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Education Reform

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Education reform comprises any planned changes in the way a school or school system functions, from teaching methodologies to administrative processes. RAND evaluates school reform models and conducts case-study analyses of individual schools and school systems to identify areas of improvement and highlight best practices and effective reform efforts.

Commentary
Building an Evidence Base for High School Improvement Will Require Concerted Effort Among Policymakers, School Systems, Researchers, and Funders
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.
May 12, 2021
Research Brief
Building Ohio's Workforce Through Stackable Credentials
Ohio has been a leader in scaling stackable credential programs since passing initial legislation on stackable credentials nearly 15 years ago. Over this time, Ohio saw strong growth in short-term credential programs. And most individuals who stacked credentials earned a degree.
Jun 9, 2021

Explore Education Reform

Blog
RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research
From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.
May 8, 2023
Report
Teachers' Perceptions of Coherence in K–12 English Language Arts and Mathematics Instructional Systems
RAND researchers interviewed a sample of members of the American Teacher Panel who responded to the spring 2022 Coherent Instructional Systems Survey to examine how teachers perceive and navigate coherence within their instructional systems.
Apr 25, 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: A Resource for K–12 Districts and Schools
This toolkit, along with an accompanying workbook and slide deck, is intended to help district and school leaders investigate and reflect on the extent to which coherence is present in their instructional systems.
Mar 30, 2023
Journal Article
The Louisiana Believe and Prepare Educator Preparation Reform: Findings from the Pilot and Early Implementation Years
Believe and Prepare is a teacher preparation reform implemented by the Louisiana Department of Education in collaboration with school systems and teacher preparation programs across the state.
Mar 8, 2023
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Fall 2022 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare superintendents' responses to the fall 2022 American School District Panel survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by locale, student race and ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Feb 16, 2023
Journal Article
Survey: Understanding How U.S. Public Schools Approach School Discipline
How prevalent do zero-tolerance policies remain today? To find out, researchers surveyed 1,080 public school principals across the U.S.
Feb 8, 2023
Report
Andover's Teaching and Departmental Reviews: Findings and Recommendations
This report offers recommendations for how Phillips Academy Andover, an independent boarding school in Massachusetts, can update its processes for departmental review and teacher review to develop a more coherent instructional system.
Jan 31, 2023
Report
Creating Conditions for Teachers' Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials: A Research, Policy, and Practice Conversation
In this webinar, RAND researchers and state department of education officials in Delaware and Mississippi discuss the work that states and districts are doing to encourage and support the use of high-quality materials.
Aug 4, 2022
Report
The Impact and Implementation of the Chicago Collaborative Teacher Professional Development Program
The authors evaluated the Leading Educators Chicago Collaborative, a teacher professional development program aligned to Common Core State Standards, examining the program's implementation and its impact on student achievement.
Jul 6, 2022
Report
How States Are Creating Conditions for Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials in K–12 Classrooms: Findings from the 2021 American Instructional Resources Survey
In this report, the authors examine adoption and use of instructional materials using survey self-reports from teachers across the United States and from a network of states that is focused on improving use of standards-aligned materials.
Jun 7, 2022
Report
School Staffing Challenges in the Pandemic's Third Year
As of fall 2021, school staff shortages were most acute for substitutes, bus drivers, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. The turnover of superintendents was normal but half of them said that they might leave in the next few years or were unsure of how long they would stay.
Feb 15, 2022
Report
Challenges That May Be Getting in the Way of Student Learning
As of November 2021, school district leaders' top three concerns were the mental health of students, teachers, and principals. And 74 percent of them said that political polarization about COVID-19 safety or vaccines was interfering with their ability to educate students.
Feb 7, 2022
Report
English Language Arts Instructional Systems in the First Full Year of COVID-19
The authors focus on teachers' perceptions of the guidance received on English language arts instruction and instructional system coherence during the first full year of COVID-19 (2020–2021), and how teachers' perceptions compared with 2019–2020.
Jan 31, 2022
Report
Expanding Charter School Capacity: The Case of Propel Montour
Researchers examine the expansion of Propel Schools, a small, regional charter school network in southwestern Pennsylvania, to describe the academic and behavioral experiences of continuing and expansion students from fall 2017 to spring 2020.
Sep 29, 2021
Project
A 21st-Century Workforce Development System
Design studio Morcos Key created an animated illustration that envisions how America's workforce development system could be transformed to better support 21st-century workers, employers, and educators.
Sep 22, 2021
Tool
School Turnaround Cost Analysis Tool
Some popular approaches to supporting low-performing schools include helping schools collect and use data to guide their planning. This tool helps education leaders assess potential costs of some of the more popular and research-supported approaches.
Sep 9, 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
Report
Stackable Credential Pipelines in Ohio: Evidence on Programs and Earnings Outcomes
Stackable credentials allow individuals with short-term credentials to build on them with additional credentials throughout their careers. The authors of this report examined educational programs in Ohio and earnings gains from stacking credentials.
Jun 8, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Education Reform

Topic Synonyms:
Educational Change

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Julia H. Kaufman

Associate Research Department Director, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department

Julia Kaufman (she/her/hers) is associate research department director for the Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She also codirects the RAND American Educator Panels. Her research focuses on how states and school systems can support…
Tim McDonald

Assistant Policy Researcher

Tim McDonald is an assistant policy researcher at RAND, and a graduate fellow at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He is a visiting researcher at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

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