What's New
Networking among local response organizations can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of disaster preparedness and response. The prototype networking tools enhance such local networking.
The Coastal Louisiana Risk Assessment (CLARA) model estimates hurricane flood depths and damage. It enabled evaluation of potential flood risk reduction projects for inclusion in Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan.
RAND in the Region
The RAND Gulf States Advisory Board met in New Orleans on October 17, 2012, to discuss the region's research priorities with Director Gary Cecchine and to receive updates on RAND's work in the area. Researcher Ramya Chari described work in progress on the growing movement to use underperforming shopping centers to deliver a variety of retail and health care services to communities that don't have easy access to care. She cited the Jackson Medical Mall as one successful example. Lloyd Dixon reported on a recent RAND study of hedge funds that identified associated risks, assessed whether recent regulations address them, and highlighted remaining vulnerabilities.
Spotlight on . . . Education
In an effort to improve public education, policymakers in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have examined the potential of charter schools. Read about RAND's objective, evidence-based research on choice-based education reforms.
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The "transmission" model of teaching, through which teachers transmit facts via lectures and textbooks, remains the dominant approach to education in much of the world. However, it is not the most effective way to teach 21st century skills. Decades of empirical research about how individuals learn provide valuable insight into how pedagogy can address the need for a new approach.
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Recent RAND Research
The Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier County selected education, health, and poverty as the focus for funding related to children and families. A RAND team led by Rebecca Kilburn developed the framework that helped the Foundation prioritize its $1.3 million investment.
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M. Rebecca Kilburn is a senior economist at RAND and director of the Promising Practices Network, a website that presents evidence-based information on improving outcomes for children and families.
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The RAND Gulf States Policy Institute provides objective analysis to federal, state, and local leaders in support of evidence-based policymaking and the well-being of individuals throughout the U.S. Gulf States region.
We invite your suggestions for researchers, projects, centers, and funding or collaboration opportunities to highlight in future issues. Write to us at
RAND_Gulf_States_News@rand.org.
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