Featured Research

  • Students making their way through a hallway at Ridgeview STEM Junior High in Pickerington, Ohio, December 21, 2021, photo by Shane Flanigan/USA Today via Reuters

    School Districts Still Struggled in Year Three of the Pandemic

    Jul 19, 2022

    Ninety percent of school districts changed operations in 2021–2022 because of teacher shortages. They increased substitute teacher pay and their number of staff above prepandemic levels. They also struggled with political polarization around critical race theory, student and staff mental health, and student learning loss.

  • A gloved hard reaches out to pick up a orange from a conveyor belt.

    Is Los Angeles County Prepared for California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate?

    Jul 18, 2022

    Experts in food recovery discuss findings from a RAND study into Los Angeles County's preparedness for a new law which requires California to significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfills by 2025.

  • Southeastern Regional Superintendent Luis Lopes enters a special school committee meeting for superintendent candidates on April 5, 2022, photo by Marc Vasconcellos/USA Today via Reuters

    Superintendents Have High Job Satisfaction and Normal Turnover Rates

    Jul 12, 2022

    Although 95 percent of superintendents agreed that their job has gotten harder over the past decade, 85 percent of them were satisfied with their job as of spring 2022. The rate of those planning to leave their positions is on par with prepandemic levels.

  • People meeting in a career counseling office, photo by BullRun/Adobe Stock

    Career Services and College-Employer Partnership Practices in Community Colleges

    Jul 6, 2022

    The number of middle-skill jobs in STEM fields that require credentials but not a four-year college degree is growing. Community colleges play a key role in preparing students to fill these positions. How can states support colleges and their partnerships with employers?

  • A green wireframe model covers an actor's lower face during the creation of a synthetic facial reanimation video, aka a deepfake, in London, Britain, February 12, 2019, photo by Reuters TV

    The Threat of Deepfakes

    Jul 6, 2022

    Various AI technologies are ripe for use in disinformation campaigns. Deepfake videos represent an obvious threat, but voice cloning, deepfake images, and generative text also merit concern. And websites now offer access to deepfake services.

  • An M1A2 Abrams main battle tank fires during an exercise in Egypt

    Forecasting the Demand for U.S. Ground Forces

    Jul 6, 2022

    This interactive tool uses a dynamic forecasting model to project future demand for U.S. ground forces. The resulting forecasts can help inform U.S. military decisions regarding future force planning, posture, and investments.

  • Sacramento Capitol Building, California, USA

    The RAND State Firearm Law Database

    Jun 28, 2022

    As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, RAND developed a longitudinal data set of state and District of Columbia firearm laws from 1979 to 2022 to support improved analysis and understanding of the effects of gun laws.

  • A screen showing the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) which maps various types of opioid overdose responses entered into an app by first responders and is being adopted by police, July 19, 2017, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

    Giving Drug Policy Decisionmakers the Data They Need

    Jun 24, 2022

    Better data and analysis can help improve federal drug policy responses. With the appropriate funding, the United States could enhance its drug data infrastructure and ensure that drug policy is based on high-quality information.

  • A man waits for the subway at the Times Square stop in New York, December 19, 2012, photo by Andrew Burton/Reuters

    How Available and Accessible Are Mental Health Services in NYC?

    Jun 22, 2022

    Across the United States and in New York City in particular, the use of mental health services is low and care is not equitably distributed. Non-Hispanic white individuals are more likely to seek care than non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic individuals. Provider shortages and a lack of integration across service settings are two barriers, and COVID-19 exacerbated these challenges.

  • Two Prominent Computer Engineers Working with Programming Software on Personal Computer. In the Background Scientifically Advanced Research Center.

    Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Research Engagement with China

    Jun 22, 2022

    An independent and evidence-based study into UK academics' research engagement with China explored how and why UK academics engage with China on joint research activities with the goal of better understanding how UK research organizations manage any resulting risks.

  • The M-SHORAD system integrates guns, missiles, rockets, and sensors onto a Stryker A1 vehicle. It is designed to defend maneuvering forces against unmanned aircraft systems, rotary-wing, and residual fixed-wing threats, photo by Cpt. Jordan Allen/U.S. Army

    Determining the Military Capabilities Most Needed to Counter China and Russia

    Jun 22, 2022

    U.S. decisionmakers face difficult choices when investing scarce military resources into capabilities that can effectively thwart Russian and Chinese aggression. What is the blueprint for success?

  • A map of Los Angeles County with the words '88 Cities + the County". Graphic by Glory Film Co. Philanthropy

    California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: One Solution for Two Problems

    Jun 21, 2022

    Organic waste in landfills emits 20 percent of California's methane, and about 1.1 million tons of potentially donatable food were discarded in 2018. California's food recovery mandate, Senate Bill 1383, could make an important contribution toward mitigating the climate crisis and food insecurity.

  • A crowd of people standing in a star formation over a background of red stripes of a U.S. flag, images by adimas and bennymarty/Adobe Stock

    How a Nation's Social Condition Relates to Its Global Standing

    Jun 21, 2022

    Certain societal characteristics are associated with national competitive success, including national ambition and will, unified national identity, and shared opportunity. Where does the United States stand in those areas? And what trends are working to weaken traditional U.S. advantages?

  • The words "Los Angeles Food Recovery Study" appear over a panoramic shot of the LA skyline. Graphic by Glory Film Co. Philanthropy / Image by Motion Array

    Preparing for California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: Findings from the Los Angeles Food Recovery Study

    Jun 21, 2022

    Under a new state law, California must significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfill by 2025. Is Los Angeles County prepared for the new mandate?

  • Lockheed Martin employees work on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter production line in Fort Worth, Texas, December 24, 2012, photo by Defense Contract Management Agency

    Improving Defense Acquisition

    Jun 16, 2022

    Informed by 35 years of RAND research on defense acquisition, a new analysis describes overarching trends that affect DoD's acquisition system, outlines challenges in the acquisition process, and suggests improvements that might help address those challenges.

  • Two teachers walking and talking in a school corridor, photo by SolStock/Getty Images

    Rates of Stress Among Teachers and Principals Are Running High

    Jun 15, 2022

    U.S. teachers and principals are experiencing frequent job-related stress at a rate that is about twice that of the general population of working adults. Well-being is reported as especially poor among Hispanic/Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers and principals.

  • RAND researchers Jessie Riposo, Abbie Tingstad, Susan A. Resetar, and Jordan R. Fischbach.

    Climate Change and Implications for Disasters in the United States

    Jun 10, 2022

    Climate change is contributing to more frequent and more severe disasters. In this video, three RAND researchers discuss climate change and risks for disasters in the United States, drawing on examples from the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Northeast, and the Gulf states.

  • A young programmer working late at night, photo by gorodenkoff/Getty Images

    Comparing the Organizational Cultures of the Department of Defense and Silicon Valley

    Jun 9, 2022

    The U.S. Department of Defense seeks to work more effectively with Silicon Valley in order to better leverage artificial intelligence technology. What cultural differences might complicate DoD-Silicon Valley collaboration? And in what areas is there common ground?

  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts a reception in recognition of Eid, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., May 26, 2022, photo by Freddie Everett/U.S. State Department

    How Do Americans View Diplomacy and Diplomats?

    Jun 8, 2022

    A survey asked Americans what they think about diplomacy, the U.S. Foreign Service, and other officials who represent the nation abroad. Impressions were generally favorable, but some lacked understanding of what diplomats do, how they are selected, and the role of diplomacy in national security.

  • Social media network over a world map, composite image by denisismagilov and Piotr Krzeslak/Adobe Stock

    Map of Online Violent Extremist Rhetoric Can Inform Counter-Efforts

    Jun 7, 2022

    An analysis of White identity terrorism and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism discourse on social media finds that this content is largely created and fueled by users in the United States. A national strategy to counter these threats is needed.