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Education and Literacy

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RAND research on early childhood, K-12, and higher education covers issues such as assessment and accountability, choice-based and standards-based reform, school leadership, teacher effectiveness, technology, and vocational training. RAND also explores life skills, such as media, health, and financial literacy, as well as how time spent outside the classroom impacts student outcomes.

Report
What Do Principals Look for in STEM Afterschool Programs?
Principals value offering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) afterschool programs to their students. Robotics is popular, and computing, coding, and gaming are considered important by district leaders. Many partner with outside providers, but more would do so if they had more funding and more local providers.
Nov 8, 2023
Commentary
Educating Academics Will Ease UK Universities' Foreign Influence Crisis
Tackling China's quest for foreign technologies is tough. China exploits the very principles—openness, freedom, collaboration—that have fostered scientific breakthroughs to acquire foreign technologies. This makes it difficult to intervene without damaging these values in the process.
Oct 19, 2023

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Tool
RAND HRS Longitudinal File 2020 (V1) Documentation: Includes 1992-2020 (Early Release)
This tool is a cleaned, easy-to-use, and streamlined data product containing information from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal household survey that facilitates research into different aspects of population aging in the United States.
Apr 13, 2023
Report
Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio
The authors examine whether low-income individuals are stacking credentials and benefiting economically, explore systemic barriers to stackable credential opportunities for low-income individuals, and consider solutions to strengthen these pipelines.
Apr 13, 2023
Research Brief
States Can Take Steps to Address Potential Barriers to Equity in Stackable Credential Pipelines
The authors examine barriers to stacking credentials for low-income individuals -- limited chances for stacking in some fields and institutions, insufficient information, and challenges moving between programs -- and consider solutions from stakeholders.
Apr 13, 2023
Research Brief
Do Low-Income Students Benefit from Stacking Credentials? Descriptive Evidence from Colorado and Ohio
The authors describe findings from a study on how frequently low-income individuals are stacking credentials, whether stacking increases wage-earning opportunities, and which fields provide the best returns from stacking.
Apr 13, 2023
Commentary
Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach
The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.
Apr 12, 2023
Blog
Dementia and National Security, Finland Joins NATO, the Four-Day School Week: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the risk that dementia could pose to national security, Finland's NATO membership, the downside of a four-day school week, and more.
Apr 7, 2023
Commentary
The Four-Day School Week: Are the Pros Worth the Cons?
The past two decades have seen an explosion in the adoption of the four-day school week. Against this growing trend, however, there is increasing evidence that, by and large, a four-day school week causes student achievement to suffer.
Apr 6, 2023
Research Brief
How Community Colleges Can Support Student Mental Health Needs
This report is a descriptive study of eight community colleges at the forefront of implementing multilevel approaches to support student mental health, as well as key facilitators for and barriers to their success.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students
This report is a descriptive study of eight community colleges at the forefront of implementing multilevel approaches to support student mental health and key facilitators for and barriers to their success.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Report on the Implementation, Costs, and Impacts of the Findhelp Platform in the North Carolina Community College System
The authors examine how the Findhelp online "social care network," which connects students to services that provide basic needs assistance, was implemented at four community colleges in North Carolina, its costs, and its impacts on student success.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Supporting Students in Foster Care
State and federal policymakers have passed legislation designed to promote collaboration between the education and child welfare systems with the goal of improving educational stability for youth in foster care and, in turn, their educational outcomes. But there are barriers to cross-system collaboration.
Apr 4, 2023
Blog
Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.
Mar 31, 2023
Report
Coherence in English Language Arts and Mathematics Instructional Systems Across the United States
Using survey responses from a nationally representative sample of public school kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) English language arts and math teachers, RAND researchers examine teachers' perceptions of instructional system coherence.
Mar 30, 2023
Tool
The Improving Instructional System Coherence Toolkit
The Coherent Instructional Systems toolkit is intended to help district and school leaders—in teams with teachers and other instructional staff—investigate and reflect upon the extent of coherence within their instructional systems, with the goal of improving coherence.
Mar 30, 2023
Commentary
Can Grade Retention Help with COVID-19 Learning Recovery in Schools?
Early grade retention is getting more attention as a potential way to make up for missed learning during the pandemic. But retaining kids without providing the necessary supports or failing to identify the right kids using objective criteria will likely yield ineffective results or even lead to adverse effects.
Mar 28, 2023
Blog
20 Years After the Iraq War, China-Russia Ties, Correctional Education: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on reflecting on the Iraq War, the pandemic and prison education, North Korea’s latest threats, and more.
Mar 24, 2023
Report
How Did COVID-19 Affect Prison Education?
Many U.S. correctional systems shut down or cut back on education and vocational programs because of the pandemic. But having to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions helped accelerate the adoption of online and hybrid learning models and the use of technology for prison education programs.
Mar 23, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: March-April 2023
The cover story describes how K-12 schools can build trust with students to increase threat reporting and strengthen school safety. The Q&A with Ashley Woo explores how restrictions on race- and gender-related topics are affecting teachers.
Mar 22, 2023
Report
Getting Students to (and Through) Advanced Math: Where Course Offerings and Content Are Not Adding Up
High schoolers who take advanced math have advantages in college admissions and in securing STEM careers. This report examines how students' opportunities to prepare for and take advanced math courses in the United States differ by school context.
Mar 21, 2023
Report
Supporting Equitable Math Instruction in California: Findings from the 2022 Learn Together Survey and the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey
In 2023, California will implement a new statewide math framework that will drive curriculum decisions for years to come. Researchers leveraged data collected from California math teachers to paint a picture of math instruction throughout the state.
Mar 21, 2023

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RAND Topic:
Education and Literacy

Topic Synonyms:
Instruction;
Learning;
Schooling

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Sarah Angell

Research Assistant

Sarah Angell (she/her) is a research assistant focusing on home affairs and social policy at RAND Europe. She is currently working on projects in the areas of education, women's financial independence and criminal justice. Her research interests include employment, gender, public benefits and…
Laurie T. Martin

Senior Policy Researcher

Laurie Martin (she/her) is a social epidemiologist and senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation with over 20 years of experience in the fields of maternal and child health, human services, and health policy. She is particularly interested in equity and the experiences of people in need…

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