From the RAND Blog

See below for the latest commentary from the RAND Education and Labor team. For a complete list of related blog content, see education posts and workforce posts on the RAND Blog.

  • Young Black woman working on a computer at home with her dog on her lap, photo by filadendron/Getty Images

    COVID-19 Brings Opportunity to Reassess Work Policies

    Aug 11, 2020

    As certain COVID-19 restrictions lift, and life for some begins to return to a “new normal,” employers may have the opportunity to rebuild work policies to better support those employees who want to continue working from home. This could produce well-being benefits for employees, without compromising on, and often increasing, productivity.

  • Preparing for a COVID-19 Election, Hurricane Response, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

    Aug 7, 2020

    This weekly recap focuses on preparing for a COVID-19 election, how the pandemic is affecting artists, North Korea's deadly artillery, and more.

  • People socially distance as they protest in support of laid-off hotel workers without health care amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Los Angeles, California, July 23, 2020, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    L.A. Has the Nation's Highest Unemployment. For Some Groups, It's Even Worse Than That.

    Aug 6, 2020

    Los Angeles and its neighboring counties are among the areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 recession. The shockingly high average unemployment rates only tell part of the story, however. For the poor and some racial and ethnic groups, the jobs picture is far worse.

  • Ballet dancer on stage in an empty theater, photo by vgajic/Getty Images

    The Pandemic Is a Disaster for Artists

    Aug 4, 2020

    The arts as we know them are likely to be shut down for the foreseeable future and the vast majority of artists have likely lost some or all of their income. How many artists are out of work, and what could be done to help them?

  • Students using laptops in class, with a teacher assisting one student, photo by Wavebreakmedia/Getty Images

    What Do Teachers Want to See in Automated Writing Evaluation Systems?

    Jul 28, 2020

    Automated writing evaluation systems offer a promising approach to relieving the burden of giving formative feedback to students on their writing. What do teachers want to see in these systems so that the technology can be integrated into their teaching, rather than “one more thing” added to their classroom schedules?

  • 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.

  • A man walks past the shuttered Richard Rodgers Theatre, home of the popular musical “Hamilton,” in New York, July 2, 2020, photo by Mike Segar/Reuters

    Arts and Cultural Workers Are Especially Vulnerable to the Pandemic

    Jul 23, 2020

    Workers in the arts and cultural industries could be especially vulnerable to the economic shocks of COVID-19. As the United States reopens and decides its future, it should recognize these vulnerabilities, as well as the benefits that the arts and cultural industries offer.

  • Children stand on smiley faces to maintain social distancing in the courtyard of a school in Paris, France, May 14, 2020, photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters

    How to Reopen Schools: Q&A with RAND Experts

    Jul 23, 2020

    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.

  • People line up outside a career center, hoping to find assistance with their unemployment claims, Frankfort, Kentucky, June 18, 2020, photo by Bryan Woolston/Reuters

    Is the U.S. Stuck with a Fixed Add-On for Unemployment?

    Jul 23, 2020

    When COVID-19 led to millions of Americans losing their jobs, Congress moved to increase unemployment benefits by $600 a week. What should happen when those extra benefits expire?

  • Kids playing soccer, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    California Could Develop Guidance to Reopen Youth Sports

    Jul 22, 2020

    There is growing evidence that long-term isolation from school closures has negative impacts on kids' physical and mental health and social development, with impacts potentially lasting for years. Youth sports can help to offset many of these negative impacts. California public health officials could prioritize the development of guidelines that would allow youth sports to reopen safely.

  • 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.

  • Mature Black women working on a computer at home, photo by Goodboy Picture Company/Getty Images

    National Security and Workplace Flexibility Aren't Incompatible After All

    Jul 17, 2020

    For years, the U.S. Defense Department dismissed workplace flexibility as being incompatible with national security. But during the pandemic, flexibility became a matter of survival for all employers, including Defense. The question now is whether it will keep recent adaptations or go back to its rigid ways.

  • Social distancing dividers for students in a classroom at St. Benedict School in Montebello, near Los Angeles, California, July 14, 2020, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    Back to School: Working Parents Will Need Help from Employers

    Jul 17, 2020

    Reopening schools would provide much-needed child care for parents who need to work, help feed 30 million U.S. children, and prevent further inequitable learning losses. But it also means exposing more kids to the virus. How can families and employers prepare for the disruptions that lie ahead?

  • Whitney Maddox and DeShaun Bradford stand in line with hundreds of others outside a career center in Frankfort, Kentucky, hoping for assistance with their unemployment claim, June 18, 2020, photo by Bryan Woolston/Reuters

    The Racial Disparity in Unemployment Benefits

    Jul 15, 2020

    Economic racial inequality in America cannot be solved through unemployment insurance, but it certainly shouldn't be exacerbated by it. And yet, Black workers are less financially supported during unemployment, simply by virtue of where they live.

  • Online Shopping, Living in a Riskier World, Stress in Communities: RAND Weekly Recap

    Jul 10, 2020

    This weekly recap focuses on Americans' online shopping habits during the pandemic, living in a riskier world, how stress builds in communities, and more.