The American Educator Panels

The American Educator Panels (AEP) consist of the American Teacher Panel (ATP) and the American School Leader Panel (ASLP), which are nationally representative samples of educators who provide their feedback on important issues of educational policy and practice.

Young man writing on a whiteboard while students look on

Valuable Insights from Educators Across the Country

American Educator Panels logo

Through the AEP, RAND researchers take the pulse of the nation's educators on a regular basis—getting timely answers to questions surrounding policies like the Common Core Standards, student assessments, and professional development. Our panelists represent a wide range of teachers and school leaders working with diverse student populations and in districts of all sizes.

for example

  • Teachers

    A high school life sciences teacher from a small town outside of Springfield, Missouri, who has been teaching for five years

  • Principals

    A seasoned elementary educator who was recently hired as a principal at a NYC public elementary school

Learn more about our research methods

Data That Supports Classroom Success

AEP surveys tackle some of the greatest challenges facing the U.S. school system today. By bringing educators' perspectives to the forefront of decisionmaking, policies can be designed to better support schools, principals, teachers, and students.

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Featured Studies

  • Teacher grading homework at laptop in classroom

    Changes in What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era

    Since the Common Core State Standards were developed and launched in 2009, nearly all states have adopted them. How have these standards affected how U.S. teachers use instructional materials? And how do these changes differ between math and language arts teachers?

  • Math teacher and elementary students writing on a whiteboard

    How Well Do Math Teachers Follow Common Core State Standards?

    Teachers are eager to engage their students in Common Core State Standards for mathematics if they have the knowledge and tools they need to do so. They need access to high-quality instructional materials and help in distinguishing whether these materials are aligned with the standards.

  • A teacher, coach, and principal talking in a school hallway

    How Do Teachers Respond to Feedback?

    Education leaders across the United States have revised their policies in an effort to enhance the quality of teacher evaluation measures and instructional practices. A unique survey asked teachers about their perceptions of the feedback they receive and the evaluation systems at their schools.

Bringing educators' perspectives to the forefront of decisionmaking.

What our panelists are saying

  • Thank you for letting me give my thoughts on education. This is the only way I have a voice. In my district, I have been silenced or my words fall upon "broken antennae."

    - High school teacher from California

  • Thank you for the essential services you provide to further education for the students, teachers, and families of America.

    - Teacher from Louisiana

  • I wanted to just say thank you for allowing teachers across the country to participate in giving their opinions on many different topics that affect us and our students (many who challenge us daily!).

    - Grades 1-3 teacher from Delaware

Case Study: Lessons from Louisiana Teachers

The AEP can help decisionmakers understand current challenges—and inform future policy decisions. Findings from one AEP survey showed that Louisiana teachers are doing better than peers in other states when it comes to providing instruction aligned with state standards.

Louisiana teachers were more likely to consult classroom resources that address Common Core standards, and they reported teaching and thinking about instruction in ways different from teachers in other states.

These findings may be linked to the way state education officials in Louisiana have worked with teachers to help them understand and implement the standards, showing promise for using a similar model in other states.

Read more about AEP

Work with Us

Success in education depends on the knowledge and efforts of principals and teachers. If you are interested in fielding a survey or using one of our public data sets, contact the RAND team.

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