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The hallmark of a successful education system is increasing or maintaining high student achievement. RAND research measures the effects of various types of school reforms on student achievement, with studies focusing on charter schools, the Every Student Succeeds Act, reform-oriented teaching, and classroom sizes.

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
Research Brief
Getting Students to and Through Advanced Math
Students who take precalculus, calculus, and advanced placement math classes get a leg up when it comes to securing college admission and careers in STEM fields. But a large portion of U.S. high school students don't take advanced math. What explains this gap, and what can be done to close it?
Apr 17, 2023

Explore Academic Achievement

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
Journal Article
The Widening Achievement Gap Between Rich and Poor in a Nordic Country
We study a decade of achievement gaps for fifth-, eighth-, and 10th-grade students in Norway using administrative population data.
Oct 16, 2023
Blog
Israel-Hamas War, Overdose Deaths, Striking Health Care Workers: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on historical context for the Israel-Hamas war, the link between education and fatal overdoses, why U.S. health care workers are striking, and more.
Oct 13, 2023
Journal Article
Educational Attainment and US Drug Overdose Deaths
This paper studies how overdose rates have disproportionately changed for low education populations.
Oct 9, 2023
News Release
Rise in Overdose Deaths Increasingly Affects Those with Lower Educational Attainment
Drug overdose deaths increased sharply among Americans without a college education and nearly doubled over a three-year period among those who don't have a high school diploma. The findings further highlight a potential association between the rise in drug overdose deaths and barriers to education access, a social determinant of health.
Oct 6, 2023
Commentary
The American Mathematics Educator Study: Unraveling the Formula for Equitable and Excellent Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Authors lay out a research agenda for the American Mathematics Educator Study by synthesizing what they know from mathematics education research regarding key factors that shape equitable, high-quality mathematics teaching and learning.
Oct 5, 2023
Report
How Can K–12 Principals Support Student Success and Well-Being? Interviews with Parents to Support Equitable and Culturally Responsive Leadership
This report presents insights from parents about ways principals can support students' academic success and well-being and actions principals can take that align with national standards for equitable and culturally responsive school leadership.
Sep 28, 2023
Commentary
Much of the Damage in Maui Will Be Invisible, but Very Real
In addition to decimating buildings and other infrastructure, disasters also destroy human capital, the collective knowledge and skills that drive individual economic earnings, as well as regional economic growth. Failing to address these more-hidden damages is incredibly costly.
Aug 21, 2023
Report
Teaching and Leading: An Evaluation of the Impacts and Professional Trajectories of Teach For America Participants in Indianapolis
The authors quantify the impacts of Teach For America Indianapolis (TFA Indy) on student and school outcomes in the Indianapolis area, by evaluating the effectiveness and retention of TFA Indy teachers in comparison with other teachers.
Jul 20, 2023
Journal Article
The Social Economics of Adolescent Behavior and Measuring the Behavioral Culture of Schools
We surveyed 1159 adolescents age 14–17 attending high school in low income neighborhoods of Los Angeles. School academic performance was associated with social culture regarding popular behaviors, monitoring of school rules, and school order.
Jul 19, 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
How Do Teachers Spend Professional Learning Time, and Does It Connect to Classroom Practice? Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey
The authors examine how teachers use professional learning time, such as collaborative learning, workshops or trainings, and coaching, and the extent to which professional learning improves teaching and student learning.
Jun 21, 2023
Journal Article
The Effect of Natural Disasters on Human Capital in the United States
Natural disasters affect a region's human capital as well as its physical capital, reducing both student achievement and educational attainment. These effects are persistent, and when monetized are of a similar magnitude as the property damage.
Jun 13, 2023
Commentary
Social Studies Achievement Has Plummeted Nationally. Four Reasons This Trend Will Not Be Reversed Without Systemic Action
The U.S. Department of Education recently released results from the latest national social studies assessments. U.S. history scores continued a previous pattern of decline and civics scores declined for the first time ever. Reversing these trends will require concerted effort and increased investments at all levels of the U.S. education system.
May 22, 2023
Blog
Dementia and National Security, Finland Joins NATO, the Four-Day School Week: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the risk that dementia could pose to national security, Finland's NATO membership, the downside of a four-day school week, and more.
Apr 7, 2023
Commentary
The Four-Day School Week: Are the Pros Worth the Cons?
The past two decades have seen an explosion in the adoption of the four-day school week. Against this growing trend, however, there is increasing evidence that, by and large, a four-day school week causes student achievement to suffer.
Apr 6, 2023
Report
Supporting Students in Foster Care
State and federal policymakers have passed legislation designed to promote collaboration between the education and child welfare systems with the goal of improving educational stability for youth in foster care and, in turn, their educational outcomes. But there are barriers to cross-system collaboration.
Apr 4, 2023

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RAND Topic:
Academic Achievement

Research conducted by

RAND Education and Labor

Researcher Spotlight

Julia H. Kaufman

Associate Research Department Director, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department

Julia Kaufman (she/her/hers) is associate research department director for the Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, a senior policy researcher at RAND, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She also codirects the RAND American Educator Panels. Her research…
Karen Christianson

Policy Analyst

Karen Christianson (she/her) is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Her research interests include the design, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs and policies. She is particularly interested in efforts to eliminate racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps in education.…

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