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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.

Multimedia

COVID-19 and the Digital Divide: Inequities in Online Learning

RAND senior policy researcher Julia Kaufman explains how the digital divide impacted teaching and learning when schools closed last spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 16, 2020
Report

The Digital Divide and COVID-19

Findings from a survey of U.S. teachers reveal how limited home internet access has been a barrier to providing instruction amid pandemic-related school closures. The problem is particularly acute among high-poverty schools.

Sep 24, 2020
Research Brief

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching: A Comparison of School Outcomes

RAND researchers study the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative and find associations between school improvement and staff perceptions of school leaders' behaviors, staff cohesion, and factors outside schools' control.

Sep 21, 2020
Report

Variation in Improvement Among Schools in the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching

RAND researchers investigate factors that might be associated with positive student outcomes for schools that improved during the six years of the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative.

Sep 21, 2020
Report

Principals Need More Support to Help Students with Disabilities, Especially in Schools That Serve Mostly Students of Color

Principals play a critical role in supporting America's 6.7 million students with disabilities. But most principals—especially those who lead schools that serve mostly students of color—believe that their schools could do a better job in this area.

Dec 31, 2019
Blog

Boris Johnson, Teacher Training, Youth Arrests: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Boris Johnson's Brexit challenge, how educators feel about their training programs, a spike in youth arrests, and more.

Jul 26, 2019
Report

How Prepared Are Educators to Support Diverse Students?

Most principals and teachers surveyed agreed that their preservice training prepared them to lead a school or teach in a classroom, but just over 60 percent of them felt prepared to support nonwhite and low-income students. White educators felt less prepared than their nonwhite peers.

Jul 25, 2019
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
Blog

Border Wall, Student Suspension, Syria: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what a border wall can accomplish, reducing student suspensions, confusion over the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, and more.

Jan 11, 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

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

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

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
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

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RAND Topic:
Minority Students

Topic Synonyms:
Students of Color

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor