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Elementary Education

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Elementary education comprises the period from when a student enters school, generally around the age of 5 or 6, until the student moves on to middle or secondary school, around the age of 12 or 13. RAND research in the area includes school reform, the role and effectiveness of teachers and school administration, and the increasing use of private-sector school management.

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
Essay
A Four-Day School Week? Here Are the Costs and Benefits
Hundreds of small school districts across America have cut one day a week from their calendars. A shorter school week helps them compete for teachers and reduce costs. Teachers and parents love it. But is it really in the best interests of students?
Aug 31, 2023

Explore Elementary Education

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
Journal Article
Think Again: Is Grade Retention Bad for Kids?
In this brief, we provide a review of recent literature on the causal effects of student grade retention and present three policy recommendations for those considering grade retention policies.
Oct 23, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: September-October 2023
Features explore the impact of four-day school weeks; the risk of people in the intelligence community experiencing trauma; and how insomnia affects societal health, well-being, and productivity.
Sep 11, 2023
Report
Students Using Lexia® Core5® Reading Show Greater Reading Gains Than Matched Comparison Students
This report evaluates the effects of Lexia® Core5® Reading on the reading achievement of students in grades 3–5 during the 2021–2022 academic year. Students who used the program experienced gains in average reading achievement.
Sep 6, 2023
Report
The Role of Benchmark Assessments in Coherent Instructional Systems: Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey
Researchers draw on the American Instructional Resources Survey to examine the prevalence of benchmark assessments and explore educators' perceptions about the role that benchmark assessments play in their schools' instructional systems.
Aug 23, 2023
Report
Florida K–12 Mathematics Teachers' Access to and Use of Student Data
Teachers' use of data could be a valuable tool in helping students recover from the negative effects of the pandemic on mathematics learning. Are Florida math teachers being supported to use student data?
Jul 11, 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
Blog
U.S. Cooperation with China and Russia, Artificial Intelligence, War in Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on U.S. security cooperation with China and Russia, artificial intelligence, consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine, and more.
Mar 10, 2023
News Release
Teacher Supports, Guidance for Elementary Social Studies Education Vary Widely Across United States
The basic infrastructure to support elementary (grades K–5) social studies instruction—academic standards, accountability requirements, assessment programs—is inadequate in many states. Even where state-level infrastructure to guide teachers' instruction is in place, its comprehensiveness and quality vary greatly.
Mar 7, 2023
Report
Support for Elementary Social Studies Education Varies Widely Across States
Over the past few decades, U.S. schools have increasingly sidelined students' civic development as one of their priorities. The infrastructure to support grades K–5 social studies instruction—academic standards, accountability requirements, assessment programs—is often missing or inadequate.
Mar 7, 2023
Report
Skills for Success: Developing Social and Emotional Competencies in Out-of-School-Time Programs
Out-of-school-time programs have long focused on children's social and emotional development as part of their mission of building a culture of connectedness and positive relationships between youth and adults. How do these programs incorporate social and emotional learning?
Feb 27, 2023
Report
Learn Together Surveys: 2022 Technical Documentation and Survey Results
This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the 2022 Learn Together Surveys that were administered to K-12 principals and teachers in March 2022 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.
Nov 3, 2022
Report
How Do Teachers Approach Civic and Citizenship Education?
Survey results suggest that, in U.S. public schools, civic and citizenship education is often siloed into specific subject areas, such as social science. Only a quarter of educators said that these topics are integrated into all subjects or are part of the whole school experience.
Sep 29, 2022
Report
Building an Effective Social and Emotional Learning Committee in Dallas: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 3)
This case study explores how Dallas's Webster Elementary School and its out-of-school-time program, Thriving Minds After School, formed a social and emotional learning committee that became more effective over time, focusing on daily activities.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Engaging Teachers, Staff, and Parents in Social and Emotional Learning in Palm Beach County: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 5)
This case study explores how Palm Beach County's Diamond View Elementary School and its out-of-school-time program increased adult awareness of social and emotional learning practices to promote positive interactions with children throughout the day.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Expanding Social and Emotional Learning Beyond the School Walls in Boston: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 2)
This case study explores how the Russell Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester partnered in Boston to provide social and emotional learning enrichment off campus as part of the school day.
Sep 15, 2022
Report
Jointly Prioritizing Time for Social and Emotional Learning In Denver: One of Six Case Studies of Schools and Out-of-School-Time Program Partners (Volume 2, Part 4)
This case study explores how Denver's Cowell Elementary School and its out-of-school-time partner, Discovery Link, worked together to find time for social and emotional learning (SEL) and to provide consistent SEL instruction during and after school.
Sep 15, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Elementary Education

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Elaine Lin Wang

Policy Researcher

Elaine Lin Wang (she/her) is a policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her primary research interest concerns K–12 instruction, especially with a focus on literacy/English language arts (ELA). She is currently the PI of a multi-million…
Catherine H. Augustine

Director, Pittsburgh Office

Catherine Augustine is director of the RAND Pittsburgh Office and a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation, with more than 20 years of experience conducting education research. She is also a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Augustine focuses on improving…

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