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School Effectiveness

Using a range of approaches, we explore the factors that ensure high-quality education for all pupils, from complex school interventions, to the use of technology in the classroom, teacher retention and more

Research, commentary, and events

Project
Evaluating 'SAFE' Taskforces aimed at re-engaging secondary students
RAND Europe, in consortium with FFT Datalab and University of Westminster, has been commissioned by the Youth Endowment Fund to evaluate the impact, cost, and implementation of Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) Taskforces in ten areas of the UK.
27 Sep 2022
Project
Evaluating Primary Science Quality Mark
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the impact of PSQM sought to understand the impact of the intervention on pupils and teachers. The study also examined how the intervention is implemented.
15 Jul 2022
Essay
The Economic Returns of Foreign Language Learning
If just 10 percent more students in the United Kingdom mastered Arabic, Mandarin, French, or Spanish, the economic returns could be measured in billions of British pounds. Removing the language barrier reduces trade costs.
07 Jul 2022
Project
Evaluation of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST)
The Department for Education's two-year pilot APST aims to reduce serious youth violence and improve pupil outcome among students in alternative provision settings. Researchers are conducting a process evaluation of the project over the course of the pilot.
10 May 2022
Project
Understanding the impact of peer-assisted learning strategies
RAND Europe evaluated the impacts of peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) in England. The evaluation sought to understand the impact of PALS on reading attainment but the assessment was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
16 Mar 2022
Project
The economic value to the UK of speaking other languages
Languages play a significant role in international trade, and not sharing a common language acts as a non-tariff trade barrier. Investing in Arabic, French, Mandarin or Spanish languages education in the UK will most likely return more than the investment cost, even under conservative assumptions.
21 Feb 2022
Project
RCT evaluates the Maximising the Impact of Teaching Assistants programme
In the first randomised controlled trial studying the efficacy of a whole-school intervention aimed at improving how schools deploy TAs in everyday classrooms, researchers found MITA had an effect on TA deployment, preparation, and interactions, and on pupil engagement. However, this did not translate into an impact on pupil attainment.
29 Sep 2021
Project
Evaluating the Accelerated Reader Scheme
An evaluation of Renaissance Learning's AR scheme explored whether the programme has a positive effect on the reading comprehension of randomly assigned pupils, particularly those who are eligible for free school meals.
28 Jul 2021
Project
Analysing the relationship between Sparx Maths and maths outcomes
Time spent using and actively working in Sparx Maths is positively and significantly associated with higher outcomes in maths for all students, but access alone — ignoring usage — did not have any effects.
16 Feb 2021
Project
Discrete choice experiment helps explain teacher retention in England
Results of a stated preference survey of teachers in England show which job characteristics matter most to them and the trade-offs they would be willing to make between pay and other characteristics of the work environment.
09 Feb 2021
Project
Examining the quality of career guidance in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Surveying 54 secondary schools and colleges and interviewing 10 career guidance service providers, researchers produced a comprehensive picture of how career guidance is provided in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and how these services meet the needs of children and young people.
21 Jul 2020
Project
Evaluating Digital Feedback in Primary Maths
A partnership of primary schools in Lincolnshire developed an intervention that seeks to maximise the impact of teachers’ feedback on pupils’ outcome through the use of video. However, an efficacy trial and associated process evaluation of the intervention found that it does not improve pupil outcomes.
01 Oct 2019
Project
Developing tools to assess research evidence for policymakers and practitioners
Researchers developed recommendations for the College of Policing and the Education Endowment Foundation on how to assess evidence from research studies and make evidence-informed recommendations for practitioners and policymakers.
01 Mar 2019
Project
Evaluating 'Aspire to STEM'
Researchers are evaluating an intervention aimed at improving STEM teaching and learning in UK schools in disadvantaged areas. The project aims to understand what impact the intervention has on children’s learning and teacher retention.
14 Aug 2018
Project
Supporting the OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment in Morocco
As part of a larger OECD effort, RAND Europe researchers analysed the strengths and challenges of Morocco's current approach for teacher appraisal and provided four actionable policy recommendations as well as advice for implementing improvements.
23 Jul 2018
Project
Exploring Why an Incentivised Pay Study Failed to Recruit Enough Teachers
Researchers tried to conduct a randomised control trial to understand whether UK teachers could be motivated with incentivised pay and coaching, but they failed to recruit enough participants. To help future studies, they changed their research to explore why the recruitment effort failed.
05 Feb 2018
Commentary
The Early Bird Catches the Worm? Probably Not
School start times are becoming a hotly debated topic across the United States. Starting middle and high schools at 8:30 a.m. would improve teen health, and the economic benefits of this shift would likely outweigh the costs.
12 Sep 2017
Project
Delaying U.S. School Start Times Would Have Large Benefits
An economic analysis shows that delaying U.S. high school start times is a cost-effective, population-level strategy that could have a significant, positive impact on public health and the U.S. economy.
30 Aug 2017
Commentary
Cambridgeshire Is at the Heart of England's Teacher Shortage Problem
Teacher shortages could be a real threat in Cambridgeshire, unless larger numbers of secondary school teachers are attracted and retained. There are simply too few new teachers replacing those who retire, with this gap being even more pronounced in STEM subjects.
21 Mar 2017
Project
Attracting and Retaining Teachers in Cambridgeshire
Teacher shortages could be a real and imminent threat in Cambridgeshire unless more new secondary school teachers are attracted and retained. The region should explore the association between teachers’ working and living conditions, why not enough teachers are attracted to work in Cambridgeshire and why teachers are leaving the profession.
20 Mar 2017
Project
Accounting for Missing Data in the Second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England
The Department for Education commissioned RAND Europe to provide a statistically robust, unbiased, and consistent approach to account for missing Key Stage 2 data in the LSYPE2 cohort. The final report balances the need for practical solutions for analysts with the desire to exhaustively explore options for dealing with the missing data.
09 Jan 2017
Project
Next Steps for UNICEF's Emergency Education Response Programme in Jordan
An evaluation recommends that UN agencies, donors, partners, and the Jordanian government develop and implement a strategy to manage the influx and education of child refugees. Jordanian and refugee children both will benefit from expanding the Jordanian education system's safety, quality and performance.
29 Sep 2016