Students

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Climate, Technology, Trust: Ways to Help Students Report Threats to Their School

When students or others don't know how to report a threat or aren't willing to do so, important opportunities to protect students may be missed. Schools receive little guidance about how to implement an effective reporting program or how to build a robust reporting culture. A recent research effort helps to fill this gap, highlighting seven key implications for school safety planning.

Pauline Moore, Brian A. Jackson

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Veterans Health Care, Media Literacy, Sleep Retreats: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the challenges of VA community care, the importance of improving middle schoolers' media literacy skills, tips to improve sleep, and more.

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Improving Media Literacy in Middle School

Middle schoolers can be savvy users of news and information—when they know where to look. But they're also easy marks for misinformation, disinformation, and trolls. Helping them find their way in today's media landscape is important both for their futures and for the future of democracy.

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State of the Union 2022: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine and Domestic Policy

In his first State of the Union address, President Joe Biden rebuked Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed to turn a page on the pandemic, and covered a wide range of domestic issues, including mental health care, prescription drug prices, and supporting veterans.

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Finding Teachers and Bus Drivers Is a Big Problem, but a Different Staffing Challenge Is Looming in School Districts

The majority of school districts report they don't have enough staff to hire, particularly substitutes, bus drivers, and special education teachers. A recent survey also revealed a major challenge for the superintendency. Only half of superintendents said they were likely to stay in their jobs for the long term.

Michael DeArmond, Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl, et al.

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News Manipulation, the Risk of Civil War, Russia and Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tracking news manipulation during the pandemic, the threat of another civil war, preventing health insurance loss, and more.

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North Korea, Sexual Violence in the U.S. Military, America's Labor Shortage: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, preventing sexual violence in the military, supporting immigrant children in U.S. schools, and more.

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Addressing Immigration Doesn't End at the Border—Schools Need Help

All children in the United States have a right to a public education, regardless of their immigration status. But schools are not funded or staffed adequately to support a growing student population or to handle sudden surges in enrollment due to large numbers of displaced children arriving at the border.

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

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Parenting During the Pandemic: Communicating with Children About COVID-19

School and nursery closures, lockdowns, and ongoing pandemic restrictions brought huge changes to children and families. The way parents communicated with their children about these events was vital in helping children to cope.

Lucy Gilder, Emma Leenders

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Next Year's Freshman: How Corequisites Might Help Address COVID-19 Learning Loss

As states and colleges look to address learning loss due to COVID-19, it is important that they not turn to traditional models of remediation that prevent students from directly entering college coursework. Instead, they should look to new, effective models of corequisite support.

Lindsay Daugherty, Trey Miller

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The Remote Learning Paradox: Some Educators, Parents Want to Keep Online Classes Option Even Though Instruction Suffered

Despite remote learning not going particularly well during the pandemic, about one-third of U.S. schools are keeping it as an option. Is remote learning a pandemic blip or a permanent feature of public education moving ahead?

Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman, Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl, et al.

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Making Preschool Investments Count Through the American Families Plan

The American Families Plan would address disparities in preschool access by adding $200 billion for high-quality preschool for all three- and four-year-olds. How can we make sure that this historic investment, if approved by Congress, counts?

Lynn A. Karoly, Jill S. Cannon

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Building an Evidence Base for High School Improvement Will Require Concerted Effort Among Policymakers, School Systems, Researchers, and Funders

The ultimate goal of every education intervention is to help enable students to achieve their fullest potential. Relatively few interventions suited for high schools are supported by evidence of positive effects. Research that is able to provide sound evidence about effectiveness is more important than ever.

Jonathan Schweig, Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, et al.

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The American Rescue Plan Is a Chance to Support Students with Disabilities. Here Are Some Investments Worth Considering

National surveys of K–12 teachers provide insight into challenges for effectively educating students with disabilities during the pandemic and beyond. Understanding these challenges can help identify important funding options to address gaps.

Laura Stelitano, Melissa Kay Diliberti, et al.

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China's Disappeared Uyghurs: What Satellite Images Reveal

At least one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have vanished into a sprawling network of camps and prisons in China's far west. Satellite images show brightly lit compounds, wall after wall of barbed wire, and a sudden rush to build what appear to be fortified preschools.