Gulf Coast States

commentary

How Florida's Expansion of 'Don't Say Gay' Law Will Hurt Students and Teachers Across the United States

Policies restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and representation of LGBTQ+ individuals are likely to make schools less welcoming to America's estimated two million LGBTQ+ youth. Policymakers should develop policies that cultivate learning and work environments where all students and educators feel safe and valued.

Ashley Woo, Melissa Kay Diliberti

commentary

Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach

The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.

Daphna Bassok, Laura Bellows, et al.

commentary

What Can FEMA Learn from the Historic 2017 Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons?

When a hurricane comes ashore or a wildfire ignites, most of a community's vulnerability to disaster is already set. Emergency managers including FEMA, states, and localities could do much more to identify statewide risks and build community resilience before an event makes headlines.

Jason Thomas Barnosky, Patrick S. Roberts @RamblingRoberts, et al.

blog

Best RAND Videos of 2019

At RAND, we examine complex issues in dozens of policy areas. And when our researchers aren't busy coming up with solutions to some of the world's biggest problems, sometimes they step in front of the camera to highlight their findings. Here are our top videos of 2019.

blog

How Americans Get the News, Iran, Caregiving: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how Americans consume the news, U.S.–Iranian relations, how federal disability payments help caregivers, and more.

commentary

Elevating Teacher Voices, Along with Their Salaries to Professionalize Teaching in Louisiana

Salary raises have a direct impact on teachers' day-to-day lives. But efforts like those in Louisiana to elevate teachers' voices, and not just their salaries, are more likely to make a real difference for the teaching profession by creating a clear career ladder. The state's efforts could also be cultivating a teaching force that is providing students with the curricula and instruction they need to achieve at higher levels.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman

commentary

Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field

Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to abuse. The same was true in the tomato fields of Florida until recently. The solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by workers in Europe.

Susan L. Marquis

blog

Hong Kong, Education Reform, Baghdad: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on lessons for state education reform, retaining women in the U.S. Coast Guard, recounting the Battle for Baghdad, and more.

blog

Opioids, Summer Learning, Immigration: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites, helping schools build better summer learning programs, America's overwhelmed immigration system, and more.

commentary

Overlapping Environmental Disasters Put a Strain on Gulf Communities

For Gulf Coast residents, dealing with the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is challenging enough. With the Taylor Energy spill, they may face an even more daunting recovery, one that could take decades. Acknowledging the extent and complexity of recovery is the first step toward supporting coastal communities to build their resilience in the face of overlapping disasters.

Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane

commentary

Louisiana's Education System Is Evolving: Here's What Parents Need to Know

Louisiana has taken big steps to improve its education policies and the education of the state's children, from birth to grade 12. Parents can help their children benefit from the reforms by being informed about the changes and knowing how to take advantage of new resources.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Jill S. Cannon, et al.

q&a

Justice for Florida Farmworkers: Q&A with Susan Marquis

In her new book, Susan Marquis takes readers inside the fight in Florida tomato fields. She traces the history and victories of a grassroots group of farmworkers and community leaders who wrested better wages and working conditions from major tomato growers and their corporate buyers.

commentary

How to Rebuild After This Year's Hurricane Season? Invest in Resilience

Investing in resilience in an informed and systematic way can help a wide range of high-risk communities be better prepared for any future disasters.

Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane

commentary

Why Houstonians Didn't Buy Flood Insurance

Thousands of Houston-area homeowners will face massive, uninsured losses due to flood damage. Few homeowners buy flood insurance unless they are required to, and it's only mandatory for homes with mortgages located in FEMA-defined high-risk flood zones. People tend to ignore low-probability risks.

Lloyd Dixon, Noreen Clancy

essay

Is Suicide Preventable? Insights from Research

Conventional wisdom about suicide prevention suggests that one just needs to know what warning signs to look for. But that's not the case.