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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.

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
Content

Soledad O'Brien: Supporting Diversity at the Pardee RAND Graduate School

Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien gave more than $500,000 to the Pardee RAND Graduate School to support underrepresented minority students or first-generation college graduates. She named the scholarship after her parents, Edward and Estela, who inspired her.

Sep 4, 2019
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
Report

Report

A One-Stop Approach to Supporting the Nonacademic Needs of Community College Students: An Evaluation of Single Stop's Impact in North Carolina

This report examines the impact of using Single Stop (a program that connects college students to governmental, community, and institutional resources) on postsecondary outcomes for students at four community colleges in North Carolina.

Nov 12, 2018
Report

How to Establish and Sustain Effective Summer Learning Programs

High-quality summer learning programs improve the academic, social, and emotional outcomes of low-income students, but several components are needed to make a program successful. New guidance on best practices can help districts and their community partners implement and operate effective summer programs.

Nov 4, 2018
Report

Report

DoD STARBASE: Improved Measures for Participation, Outreach, and Impact

The Department of Defense's STARBASE program offers a curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for students in underserved areas of the United States. This study focuses on the students served and STARBASE's outreach efforts.

Oct 30, 2018
Commentary

The Potential for Early Years Programmes to Close the Disadvantage Gap Is Under-Examined

Many schools are looking to close the disadvantage gap in their communities, but they need more evidence about what actually works. Research that helps policymakers and practitioners understand how early years interventions can promote equity and close the disadvantage gap is needed.

Oct 12, 2018
Commentary

Making Education a Reality for All Children in Europe

Access to education is a fundamental children's right in the EU and is guaranteed under a variety of legal and policy frameworks. Despite many approaches and initiatives adopted across the EU, a number of challenges remain concerning the development of effective long-term education measures for migrant children.

Oct 4, 2018
Dissertation

Dissertation

Financial Education among Financially Vulnerable Populations in the United States

Examines if state-mandated financial education improves debt-related and college-going behaviors among economically vulnerable young adults.

Aug 29, 2018
Commentary

How Early Childhood Education and Care Can Help to Tackle the Impact of Childhood Disadvantage

Disadvantaged children underperform educationally partly because on average they experience more risk factors. Interventions to address multiple causes of underperformance for disadvantaged children may have a better chance of success. The calibre of early childhood education and care professionals also likely matters.

Aug 20, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Disadvantaged Students

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor