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Secondary education encompasses the years between elementary school and college, with curricula ranging from language arts, social studies, and mathematics to vocational and physical education. RAND conducts research on secondary education throughout the world, exploring such topics as the role of sports and physical education, programs that improve reading, the effects of school choice on academic achievement, and school-based drug prevention and education programs, among others.

Commentary

Building an Evidence Base for High School Improvement Will Require Concerted Effort Among Policymakers, School Systems, Researchers, and Funders

May 12, 2021

The ultimate goal of every education intervention is to help enable students to achieve their fullest potential. Relatively few interventions suited for high schools are supported by evidence of positive effects. Research that is able to provide sound evidence about effectiveness is more important than ever.
Research Brief

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Four-Day School Week

Oct 7, 2021

A four-day school week is becoming more common, especially in states with large rural areas. Champions of the shorter week contend that it saves money, improves student attendance, and helps recruit and retain teachers to rural districts. But what does the evidence say?

Explore Secondary Education

Report

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

Comparing nationally representative response data from the 2020 and 2021 Learn Together Surveys, the authors examine how high school teachers and principals provided supports to students for postsecondary transitions before and during the pandemic.

Jan 12, 2022
Report

Widening the Pathway: Implementation and Impacts of Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs Across Three Contexts

The authors describe implementation of three alternative teacher preparation programs—called Teacher Effectiveness and Certification (TEACh) programs—and their effect on teacher recruitment, teacher retention, and student achievement.

Dec 16, 2021
Report

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
Report

Are Educators Considering Student Voice?

Asking students to voice their perceptions can provide valuable insights that adults in a school do not have access to, while also generating more student engagement in learning.

Nov 17, 2021
Report

Learn Together Surveys: 2021 Technical Documentation and Survey Results

This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and results data for the 2021 Learn Together Surveys that were administered to secondary principals and teachers in March 2021 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.

Nov 2, 2021
Report

How Do Teachers Identify Supports for Struggling Students?

A survey of 6th- to 12th-grade teachers found that to determine academic needs they rely most often on information gathered from personal interactions with students and from students' performance. And more than half of them look to school and district colleagues first to learn about available interventions.

Nov 2, 2021
Report

Does Four Equal Five? Implementation and Outcomes of the Four-Day School Week

The authors provide information on the implementation and outcomes of the four-day school week using quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources, including surveys of parents and students in 36 districts in three states.

Oct 7, 2021
News Release

Parents Remain Concerned About Safety of In-Person Instruction

A gap remains between white parents and Black and Hispanic parents in their preferences for in-person schooling, but it has narrowed since May. The RAND Corporation survey, funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, details parents' responses concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in U.S. schools in fall 2021.

Aug 18, 2021
Report

How Concerned Are Parents About the Safety of In-Person Instruction?

A RAND survey details parents' responses concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in U.S. schools. RAND fielded the survey July 16–29, just as the delta variant greatly increased the number of cases nationwide.

Aug 18, 2021
Research Brief

Supporting Principals to Lead on the Selection and Use of Instructional Materials in Classrooms

This brief discusses findings from several RAND reports on principals' roles with respect to instructional materials. Recommendations describe how stakeholders can prepare and support principals to lead in selecting and using instructional materials.

Jul 19, 2021
Blog

China's Ambitions, Origins of the Coronavirus, Income Inequality: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on China’s quest for global primacy, understanding the coronavirus origin story, how parents feel about sending their children back to school, and more.

Jun 11, 2021
Report

What Parents Think About Kids Returning to Classrooms

As of May 2021, 84 percent of parents surveyed plan to send their children to school in person in the fall. Black and Hispanic parents are the most hesitant. Two-thirds of parents want to keep COVID-19 school safety measures in place, but only 52 percent plan to have their kids vaccinated.

Jun 10, 2021
Report

Changing the Subject: K–12 Teachers' Use of and Access to Science-Specific Instructional Materials, Feedback, and Professional Learning

In this Data Note, researchers use the 2020 American Instructional Resources Survey to examine how teachers' science instruction is supported and whether supports differ from those that teachers reported for English language arts and math.

Apr 21, 2021
Report

Examining Career and Technical Education in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs

The authors examined career and technical education opportunities for participants in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16-18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school.

Apr 12, 2021
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2019–2020

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program serves young people experiencing difficulty in traditional high school through a 5.5-month residential program. The authors of this report document the progress of program participants in 2019 and 2020.

Mar 15, 2021
Blog

COVID-19 Testing in Schools, Family Caregivers, U.S. Entrepreneurship: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19 testing in schools, giving a voice to family caregivers, preparing for daylight saving time, and more.

Mar 12, 2021
News Release

COVID-19 Testing in Schools Complex But Doable, Worth the Effort

COVID-19 testing can be effectively integrated into K–12 schools' pandemic response plans, helping families and staff feel more comfortable with in-person instruction.

Mar 9, 2021
Report

COVID-19 Testing in Schools Is Complex but Doable

COVID-19 testing can be effectively integrated into K–12 schools' pandemic response plans. And it helps families and staff feel more comfortable with in-person instruction. Insights from early adopters of COVID-19 testing in fall 2020 can help schools reopen safely.

Mar 9, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Secondary Education

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