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Disadvantaged Students

Disadvantaged students are those whose family, social, or economic circumstances hinder their ability to learn at school. RAND conducts research on after-school programs and other out-of-school time issues, the effects on students of natural disasters, and other factors that contribute to educational disparities.

Commentary

The Five Common Myths About Inclusive Education

Rising levels of social inequality and diversity in Europe have made social inclusion a priority for the European Union. However, it remains a challenge to ensure access to quality early childhood education and care for all children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Jun 23, 2020
Report

How Are Educators Teaching and Leading Through the Pandemic?

U.S. teachers and principals shifted quickly to support students with distance learning during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis. But unfortunately, the pandemic is likely to make existing inequalities worse.

Jun 22, 2020
Journal Article

Strengthening the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care Through Inclusion

Ensuring effective access to quality early childhood education and care for all remains a challenge in Europe, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This policy memo helps decision makers better understand this challenge and suggests some possible solutions.

Jun 16, 2020
Blog

Air Travel Data to Predict COVID Risk, Heatwave Planning, Caregiver Time Off: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on using air travel data to predict COVID risk, planning for a heat wave during the pandemic, why caregivers need time off, and more.

Jun 12, 2020
Commentary

Emergency COVID-19 Aid Helps College Students with Food and Housing

COVID-19 has expanded the pool of cash-strapped college students, but many were already struggling before the pandemic. The crisis could draw attention to food and housing insecurity among college students, and give college leaders a chance to consider how to address these needs more systematically over the long term.

May 26, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Supporting Summer Programs: Navigating Federal, State, and Local Program Support Opportunities

This research brief summarizes how policy environment affects school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs.

May 12, 2020
Report

One-Stop Social Services Efforts May Improve Community College Outcomes

Students participating in programs that provide a comprehensive range of support services are more likely to persist in attending community college.

Apr 29, 2020
Report

Report

Getting Support for Summer Learning: How Federal, State, City, and District Policies Affect Summer Learning Programs

The authors consider how policy environments affect school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs. This report, the sixth in a series, is intended to help program leaders navigate local, state, and federal policy contexts.

Apr 13, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Financial Aid Can Help Low-Income Students Finish Two-Year College Programs

In Wisconsin, a state-funded grant helped the lowest-income college students meet living expenses and supported degree completion. A grant of $1,100 made graduation 9 percent more likely for students enrolled at technical colleges.

Mar 30, 2020
Report

Report

Using Data to Support the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative: Data Collection, Metric and Dashboard Creation, and Lessons Learned

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative was a multiyear effort to improve student outcomes by increasing access to effective teaching. The authors discuss challenges in measuring effectiveness and how the team addressed them.

Mar 5, 2020
Commentary

What LAUSD Can Learn from the New York City Community Schools Initiative

A study of New York City's community schools found improved academic performance, higher attendance, and other positive outcomes for disadvantaged students. This model could benefit similar efforts underway in Los Angeles, where 80 percent of students live in poverty.

Jan 28, 2020
Research Brief

The Promise of Community Schools

The New York City Community Schools Initiative is based on a holistic strategy of education reform. Academics, health and wellness, youth development, and family engagement are integrated into each school. This approach had positive effects on most of the examined student outcomes.

Jan 28, 2020
Report

Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative

This report presents the impact of the New York Community Schools Initiative (NYC-CS) through the 2017--2018 school year by assessing the effects along seven outcome domains based on student- and school-level characteristics.

Jan 28, 2020
Report

How Prepared Are Educators to Support Diverse Students?

Most principals and teachers surveyed agreed that their preservice training prepared them to lead a school or teach in a classroom, but just over 60 percent of them felt prepared to support nonwhite and low-income students. White educators felt less prepared than their nonwhite peers.

Jul 25, 2019
Blog

DMZ Meeting, Students with Disabilities, Iran: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un, supporting students with disabilities, the flawed logic of a proportional response in Iran, and more.

Jul 5, 2019
Report

Do Educators Have What They Need to Teach Students with Disabilities?

To serve students with high-incidence disabilities, teachers need a supportive school culture, collaboration and planning time, resources and training, access to data, and tools for using data. Survey data sheds light on the extent to which these supports are available to general and special educators in U.S. schools.

Jun 27, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

When Neighborhoods Matter: Developmental Timing and Youth Reading Achievement and Problem Behaviors

Consistent evidence links neighborhood socioeconomic status with children's development outcomes. However, it is less clear whether or when neighborhoods are most strongly associated with children's outcomes.

Jun 5, 2019
Research Brief

Results from the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative

A multiyear effort aimed at increasing students' access to effective teaching failed to achieve its goals for improved student achievement and graduation. However, the participating school districts and charter management organizations did implement better measures of teaching effectiveness.

Feb 11, 2019
Journal Article

Access to Quality Education for Children With Special Educational Needs

An overview of the policy and practice of EU Member States in offering children with special educational needs access to education. It sets out the policy framework, the main approaches taken by Member States, and key challenges for policy-makers.

Jan 23, 2019
Commentary

High-Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs Are Worthy of Investment

High-quality out-of-school-time programs can benefit youth, and tend to produce outcomes linked to program content. Funders and policymakers could maximize benefits of these programs by providing adequate resources and funding to support quality programming. It could be a wise investment for America's youth.

Nov 19, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Disadvantaged Students

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor