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Educational Technology

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Educational technology refers not only to the hardware and software used in an educational setting, but how technological resources are used to support teaching and learning. RAND researchers form multidisciplinary teams to field rigorous studies of educational technology that provide actionable information to educators, policymakers, and product developers.

Q&A

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

Apr 2, 2020

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.
Report

What Digital Materials Do Teachers Use?

Apr 16, 2020

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.

Explore Educational Technology

Blog

Online Shopping, Living in a Riskier World, Stress in Communities: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' online shopping habits during the pandemic, living in a riskier world, how stress builds in communities, and more.

Jul 10, 2020
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
Blog

The Postal Service, Election Security, Reducing Child Deaths: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the role of the U.S. Postal Service, preparing for the presidential election, reducing child deaths in Nigeria, and more.

Jun 26, 2020
Report

How Are Educators Teaching and Leading Through the Pandemic?

U.S. teachers and principals shifted quickly to support students with distance learning during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis. But unfortunately, the pandemic is likely to make existing inequalities worse.

Jun 22, 2020
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
Commentary

How Well Are Students Taking Ownership of Learning Online?

The Measuring and Improving Student-Centered Learning Toolkit lets high school leaders and teachers 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
Commentary

How COVID-19 Affected America's Schools

RAND surveyed teachers and principals to gauge how the pandemic has affected schooling, what supports these educators need, and how they are thinking about the next school year.

May 26, 2020
Report

COVID-19 and the State of K–12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Spring 2020 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys

This technical report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveys administered to principals and teachers via RAND's American Educator Panels in spring 2020.

May 26, 2020
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
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
Blog

Medical Supply Shortfalls, Parenting Through the Pandemic, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on reducing medical supply shortfalls, understanding who's in charge during a pandemic, North Korea's nuclear blackmail, and more.

Apr 17, 2020
Blog

Hospitals' Critical Care Capacity, Unemployment Insurance, Farmworkers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how hospitals can increase critical care capacity, reforming the U.S. unemployment system, supporting farmworkers, and more.

Apr 10, 2020
Report

Teachers' Access to and Use of Student Data Varies

Using student data to inform instruction is considered sound educational practice. Many teachers have access to grades, attendance records, and standardized test scores. But they don't all have the skills needed to interpret and use the data. Providing educators with more support could increase their use of student data.

Apr 10, 2020
Commentary

Online Doesn't Have to Mean Impersonal

Children's needs extend beyond the purely academic. It is important that their social and emotional well-being is supported as instruction moves online during the COVID-19 pandemic. A whole-child view of what students need could benefit them now more than ever.

Apr 2, 2020
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
Commentary

Coronavirus Forces Colleges Online. Will Learning Ever Be the Same?

Colleges and universities have turned to online courses to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But distance learning may also hold promise as a long-term strategy to help make higher education more accessible and affordable.

Mar 16, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Implementing an Adaptive Intelligent Tutoring System as an Instructional Supplement

This article studies the implementation of ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces) in a blended-learning model. This is the first rigorous experimental evaluation of ALEKS in K–12 in-school settings, and the first to gather extensive implementation data.

Mar 10, 2020
Report

Report

Evaluation of a Technology-based Intervention for Reading in UK Classroom Settings

RAND Europe found in a UK randomised controlled trial that classes of primary school children randomly allocated to receive a technology-based education intervention using Microsoft's Immersive Reader performed as well as business-as-usual classes.

Jan 29, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Educational Technology

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor