RAND Gulf States Newsletter

The RAND Gulf States newsletter delivers the latest RAND research important to the Gulf States region. Topics include community resilience, health, education, infrastructure, and the environment.

Latest Issue

  • November 2020

    The latest issue of this quarterly newsletter focuses on the effects of widespread and lengthy school closures across the country and the Gulf States region. The newsletter features a Q&A with RAND's Heather Schwartz.

Browse Past Newsletters

  • July 2020

    The latest issue of this quarterly newsletter highlights a new study on the mental health, economic, and community distress associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The newsletter features a Q&A with RAND's Melissa Finucane.

  • October 2019

    The latest issue of this quarterly newsletter spotlights a program designed to help New Orleans develop the skilled workforce it needs and get people into the meaningful jobs they want. The newsletter features a Q&A with RAND's Matthew Baird and Gabriella Gonzalez, who recently assessed the program and its outcomes.

  • May 2019

    The latest issue spotlights what neighborhoods and cities can do to improve bike safety, featuring a Q&A with senior behavioral/social scientist Liisa Ecola.

  • February 2019

    The latest issue spotlights opportunities and challenges related to helping older adults prepare for and recover from natural and other kinds of disasters, featuring a Q&A with Joie Acosta.

  • October 2018

    The latest issue spotlights severe storms and building for a safer future, featuring a Q&A with Ben Preston.

  • June 2018

    The latest issue spotlights infrastructure policy in the Gulf States region, featuring a Q&A with Debra Knopman.

  • February 2018

    The latest issue spotlights science and technology policy in the Gulf States region, featuring a Q&A with Marjory Blumenthal.

  • October 2017

    The final issue of 2017 highlights RAND's Infrastructure Resilience and Environmental Policy research program and its director, Benjamin Lee Preston.

  • June 2017

    In June 2017, our newsletter profiled the Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities. As a partner in the consortium, which helps to promote, social, economic, and public health resilience in communities that were hard hit by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

  • December 2016

    The December 2016 issue focuses on RAND Education's work in Louisiana: Researchers found that Louisiana teachers reported thinking and teaching in ways that are more aligned with their state standards.

  • September 2016

    This issue covers RAND's work on suicide trends and prevention in New Orleans. An ongoing study uses a "psychological autopsies" to help develop a broader understanding of the causes of suicide deaths in New Orleans Parish—ultimately leading to improved prevention.

  • April 2016

    This issue highlights RAND's work in education in the New Orleans area—specifically, a study of the Leading Educators Fellowship, a program that seeks to help improve student achievement.

  • December 2015

    The final issue of 2015 explores coastal land loss: How can we restore and preserve the Gulf coast while also protecting communities from flooding and supporting economically important industries?

  • August 2015

    The August 2015 newsletter marks the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. RAND Gulf States Policy Institute director Gary Cecchine examines the past and looks toward the future.

  • June 2015

    The June 2015 newsletter features a spotlight on community resilience and the Deepwater Horizon (DH) oil spill, as well as other RAND research on police-community relations.

  • January 2015

    The January 2015 newsletter features a spotlight on closing the 'digital divide' in young children, as well as other RAND research on disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience.

  • May 2014

    The May 2014 newsletter features a spotlight on coastal planning and resilience, as well as other RAND research on education, military caregivers, and health care technology.

  • January 2014

    The January 2014 newsletter features a spotlight on the national flood insurance program and information about community resilience training and the potential for new healthcare models to ease the physician shortage.

  • July 2013

    The July 2013 newsletter features a spotlight on community resilience, updates on the Displaced New Orleans Residents Survey, and highlights of recent research.

  • March 2013

    The March 2013 newsletter features a report on financing options for operating and maintaining hurricane protection infrastructure; a Congressional briefing on RAND's work for the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan; and a spotlight on school safety.

  • November 2012

    The November 2012 newsletter features recent work on networking for local disaster preparedess, the Coastal Louisiana Risk Assessment model, medical malls, charter schools, and a framework that helped the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier County distribute grants.

  • July 2012

    In July 2012 the RAND Gulf States welcomed its new research director, Gary Cecchine. The newsletter features Gary and also discusses the Resilient Communities podcast, sustainability work along the Louisiana gulf coast, prisoner reentry and public health, Alabama's immigration law, and more.

  • January 2012

    The January 2012 newsletter discusses insights RAND has provided into reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program; describes research into community resilience, and summarizes recent research related to the Gulf States.

  • October 2011

    The October 2011 newsletter features the recent RAND survey findings of New Orleans education stakeholders following the large-scale replacement of the city's public school district with a decentralized, choice-based system of charter and traditional schools following Hurricane Katrina.

  • June 2011

    The June 2011 newsletter addresses the role of state and federal governments in helping communities build resilience to disaster, and how household composition affects a community's disaster recovery. This newsletter also features an interview with Debra Knopman, the director of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment, in which she discusses the key role water resources management plays in preventing floods.

  • March 2011

    The March 2011 newsletter summarizes recent Gulf States Policy Institute events at which Admiral Thad Allen discussed his experience leading the national response to Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and RAND researcher Heather Schwartz led a public discussion of whether U.S. schools include a mix of low-income and more affluent students. This newsletter also highlights RAND work addressing community resilience to disasters and its implications for national health security, the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, using student performance to evaluate teachers, and more.

  • November 2010

    The November 2010 newsletter invites readers to an event featuring Admiral Thad Allen discussing his experience leading the national response to Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and highlights RAND work that addresses the problems with the insurance market along the Gulf Coast, the role of nonprofits in disaster recovery and preparedness, and how to eliminate the barriers between health research and its clinical applications, as well as other recent RAND research.

  • May 2010

    The May 2010 newsletter highlights how RAND assisted The Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana, in making strategic community investment decisions that incorporated the region's values and the best of traditional decisionmaking approaches.

  • March 2010

    The March 2010 newsletter highlights RAND work that addresses workforce development and economic development in the Gulf States region.