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Essay

Investing in Principals Helps Students Succeed

Jul 5, 2019

Hiring good principals is one of the most important things a district can do for its students, second only to hiring good teachers. Students whose schools participated in a principal pipeline initiative outperformed their peers by six percentage points on reading tests and nearly three points in math.
Commentary

Addressing the College Completion Problem

May 9, 2019

More than half of students who enter college end up dropping out without ever completing a degree or certificate. Time and money are wasted without the benefits of a degree. While colleges are experimenting with novel techniques to boost completion rates, strategic support from the federal government could further these efforts.

Explore Students

Commentary

Emergency COVID-19 Aid Helps College Students with Food and Housing: Four Ways Colleges Can Maintain That Support

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the pool of cash-strapped college students, but many were already struggling. The crisis could draw attention to food and housing insecurity among college students, and give college leaders a chance to consider how to address these needs more systematically over the long-term.

May 26, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Supporting Summer Programs: Navigating Federal, State, and Local Program Support Opportunities

This research brief summarizes how policy environment affects school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs.

May 12, 2020
Commentary

Digital Learning Needs to Benefit All Children When Schools Close

Three factors are essential for any digital learning method. First, it must be inclusive. Second, it should support the learning experience, not replace it. And third, evidence of what works should inform digital learning interventions.

May 4, 2020
Journal Article

Geolocating Explosive Growth in Preschools in Western China Due to 'Re-Education' Policies

Twenty facilities that imagery analysis, press and professional journals suggest house Uighur children have been identified in this first study of geolocating China's detention infrastructure targeting Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups.

May 1, 2020
Report

One-Stop Social Services Efforts May Improve Community College Outcomes

Students participating in programs that provide a comprehensive range of support services are more likely to persist in attending community college.

Apr 29, 2020
Blog

U.S. Gun Policy, Reopening Schools, Prepping for a Hurricane: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what scientific evidence says about the effects of U.S. gun laws, how schools may have to change when they reopen, preparing for a COVID-19 hurricane, and more.

Apr 24, 2020
Commentary

Coronavirus Will Necessitate Changes in Schools When They Reopen

Schools will likely need to modify their practices so that their teachers, staff, and students maintain social distancing standards whenever they reopen. If a federal agency would create guidance, then educators could focus on teaching students.

Apr 16, 2020
Commentary

Is It Time to Rethink the Separation Between the High School and Postsecondary Systems?

We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. But just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.

Apr 16, 2020
Report

Educators Turn to Colleagues for Help with Struggling Students

When students have academic or behavioral challenges, educators often consult with another teacher, support staff, principal, or district leader to weigh strategies. When selecting interventions, they consider relevance to local context, rigor of evidence, and feasibility.

Apr 15, 2020
Report

Report

Getting Support for Summer Learning: How Federal, State, City, and District Policies Affect Summer Learning Programs

The authors consider how policy environments affect school districts' attempts to scale and sustain quality summer programs. This report, the sixth in a series, is intended to help program leaders navigate local, state, and federal policy contexts.

Apr 13, 2020
Report

Do Teachers Have What They Need to Support Students with Unique Learning Profiles?

Many students face unique educational circumstances, such as learning disabilities, housing instability, and exposure to poverty. Do teachers have what they need to help these students succeed?

Apr 10, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Financial Aid Can Help Low-Income Students Finish Two-Year College Programs

In Wisconsin, a state-funded grant helped the lowest-income college students meet living expenses and supported degree completion. A grant of $1,100 made graduation 9 percent more likely for students enrolled at technical colleges.

Mar 30, 2020
Commentary

Navigating College and Career Readiness in a Time of Uncertainty

How we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic today will likely have longer-term effects. This means that we need to think about people who are actively preparing for that future: high school students looking to enter college and careers.

Mar 26, 2020
Report

Supporting Students' College and Career Pathways: Teacher and Principal Perspectives

Schools play a critical role in giving students access to college and career information and resources. What do U.S. high school educators think about the quality and availability of the resources that their schools provide?

Mar 26, 2020
Report

How Teachers Use Intervention Programs

Academic intervention programs support students who are performing below grade level. When asked about their use of these programs, U.S. teachers were more likely to report using them in English language arts than in mathematics. Teachers also reported using a wide variety of interventions.

Mar 19, 2020
Report

Report

Using Data to Support the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative: Data Collection, Metric and Dashboard Creation, and Lessons Learned

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative was a multiyear effort to improve student outcomes by increasing access to effective teaching. The authors discuss challenges in measuring effectiveness and how the team addressed them.

Mar 5, 2020
Commentary

What LAUSD Can Learn from the New York City Community Schools Initiative

A study of New York City's community schools found improved academic performance, higher attendance, and other positive outcomes for disadvantaged students. This model could benefit similar efforts underway in Los Angeles, where 80 percent of students live in poverty.

Jan 28, 2020
Research Brief

The Promise of Community Schools

The New York City Community Schools Initiative is based on a holistic strategy of education reform. Academics, health and wellness, youth development, and family engagement are integrated into each school. This approach had positive effects on most of the examined student outcomes.

Jan 28, 2020
Report

Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative

This report presents the impact of the New York Community Schools Initiative (NYC-CS) through the 2017--2018 school year by assessing the effects along seven outcome domains based on student- and school-level characteristics.

Jan 28, 2020
Report

Report

The Big Lift Descriptive Analyses: Progress Across Three Kindergarten Classes

In this report, the authors present results describing early learning outcomes of children from three kindergarten classes who were eligible to participate in The Big Lift, a preschool-third-grade initiative that aims to boost reading proficiency.

Jan 13, 2020

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RAND Education and Labor