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Minority Students

Minority students—those who do not belong to a region's or nation's majority racial or ethnic group—may be subject to discrimination, whether sanctioned or passive, that can affect their educational achievement. RAND has examined minority student test scores, English fluency among U.S. minorities, and the mental health of minority students and its effects on academic success.

Research Brief

Results from the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative

A multiyear effort aimed at increasing students' access to effective teaching failed to achieve its goals for improved student achievement and graduation. However, the participating school districts and charter management organizations did implement better measures of teaching effectiveness.

Feb 11, 2019
Commentary

The Impact of Restorative Practices

A recent RAND report focuses on estimates of the impact of restorative practices on comprehensive outcome measures for all students. The report defines these measures in seven outcome domains and leads with the impact on suspensions. It estimates the impact on 50 secondary measures and on the seven primary measures for numerous student subgroups defined by race, income, special needs and English language learner status.

Jan 17, 2019
Research Brief

Restorative Practices Help Reduce Student Suspensions

Restorative practices—inclusive and non-punitive ways to respond to conflict and build community—have been successful in reducing student suspensions in the Pittsburgh Public Schools district.

Dec 27, 2018
Report

Report

Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions? An Evaluation of the Impact of Restorative Practices in a Mid-Sized Urban School District

This study of Pittsburgh Public Schools' implementation of restorative practices represents one of the first randomized controlled trials of the effects of restorative practices on classroom and school climates and suspension rates.

Dec 27, 2018
Report

Impacts of the Intensive Partnerships Initiative

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative enhanced how teachers are evaluated and improved teacher staffing policies. But it did not lead to gains in student achievement or graduation rates.

Jun 21, 2018
Research Brief

Research Brief

How Does Personalized Learning Affect Student Achievement?

Describes the concept and implementation of personalized learning and considers achievement findings in a small sample of schools.

Dec 7, 2017
Commentary

Discipline Disparities and Discrimination in Schools

In the United States, black and poor students are suspended at much higher rates than their white and non-poor peers. While the existence of these disparities is not controversial, how to interpret the disparities is bitterly disputed.

Nov 21, 2017
Research Brief

Research Brief

Observations and Guidance on Implementing Personalized Learning

Schools implementing personalized learning were pursuing a wide variety of approaches and students closed achievement gaps relative to national norms. Observed challenges to implementation lead to recommendations for implementers.

Jul 11, 2017
Report

Personalized Learning: Lessons from Implementation

Personalized learning focuses on meeting students' individual needs while incorporating their interests and preferences. What does this look like in schools that have implemented personalized learning schoolwide?

Jul 11, 2017
Content

David Wang: A Commitment to Diversity

David Wang's commitment to giving minorities and other underrepresented groups a foothold on opportunity drives his support of Pardee RAND. His gift of $500,000 has allowed the school to provide diversity scholarships and expand its diversity initiatives.

Jan 16, 2017
Commentary

Why Being a Migrant Is Not the Biggest Barrier to Education in Europe

Migrant students tend to have lower performance and are more likely to leave school early. But factors other than migrant status, such as language barriers, can explain these differences.

Oct 31, 2016
Journal Article

To Educate or to Incarcerate: Examining Disparities in School Discipline

Several factors contribute to disparities in office referral, suspension, and expulsion in high schools. Helping students engage in school may protect against disproportionate school discipline.

Sep 30, 2016
Report

Education Policies Can Help Migrant Children in EU

Building relationships between educators and parents of migrant children in the EU, and dedicating more resources to schools with a high concentration of migrants, may help redress disparities in educational outcomes.

Sep 16, 2016
Research Brief

Taking Stock: The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Through 2013–2014

This brief summarizes a RAND Corporation evaluation of the implementation of key reform elements of the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching in three public school districts and four charter management organizations.

Sep 7, 2016
Commentary

Integrating STEM Learning in Early Childhood Education

Young children can understand concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and early development of STEM skills seems to support learning later in life. But an effective teaching system is needed before STEM learning can be fully integrated into early childhood education.

Jun 19, 2016
Report

Report

Improving Teaching Effectiveness: Access to Effective Teaching: The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Through 2013–2014

This report attends to the distribution of effective teachers between low-income minority (LIM) and other students in Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching sites and what might explain changes in LIM students' access to effective teaching.

Jun 6, 2016
Research Brief

Research Brief

Trends in Access to Effective Teaching: The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Through 2013–2014

This brief summarizes a RAND Corporation evaluation of the effectiveness of key reforms of the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching for low-income minority students in three public school districts and a charter management organization.

Jun 6, 2016
Research Brief

Research Brief

A Costly Divide: The Economic Impact of Gaps in Student Performance in Pennsylvania

Analysis of Pennsylvania public school student performance showed significant achievement gaps for subgroups defined by race-ethnicity and family economic status. Closing these gaps would produce considerable economic benefits.

Dec 17, 2015
Report

Report

Building Better Boyhood Programs: Evaluation of Programs Funded by the African American Men and Boys Task Force Initiative

This report evaluates the implementation of programs funded by The Heinz Endowment's African American Men and Boys Task Force initiative in Allegheny County, Pa.

Aug 19, 2015
News Release

News Release

Eliminating Racial and Socioeconomic Performance Gaps for Pennsylvania Students Could Have Boosted Economy by $44 ...

Eliminating race-ethnic and socioeconomic performance gaps for public school students in Pennsylvania could have boosted the state's gross domestic product by as much as $44 billion after 10 years.

Jul 13, 2015

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RAND Topic:
Minority Students

Topic Synonyms:
Students of Color

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor