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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.

Report

How Educators View the Rapid Life Cycle of School Reforms

Apr 11, 2019

Researchers and educators have noted the emergence of a school reform "churn." New initiatives and programs are adopted, only to be dropped when the next popular reform emerges. How do principals and teachers perceive continuity in the programs at their schools?
Research Brief

What Other States Can Learn from Louisiana's School Reform

Jun 10, 2019

Louisiana's education policy changes aim to improve outcomes for public school students statewide. How well are these reforms working? Analyses of the state's early efforts to reshape its education system point to several early successes, remaining challenges, and key lessons.

Explore Education Reform

Commentary

Nine Lessons on How to Teach 21st Century Skills and Knowledge

Despite widespread agreement among parents, educators, employers and policymakers worldwide that students need skills like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and creativity, these skills are stubbornly difficult to teach and learn, write Anna R. Saavedra and V. Darleen Opfer.

Oct 19, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Learning 21st-Century Skills Requires 21st-Century Teaching

The authors summarize nine lessons from the science of learning telling how students learn 21st-century skills and how pedagogy can address their needs.

Oct 1, 2012
Blog

Farsighted Leadership in a Shortsighted World: 9 Issues That Deserve Attention During the 2012 U.S. Presidential Debates and Beyond

For nearly 65 years, RAND has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address the big, long-term public policy issues. In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote “farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world,” the latest edition of the RAND Corporation’s magazine offers commentaries that transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.

Sep 24, 2012
News Release

News Release

RAND Review Election Coverage Points to Policies of 'Farsighted Leadership'

In an effort to look beyond the 2012 U.S. election and promote "farsighted leadership in a shortsighted world," the latest edition of the RAND Corporation's magazine offers commentaries intended to transcend partisan rhetoric and foster policies that both presidential candidates could well accept.

Sep 21, 2012
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 2, Fall 2012

The cover story focuses on nine key issues in the 2012 U.S. presidential election: income inequality, health care costs, immigration reform, energy options, education, al Qaeda, Iraq, democratization in the Middle East, and China.

Sep 21, 2012
Brochure

Focusing on K-12 Education

In the area of K–12 education, RAND Education partners with policymakers, school systems, practitioners, and other stakeholders to help improve education outcomes and systems and to increase access and equity.

Sep 4, 2012
Project

Are Charter Schools a Good Option in the Gulf States?

In an effort to improve public education, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have each examined the potential of charter schools. For nearly two decades, RAND has conducted objective, evidence-based research on choice-based education reforms to help education policymakers make the right decisions for their communities.

Aug 21, 2012
Commentary

School Principals Respond to Performance-Based Evaluation System

It's fair to say the program turned out to be an important step for the district in the context of its overall reform plan considering how important high-quality school leadership is for improving teaching and learning, write Laura Hamilton and John Engberg.

Aug 15, 2012
Research Brief

Research Brief

Improving School Leadership Through the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program

A RAND Corporation report examines the Pittsburgh Principal Incentive Program's implementation, how principals have responded to the reforms, and what outcomes followed program implementation.

Jul 2, 2012
Report

Report

What Are the Effects of Performance-Based Compensation for Principals?

This study examines the effects of financial incentives for Pittsburgh principals on teacher supervision, student achievement, and gaps between high- and low-achieving students. Findings suggest that the incentives have had positive impacts, however, performance-based compensation requires more scrutiny.

Jun 25, 2012
Research Brief

Research Brief

Transforming Indonesia's Centralized Education System to School-Based Management

This study provides a quantitative and qualitative status report on the implementation of school-based management (SBM) in Indonesia, identifies factors associated with the successful practices of SBM, and assesses SBM effects on student achievement.

Jun 5, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Standards-based Accountability in the United States: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Standards-based accountability (SBA) has been a primary driver of education policy in the United States for several decades.

Jun 1, 2012
Report

Implementing School-Based Management in Indonesia

Implementing SBM in Indonesia required a major shift in how people think about schooling and a significant improvement in the capacity of principals, teachers, and the community to provide leadership, develop programmatic alternatives to meet local educational needs, and engage parents and the community in the governance of schools. According to this assessment, it has thus far met with limited success.

May 29, 2012
Multimedia

Remaking a School System in the Wake of Natural Disaster

In this Resilient Communities podcast, Jennifer Steele discusses the differences in policies and practices between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans, where charter-based reform spread in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

May 15, 2012
Announcement

American Educational Research Association Honors RAND Research with 'Outstanding Policy Report' Award

A RAND Education report, A Big Apple for Educators, will receive the first Outstanding Policy Report award from the American Educational Research Association. The report analyzes the Schoolwide Performance Bonus Program.

Apr 2, 2012
Multimedia

No Child Left Behind: Ten Years Later

Laura Hamilton discusses what has been learned in the ten years since the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in January 2002, including recommendations for addressing key limitations as Congress considers reauthorization.

Jan 5, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Beyond Incentives: Do Schools Use Accountability Rewards Productively?

We use a regression discontinuity design to analyze an understudied aspect of school accountability systems—how schools use financial rewards.

Jan 1, 2012
Research Brief

Research Brief

Perceptions of Charter and Traditional Schools in New Orleans

RAND researchers found many similarities between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children's schools, as well as more perceived choices.

Oct 5, 2011
Report

Perceptions of Traditional and Charter Schools in New Orleans

After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans replaced the city's existing school system with a decentralized choice-based system of both charter and district-run schools. An examination of principal, teacher, and parent surveys found many similarities between charter and traditional schools' performance but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children's schools, as well as more perceived choices.

Oct 5, 2011
Multimedia

Multimedia

Stecher Discusses How to Cultivate Thriving Schools

In a TEDx presentation, Brian M. Stecher, Associate Director, RAND Education, suggests three steps we need to take to cultivate schools where students can thrive.

Sep 6, 2011

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RAND Topic:
Education Reform

Topic Synonyms:
Educational Change

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