Featured Research

  • Adam Kern, principal of Clarkston Junior High School in Michigan, checks students' temperatures during a field trip, Sterling, Virginia, June 18, 2021, photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

    How Were Principals Doing One Year into the Pandemic?

    Four out of five secondary school principals reported experiencing frequent job-related stress during the 2020–2021 school year. As the pandemic persists, what could help reduce the burden on school leaders?

    Jan 26, 2022

  • A person sits at a desk inside of a mobile FEMA command center after tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in downtown Dawson Springs, Kentucky, December 14, 2021, photo by Jon Cherry/Reuters

    Harassment and Discrimination in the FEMA Workforce

    Changing organizational culture and climate is no easy task. As the result of an employee survey, FEMA now has an estimate of the prevalence of harassment and discrimination based on sex/gender and race/ethnicity. This data can serve as a yardstick against which to measure change efforts.

    Jan 20, 2022

  • Military vehicles cross a floating pontoon bridge built over the Oka River as part of a joint military exercise held in Murom, Russia, July 28, 2021, photo by Alexander Ryumin/TASS/Alamy

    Deterrence and Escalation in Competition with Russia

    U.S. forward military posture has the potential to deter Russian hostile measures such as economic coercion, political subversion, and military intimidation. But employed inappropriately, it could also provoke them. What can the United States do to reduce the likelihood of escalation?

    Jan 20, 2022

  • The Embarked Security Team (EST) on Board USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7), along with Sailors from Coastal Riverine Squadron THREE's (CRS-3) boarded on Riverine Command Boats (RCBs), defend the vessel using dazzler non-lethal weapon and blank rounds during a simulated attack as it departs to support ships during Rim of the Pacific 2016. Twenty-six nations, comprising over 40 ships and submarines and over 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th iteration in the series that began in 1971 and is the world's largest international maritime exercise, photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Martin Wright/U.S. Navy

    How to Effectively Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons as Intermediate Force Capabilities

    The U.S Department of Defense needs to be able to assess the tactical, operational, and strategic impact of non-lethal weapons to inform how and when they should be used and their integration into overall DoD capabilities. How do non-lethal weapons contribute to overarching DoD goals?

    Jan 18, 2022

  • U.S. Navy Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Daniel Mendoza (center) observes Sierra Leonean service members as they plot a navigational course during a training session in Freetown, Sierra Leone, August 18, 2010, photo by MC1 Jeffery Tilghman Williams/U.S. Navy

    U.S. Security Governance and Competition Objectives in Africa

    Institutional capacity-building (ICB) efforts have been critical to achieving U.S. security objectives in Africa. But as U.S. policy shifts from counterterrorism to strategic competition, could ICB programs also help the United States gain influence in Africa?

    Jan 18, 2022

  • Marines with Marine Corps Recruiting Command march in the cake for the 246th Marine Corps birthday at the Clubs of Quantico, Virginia, November 4, 2021, photo by Lance Cpl. Jennifer Sanchez/U.S. Marine Corps

    How the Pandemic Affected Military Recruitment and Retention

    Military recruiting and retention activities are typically conducted in person, but with COVID-19–related stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements, the armed services had to quickly adapt their policies and procedures or risk missing their end strength objectives.

    Jan 18, 2022

  • Female student taking notes while wearing face mask, photo by FG Trade/Getty Images

    Changes in College and Career Readiness Supports During the First Year of COVID-19

    Emerging evidence suggests that high school students' postsecondary aspirations and their engagement with school counselors have changed during the pandemic. What were some of the perceived barriers to supports for postsecondary transitions?

    Jan 12, 2022

  • Iraqi army force are seen in frontline to fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in Khrbadan village in the city of Qayyarah, 55 km south of Mosul, Iraq, on April 9, 2016, photo by Yaser Jawad/Xinhua/Alamy Live News

    Iraqi Army Will to Fight

    In summer 2014, the Iraqi Army imploded, breaking and scattering in the face of attacks from Islamic State fighters. How can U.S. advisors help strengthen Iraqi Army will to fight and overall combat effectiveness?

    Jan 11, 2022

  • Corner Market cashier Effren Luckett (right) wears a mask while serving customers that don't always do the same in Jackson, Mississippi, October 26, 2021, photo by Barbara Gauntt/USA Today via Reuters

    Workers' Compensation and COVID-19

    As the pandemic continues, states vary on whether or how to allow workers to seek compensation for a COVID-19 diagnosis. It's too early to know the full costs, effects, and efficacy of these efforts, but now is a good time for policymakers to consider all the arguments for and against coverage.

    Jan 11, 2022

  • Airman Dalton Shank, 5th Bomb Wing public affairs specialist, reads pamphlets on the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., March 10, 2017, photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Akers/National Guard

    How Do Education Benefits Support Veterans’ Transitions to Civilian Life?

    Today’s new veterans have access to generous and flexible education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of these benefits and who is using them. Additional research could help address these gaps and improve understanding of veterans’ needs.

    Jan 10, 2022

  • Lightbulbs with technology symbols inside, photo by MF3d/Getty Images

    RAND's Impact: Year in Review 2021

    RAND President and CEO Michael Rich offers a year-end assessment of RAND's impact, highlighting ways in which the organization's findings and recommendations are helping to improve the health, security, and prosperity of individuals and communities throughout the world. This Year in Review reflects on RAND's achievements in 2021.

    Jan 7, 2022

  • A man shakes a woman's hand at a job fair in Clarksville, Tennessee, March 6, 2020, photo by Casey Williams/Clarksville Now

    A More Accurate Way to Predict Recidivism Risk in Background Checks

    Roughly 30 percent of people in the United States have criminal histories, so exclusions resulting from background checks can foreclose job and other opportunities for many. But what if it were possible to show that some people pose a low risk of recidivism?

    Jan 6, 2022

  • A white supremacist protester is escorted away in handcuffs by a sheriff during a demonstration in Paris, Texas, July 21, 2009, photo by Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters

    Can Extremism Be Addictive?

    Why do former extremists feel drawn back to radical ideological thoughts and long for reengagement with the movements they left? Is it like an addiction? There could be opportunities to apply lessons from addiction research and treatment to efforts to counter hate and violent extremism.

    Jan 5, 2022

  • The launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile during a test at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, February 5, 2020, photo by SrA Clayton Wear/U.S. Air Force

    Weighing the Cost and Necessity of Nuclear Modernization

    The United States has fielded a Triad of air-, sea-, and land-based nuclear delivery systems since the 1950s. Major components are nearing the end of their service lives, raising the question of whether to extend or replace them. Meanwhile, Russia and China continue to modernize, diversify, and expand their nuclear arsenals.

    Jan 3, 2022

  • Signs on a door to a school gym point students to wait in line to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Photo by Phil Roeder/Flickr

    Early Insights from the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative

    Vaccination rates among communities that identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) continue to lag relative to the total population. To increase vaccine confidence and access for these populations, the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative employs hyper-local, community-led strategies.

    Dec 20, 2021

  • Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers, director of the RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy, presents in a video at the 13th Geneva Forum on December 15, 2021,.

    Centering Participatory Action Research in Racial Equity and Global Justice

    Rhianna C. Rogers, director of the RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy, presented to the 13th Geneva Forum on December 15, 2021, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Dec 15, 2021

  • Spouses of soldiers participate in a Spouse Spur Ride at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, November 15, 2008, photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts/U.S. Army

    How Do Army Spouses Find the Help They Need?

    The U.S. Army provides many resources to help soldiers and their families cope with military life. But Army spouses typically learn about services through word-of-mouth rather than through program outreach efforts. The Army could do more to get the word out about available assistance.

    Dec 15, 2021

  • Students wear masks during class to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, September 1, 2021, photo by Nick Oxford/Reuters

    How Social and Emotional Learning Works in Innovative Schools

    Social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for preparing students for college and career success. Opportunity by Design high schools provide a unique perspective on what implementation of integrated, schoolwide SEL can look like when it is a core design feature from school inception.

    Dec 14, 2021

  • Members of the Iowa National Guard load vehicles during railhead operations at Camp Shelby, Miss., photo by Sean Taylor/U.S. Army

    Weighing the Trade-Offs of U.S. Military Interventions

    Military interventions can be effective at advancing U.S. interests in some contexts and situations. But they can have the opposite effect in other cases, creating long-term entanglements and increasing economic and strategic costs without realizing U.S. objectives.

    Dec 13, 2021

  • Young female surgeon putting on her mask, photo by Anna Bizon/Adobe Stock

    Female Physicians Earn $2 Million Less Than Male Physicians Over Their Careers

    RAND researchers used data from 80,342 full-time U.S. physicians to estimate career differences in income between men and women. They found that, over a simulated 40-year career, female physicians earned about $2 million less than male physicians.

    Dec 10, 2021