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Southern States

Research Brief
Recommendations for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
This brief describes potential interventions to boost recruitment and retention in Virginia’s health care workforce and increase its structural efficiency.
Nov 15, 2023
Report
Identifying Strategies for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia
The authors of this report assess shortages in Virginia's health care workforce and identify potential interventions to address them.
Nov 15, 2023
Report
Designing and Implementing Micro-Credentials to Support STEM Teaching: Lessons from Louisiana's Project to Improve Pre-Engineering and Computer Science Education Through Micro-Credentialing
The authors describe the development and implementation of micro-credentials that allow teachers to demonstrate competency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional topics.
Sep 26, 2023
Report
State Curriculum Reforms and Their Potential Contribution to Instructional System Coherence: A Case Study of Rhode Island and Tennessee
RAND researchers investigate how English language arts curriculum reforms in Rhode Island and Tennessee might be related to the adoption and use of standards-aligned curriculum materials and teachers’ perceptions of instructional system coherence.
Sep 13, 2023
Multimedia
Supporting More-Effective Stormwater Management in the Mid-Atlantic Region
RAND researchers Krista Romita Grocholski and Michelle Miro present key information needs for stormwater practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic region and provide recommendations that would support more-effective stormwater planning, design, and management in the face of climate change.
Aug 30, 2023
Commentary
Stormwater Management in the Mid-Atlantic Region
In the Mid-Atlantic region, flooding caused by extreme precipitation has occurred nearly every season since 2018—and the problem is only getting worse. How can stormwater management agencies use information about climate change to better mitigate flood risk and damage?
Aug 30, 2023
Journal Article
Aging and Emotional Well-Being After Disasters: Vulnerability and Resilience
We investigated age differences in well-being among U.S. Gulf Coast-residing adults. Older age was associated with fewer depression and PTSD symptoms, and this association was stronger for those who experienced hurricane-related adversities.
Jul 21, 2023
Journal Article
A Bridge Too Far? Distance to Waivered Physicians and Utilization of Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in West Virginia Medicaid
Longer travel distance to buprenorphine treatment is associated with a shorter duration of care that is likely to be clinically meaningful.
Jul 19, 2023
Journal Article
The Unintended Consequences of Test-Based Remediation
In this study, we show that test-based remediation programs in middle school could have unintended tracking consequences, especially among Black students.
Jul 13, 2023
Journal Article
Setting a Good Example? Examining Sibling Spillovers in Educational Achievement Using a Regression Discontinuity Design
Using a regression discontinuity design, we identify externalities in human capital production function arising from sibling spillovers.
Jul 13, 2023
Journal Article
Diversity in Schools: Immigrants and the Educational Performance of U.S.-Born Students
We find that the presence of immigrant students has a positive effect on the academic achievement of U.S.-born students, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Jul 13, 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
Journal Article
Trends in 2-1-1 Calls During Public Health Emergencies, Overall and By Gender: Hurricane Irma and COVID-19 in Broward County, Florida
The study examined how changes in 2-1-1 call volume after two public health emergencies in Broward County, Florida, varied by emergency type and whether variations differed by gender and over time.
Jun 22, 2023
Report
Which Working Conditions Could Restore Teacher Well-Being?
Teachers' self-reported well-being and access to a variety of working conditions varied across five states. Relational factors—positive relationships with other teachers and administrators—were more strongly linked to well-being than organizational factors. And a schoolwide focus on social and emotional learning was linked to positive well-being.
Jun 1, 2023
Journal Article
History of Incarceration Is Associated with Unmet Socioeconomic Needs and Structural Discrimination Among Young Black Sexual Minority Men (SMM) in the United States
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and association between unmet socioeconomic and structural needs and history of incarceration among young Black sexual minority men.
May 24, 2023
Commentary
Finding Help Outside the Classroom: Approaches for Supporting College Students' Basic Needs
This Perspective builds on the research findings from a related RAND Corporation report on a North Carolina initiative to support college students' basic needs with strategies to improve the uptake and effectiveness of such initiatives nationally.
May 23, 2023
Blog
Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.
May 19, 2023
Commentary
How Florida's Expansion of 'Don't Say Gay' Law Will Hurt Students and Teachers Across the United States
Policies restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and representation of LGBTQ+ individuals are likely to make schools less welcoming to America's estimated two million LGBTQ+ youth. Policymakers should develop policies that cultivate learning and work environments where all students and educators feel safe and valued.
May 13, 2023
Commentary
Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach
The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.
Apr 12, 2023
Report
Report on the Implementation, Costs, and Impacts of the Findhelp Platform in the North Carolina Community College System
The authors examine how the Findhelp online "social care network," which connects students to services that provide basic needs assistance, was implemented at four community colleges in North Carolina, its costs, and its impacts on student success.
Apr 5, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Vanessa Parks

Associate Sociologist

Vanessa Parks (she/her) is an associate sociologist at RAND. Her work explores the health and social consequences of disasters, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of her work is focused on promoting public health preparedness and health equity among people in places that have been…
Jordan R. Fischbach

Adjunct Policy Researcher

Jordan R. Fischbach (he/him) is an adjunct policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and the director of Planning and Policy Research at The Water Institute of the Gulf. He codirected the RAND Climate Resilience Center from 2015 to 2020, and his research focuses on climate adaptation, urban…

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