Educational Equity

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The question of educational equity involves the gap in achievement between minority and nonminority students. RAND has conducted research into the effects of grouping students by ability, preschool participation, charter programs, and school funding on schools' abilities to provide equal education to students of varying socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

  • Girls looking at a plant jar in a garden

    Report

    How to Establish and Sustain Effective Summer Learning Programs

    Dec 4, 2018

    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.

  • A happy teacher calls on a student in her elementary school classroom, photo by skynesher/Getty Images

    Report

    Measuring School and Classroom Climate

    Dec 11, 2019

    Features of a learning environment, also called school and classroom climate, are associated with higher student achievement. What do educators need to assess these features—and to help create positive, safe, and inclusive environments for students?

Explore Educational Equity

  • Report

    Report

    Local Government Reform and the Socioeconomic Gap in Israel: Building Toward a New Future

    This report describes the problems and the potential for revitalization in Israeli municipalities instead of the centers of national government in Jerusalem, with a focus on strengthening education services and local governments.

    Jul 2, 2020

  • Teenage girl studying with video online lesson at home, photo by valentinrussanov/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Three Steps to Make Learning More Equitable Should Schools Close Again This Fall

    The quality of remote instruction depends on whether students can connect and interact with educators online. But poverty is a major driver of who gets high-quality online instruction and who doesn't. What can states do in this new reality?

    Jun 30, 2020

  • An African-American father and son lie down on the grass, photo by FangXiaNuo/Getty Images

    Content

    RAND Research on Racial Equity

    We're launching a new research center dedicated to issues of social justice and racial equity, among other initiatives. In the meantime, we're highlighting a small sample of RAND research that addresses this challenge from a variety of angles.

    Jun 25, 2020

  • A group of six multi-ethic children, 3-4 years old, standing in the park together, laughing and shouting, photo by kali9/Getty Images

    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

  • How Schools Can Support Students During COVID-19

    Multimedia

    How Schools Can Support Students During COVID-19

    Melanie Zaber, associate economist with the RAND Corporation, offers insights into how education leaders and policymakers can support students during COVID-19.

    Jun 10, 2020

  • Teenage girl with hearing aid having online school class at home, photo by Sladic/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Well Are Students Taking Ownership of Learning Online? And What Can Be Done to Support Them?

    The Measuring and Improving Student-Centered Learning Toolkit enables high school leaders and teachers to gather information about the extent to which student-centered learning is happening remotely now, and plan for improvements to student-centered learning in the future.

    Jun 8, 2020

  • A man and a woman hold hands aloft during a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park, London, June 3, 2020, photo by Dylan Martinez/Reuters

    Announcement

    A Statement by Michael D. Rich

    Everyone must do more to eliminate racial inequities. At RAND, we will contribute by continuously strengthening our research and analysis on health, education, justice, security, and well-being. We must examine where these areas intersect, listen more to voices that are too often underrepresented, and integrate the historical and structural contexts in which policies have been developed and applied.

    Jun 3, 2020

  • Joseph Wilkinson does schoolwork at his home in Manchester, Britain, March 23, 2020, photo by Phil Noble/Reuters

    Commentary

    Digital Learning Needs to Benefit All Children When Schools Close

    Three factors are essential for any digital learning method. First, it must be inclusive. Second, it should support the learning experience, not replace it. And third, evidence of what works should inform digital learning interventions.

    May 4, 2020

  • Boston Public School teacher Princess Bryant teaches her kindergarten class via videoconference from her apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, April 28, 2020, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

    Commentary

    Now That Digital Materials Are Front and Center, How Should They Be Used?

    Schools and teachers can support student learning during the COVID-19 crisis by considering how to keep curricula front and center alongside a set of targeted digital materials that connect with curricula and can keep students learning, engaged, and connected to their school support systems.

    May 4, 2020

  • Back view of large group of students paying attention on a class at lecture hall, photo by skynesher/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Is It Time to Rethink the Separation Between the High School and Postsecondary Systems?

    We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. But just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.

    Apr 16, 2020

  • A teacher at a desk with a tablet and a laptop, photo by FluxFactory/Getty Images

    Report

    What Digital Materials Do Teachers Use?

    Digital materials for lesson planning and instruction are becoming an increasingly important resource for teachers. A survey of English language arts, mathematics, and science teachers across the United States provides insights on which materials they use and what they consider barriers to use.

    Apr 16, 2020

  • Chrissy Brackett and grandson Caidence Miller learn to navigate an online learning system at her home in Woodinville, Washington, March 11, 2020, photo by Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

    Q&A

    Schools Pivot Online in Wake of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

    Nearly all school-age children in the United States are no longer in the classroom as districts shut down to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. RAND education researchers discuss how this situation might exacerbate educational inequities, how districts and teachers are innovating and what they need, and what parents can do.

    Apr 2, 2020

  • Boy wearing headphones while using laptop during homework at home

    Multimedia

    The Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Education System

    In this Call with the Experts podcast, in response to the COVID-19 crisis RAND experts discuss K–12 education issues, potential income-based gaps, social and emotional learning matters, and resources for students and parents. The experts also consider actions that can be taken to facilitate learning while meeting social distancing goals.

    Mar 31, 2020

  • Report

    Report

    Need-Based Financial Aid in Wisconsin: State Policy and Student Pathways

    RAND researchers analyzed the policy design, implementation, and outcomes of the Wisconsin Grant. This grant and other state programs face similar challenges using need-based grant aid to promote college attainment for low-income residents.

    Mar 23, 2020

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    How Can State Financial Aid Best Meet the Needs of Low-Income Students? The Wisconsin Case

    The author of this brief analyzes the policy design, implementation, and outcomes of the Wisconsin Grant program.

    Mar 23, 2020

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Elaborating the Connection Between Social Class and Classism in College

    This paper adds to the knowledge base informing efforts to decrease the degree to which social class hinders the pursuit of higher education.

    Dec 24, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Pittsburgh Equity Indicators: A Baseline Measurement for Enhancing Equity in Pittsburgh

    The Pittsburgh Equity Indicators assess annual progress toward equitable opportunities and outcomes for Pittsburghers of all races, genders, and incomes. The 2017 report summarizes baseline equality scores, which measure disparities in Pittsburgh.

    Apr 24, 2019

  • Downtown Pittsburgh and the Allegheny River, photo by Zach Frailey / CC BY NC ND 2.0 /

    Journal Article

    Pittsburgh Equity Indicators: A Baseline Measurement for Enhancing Equity in Pittsburgh

    The 2018 Pittsburgh Equity Indicators report in enables the comparison of two years of data to measure change in disparities. The report includes information on equality scores for 2017 and 2018, as well as "change scores" between years.

    Apr 24, 2019

  • Students building something together with tiles, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Do You Measure Social and Emotional Learning?

    As the desire to improve SEL for all students grows, it is increasingly important to measure its effectiveness. But the field has lacked an organized method of identifying, choosing, and using the best assessments to measure students' competencies. Two newly developed tools can help.

    Mar 28, 2019

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