Oct 2, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on how Russia targets U.S. elections, Americans' increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic, Black workers and COVID-19, and more.
Read More »
Health Care Cost Inflation
blog
Health Care Price Transparency, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Gun Laws: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 25, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on what private health plans pay compared to what Medicare pays, when COVID-19's global spread really began, laws that could reduce firearm deaths, and more.
Read More »
Educational Facilities
commentary
Schools Need to Be Planning for the Next 9 Months, Not the Next 9 Weeks
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Shanthi Nataraj, Jenna W. Kramer @j_w_kramer
Sep 8, 2020
The Hill
Schools cannot simply wait out this pandemic, nor will short-term planning and ad-hoc infrastructure get them successfully through this academic year. If schools are to minimize educational losses, large-scale investments should be made now.
Read More »
Democracy
blog
Summer Reading List for Congress
Aug 18, 2020
During the August recess Hill staff should have an opportunity to step back from the fast pace of votes and hearing preparation to examine priorities for the fall and beyond. This list of must-read research and commentary covers some policy issues they will likely be addressing after the break.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Reopenining Schools, Affordable Housing, Unemployment: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 24, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on the debate about reopening schools, how a decline in commercial real estate demand could help address the housing crisis, challenges facing the U.S. unemployment system, and more.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
q&a
How to Reopen Schools: Q&A with RAND Experts
Jul 23, 2020
The RAND Blog
The debate over opening U.S. schools is growing more heated by the day. In this Q&A, RAND researchers discuss the different approaches for reopening, how online learning went in the spring, ways to help disadvantaged students, and more.
Read More »
Summer Learning
blog
COVID Learning Loss, Russian Trolls, Artificial Intelligence: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 17, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on helping students recover learning losses, fighting Russian trolls, racial disparity in unemployment benefits, the race for AI leadership, and more.
Read More »
Educational Equity
essay
The COVID Slide: How to Help Students Recover Learning Losses
Jul 9, 2020
Research shows that summer breaks contribute to income-based achievement and opportunity gaps for youth. How can we use what we know about summer learning to help kids in the age of COVID-19?
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
Three Steps States Could Take to Make Sure Learning Is More Equitable Should Schools Close Again in the Fall
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman
Jun 30, 2020
The RAND Blog
The quality of remote instruction depends on whether students can connect and interact with educators online. But poverty is a major driver of who gets high-quality online instruction and who doesn't. What can states do in this new reality?
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
The Five Common Myths About Inclusive Education
Susie Lee, Axelle Devaux @AxelleDevaux
Jun 23, 2020
EU Reporter
Rising levels of social inequality and diversity in Europe have made social inclusion a priority for the European Union. However, it remains a challenge to ensure access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for all children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Read More »
Educational Technology
commentary
New Tool Helps Educators Know How Well Students Are Taking Ownership of Learning Online and What Can Be Done to Support Them
Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner
Jun 8, 2020
The RAND Blog
The Measuring and Improving Student-Centered Learning Toolkit lets high school leaders and teachers gather information about the extent to which student-centered learning is happening remotely now, and plan for improvements to student-centered learning in the future.
Read More »
Education Curriculum
commentary
New Teacher Survey Shows That Digital Materials Were Not Optimal Before the Pandemic. Now That They Are Front and Center, How Should They Be Used?
Katie Tosh, Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman
May 4, 2020
The RAND Blog
Schools and teachers can support student learning during the COVID-19 crisis by considering how to keep curricula front and center alongside a set of targeted digital materials that connect with curricula and can keep students learning, engaged, and connected to their school support systems.
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
Digital Learning Needs to Benefit All Children When Schools Close
Axelle Devaux @AxelleDevaux
May 4, 2020
EU Reporter
Three factors are essential for any digital learning method. First, it must be inclusive. Second, it should support the learning experience, not replace it. And third, evidence of what works should inform digital learning interventions.
Read More »
College-Bound Students
commentary
Is It Time to Rethink the Separation Between the High School and Postsecondary Systems?
Julie Edmunds, Fatih Unlu @fatih_unlu_R, Elizabeth J. Glennie, Brian Phillips, Nina Arshavsky
Apr 16, 2020
Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard
We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. But just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.
Read More »
Education Curriculum
q&a
Schools Pivot Online in Wake of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts
Apr 2, 2020
The RAND Blog
Nearly all school-age children in the United States are no longer in the classroom as districts shut down to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. RAND education researchers discuss how this situation might exacerbate educational inequities, how districts and teachers are innovating and what they need, and what parents can do.
Read More »
Social and Emotional Learning
commentary
How Do You Measure Social and Emotional Learning?
Jeremy Taylor, Laura S. Hamilton
Mar 28, 2019
The Hechinger Report
As the desire to improve SEL for all students grows, it is increasingly important to measure its effectiveness. But the field has lacked an organized method of identifying, choosing, and using the best assessments to measure students' competencies. Two newly developed tools can help.
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
High-Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs Are Worthy of Investment
Jennifer Sloan McCombs, Anamarie A. Whitaker
Nov 19, 2018
Youth Today
High-quality out-of-school-time programs can benefit youth, and tend to produce outcomes linked to program content. Funders and policymakers could maximize benefits of these programs by providing adequate resources and funding to support quality programming. It could be a wise investment for America's youth.
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
Making Education a Reality for All Children in Europe
Barbara Janta, Milda Butkute
Oct 4, 2018
E!Sharp
Access to education is a fundamental children's right in the EU and is guaranteed under a variety of legal and policy frameworks. Despite many approaches and initiatives adopted across the EU, a number of challenges remain concerning the development of effective long-term education measures for migrant children.
Read More »
Racial Discrimination
commentary
Discipline Disparities and Discrimination in Schools
Nathan Barrett, Andrew McEachin, Jonathan Mills, Jon Valant
Nov 21, 2017
Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard
In the United States, black and poor students are suspended at much higher rates than their white and non-poor peers. While the existence of these disparities is not controversial, how to interpret the disparities is bitterly disputed.
Read More »
Secondary Education
commentary
What's Behind Record High School Graduation Rates? It's Complicated
Laura S. Hamilton
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?
Read More »
Postsecondary Education
commentary
The High Cost of Free College
Trey Miller
Aug 1, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Tuition subsidies may encourage institutions to raise tuition, since the government would foot the bill. One possible solution: develop and implement policies that encourage greater productivity from higher education institutions.
Read More »
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.
Read More »
Title I (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
commentary
How School Choice Could Disadvantage Low-Income Students
Andrew McEachin, Brian M. Stecher, Grace Evans
Sep 1, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
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.
Read More »
Immigrants and Emigrants
commentary
Should Undocumented Immigrant Youth Pay In-State Tuition to Attend College?
Robert Bozick
Jul 28, 2015
The RAND Blog
Undocumented children are entitled to free primary and secondary public education everywhere in the United States, regardless of their legal status. But when they finish high school, their options for college vary depending on the state in which they live.
Read More »
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.
Read More »
Workforce Diversity
blog
Scientific Workforce Diversity: A Conversation with Raynard Kington
Apr 28, 2015
Grinnell College president and RAND alumnus Raynard Kington discusses the need for (and reality of) diversity in the biomedical scientific workforce.
Read More »
Educational Technology
essay
Tech for Tots
Jan 20, 2015
When it comes to youngsters and technology use, how much is too much? How young is too young? RAND is on the case, to help prepare children for success in school and life.
Read More »
Postsecondary Education
commentary
America's College Promise: Meeting the Higher Education Challenge
Trey Miller, Holly Kosiewicz
Jan 19, 2015
The RAND Blog
President Obama's proposal to cover the costs of two years of community college offers hope to many American students, but two key challenges should be addressed: meeting the needs of underprepared students and devising a system to smooth the transfer of credits from one institution to another.
Read More »
College-Bound Students
commentary
Cost of College in the United States
Marlon Graf
Jan 16, 2015
EduTech Magazine
For middle- to lower-income families in the U.S., in particular, the costs associated with attending a four-year university are becoming nearly impossible to bear. More and more students are ending up with significant debt after graduating from college, putting financial pressure on them at the outset of their professional careers.
Read More »
College-Bound Students
commentary
College Ratings and Affordable Education
Rafiq Dossani
Dec 24, 2014
The RAND Blog
There are reasons to believe American students from the middle- and lower-income tiers aren't making affordable college choices. Can a new ratings system help them make better, more affordable decisions?
Read More »
Teachers and Teaching
commentary
Helping Teachers Overcome Technology Barriers in Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Nov 21, 2014
The RAND Blog
When it comes to helping children appreciate the benefits of using technology in a classroom setting, early childhood education providers play a critical role integrating that technology appropriately, intentionally, and productively. But these educators face myriad barriers to fulfilling these roles.
Read More »
Educational Technology
commentary
Access to Technology Is Key to Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Nov 4, 2014
The RAND Blog
For children from all income classes to benefit from the proper use of technology in early childhood education, providers, families, and children themselves must have access to an adequate technology infrastructure, including devices, connectivity, and software.
Read More »
Early Childhood Education
blog
The Role of Technology in the Lives of Children
Lindsay Daugherty, Rafiq Dossani
Oct 10, 2014
On a typical day, children ages 3-5 spend an average of four hours with technology, and technology use is increasing among children of all ages. Debates about the role of technology in early childhood education are ongoing, with some providers, parents, and others yet to be convinced of its potential benefits.
Read More »
Teacher Effectiveness
commentary
Flexibility Is Key in Administration's Call for Teacher Equity Plans
Jennifer L. Steele, John Engberg, Brian M. Stecher
Aug 22, 2014
The RAND Blog
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.
Read More »
Summer Learning
blog
Ask Me Anything: Catherine Augustine on Summer Learning
Jul 3, 2014
With summer now underway, RAND's Catherine Augustine hosted an
Read More »
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.
Read More »
Educational Technology
blog
RAND Convenes Experts to Examine Role of Technology in Early Childhood Education
Lindsay Daugherty
Jun 4, 2014
The forum focused on several key issues underlying successful integration of technology into early childhood settings, including the goals that should be established for technology use, the infrastructure that is needed to support effective technology use, and the role of teachers and parents in facilitating technology use.
Read More »
Preschool
commentary
To Eliminate the 'Readiness Gap,' Preschool Is Just the Beginning
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
Nov 26, 2013
RAND Review
Preschool for four-year-olds should be as common as kindergarten is for five-year-olds. Ultimately, the goal should be the elimination of the readiness gap through expanded access to preschool, written materials in the home, and technology that could improve delivery of such materials.
Read More »
Educational Equity
commentary
Preserving Access and Quality in an Era of Rising University Tuition Fees
Charles A. Goldman, Megan Clifford, Lindsay Daugherty
Sep 28, 2012
wise-qatar.org
Many countries have long traditions of full or partial government funding for higher education, but as they struggle with fiscal pressures, they seek ways to shift costs to users. Implementing greater cost sharing without coherent policies to mitigate its impact on students and institutions threatens to worsen both student access and institutional quality.
Read More »