Students

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  • People embrace outside the Alamo Gym where students and parents wait to reunite following a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, May 18, 2018, photo by Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP

    Essay

    Preventing Violence in Schools: How to Encourage Students to Report Threats

    One of the most consistent findings in research on school shootings is that someone knew an attack was possible but didn't report it. There are ways schools can encourage students to come forward when they see or hear something concerning: tip lines, training, and a lot more trust.

    Mar 9, 2023

  • A teen boy using a laptop sitting on a bed, photo by SelectStock/Getty Images

    Essay

    Improving Media Literacy in Middle School

    Middle schoolers can be savvy users of news and information—when they know where to look. But they're also easy marks for misinformation, disinformation, and trolls. Helping them find their way in today's media landscape is important both for their futures and for the future of democracy.

    Sep 6, 2022

Explore Students

  • Journal Article

    More "Boarding" Facilities Geolocated in Southern Xinjiang

    We identified 21 preschools that house Uyghur children in Qira County, Xinjiang using satellite imagery. These facilities are part of Beijing's efforts to assimilate Uyghurs by erasing their culture to a Communist Party ideal that has been compared to genocide.

    Jan 22, 2021

  • Students wait to receive books during a materials distribution for distance learning at Heather Hills Elementary School in Bowie, MD, on August 26, 2020, photo by Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA via Reuters

    Commentary

    COVID-19's Long-Term Effects on Students

    The pandemic has created an unprecedented set of obstacles for schools and exacerbated existing structural inequalities in public education. It may take years to understand how COVID-19 affected student learning and social and emotional development and to identify any lasting effects on low-income communities and communities of color.

    Dec 29, 2020

  • The principal at Phoebe A. Hearst Elementary School hands a laptop to a student's parent in Sacramento, Calif., April 10, 2020, photo by Rich Pedroncelli/AP

    Essay

    How Schools Adjusted to Life Under COVID-19

    In spring 2020, nearly every school in America had to figure out how to make distance learning work. Some handed out thick packets of homework for students to do on their own. Others handed out laptops. Most principals agree that better planning for future closures should be a priority.

    Nov 2, 2020

  • COVID-19 and the Digital Divide

    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

  • A young teacher educating a group of elementary children

    Research Brief

    What Teachers Think About Social and Emotional Learning

    Many studies have shown how social and emotional learning (SEL) can improve student well-being, social behavior, and academic achievement. But what do teachers think about the SEL-related efforts in their districts and schools? Do they feel that they get enough support to work on SEL?

    Oct 13, 2020

  • College student using hand sanitizer, wearing a face mask, and walking on a college campus, photo by Nemer-T/Getty Images

    Commentary

    College Students Need Mental Health Support

    Rising mental health problems in the United States have long made health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling college students. The pandemic has only exacerbated this concern.

    Oct 12, 2020

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    When Financial Aid Is Scarce: The Challenge of Allocating College Aid Where It Is Needed Most

    This study estimates the effects of the Wisconsin Grant, a state-funded, need-based financial aid program for Wisconsin residents attending in-state colleges and universities.

    Oct 9, 2020

  • Young child sitting in front of a tablet computer writing in a notebook, photo by Sushiman/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Why You Should Care About What Curriculum Materials Your Child Is Using

    K–12 students getting remote instruction this year may not receive the curriculum they need to master the academic standards they are expected to meet for their grade level. What can parents do to ensure their children are being exposed to standards-aligned, rigorous learning opportunities?

    Oct 2, 2020

  • Boston Public School teacher Princess Bryant teaches her kindergarten class via video-conference from her apartment after schools were closed for the remainder of the school year because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 28, 2020, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

    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

    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

    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

  • Child wearing a face mask and gloves, holding a binder with Back to School and drawings of coronavirus, photo by Amy Mitchell/Getty Images

    Commentary

    To Reopen Schools Safely, Prepare for New COVID-19 Test Capabilities

    Safely reopening K–12 schools for in-person instruction requires complicated protocols ranging from symptom monitoring to physical distancing, as well as containment of transmission in the community. State policymakers and school leaders could begin planning now to draft, pilot, and evaluate protocols for reopening schools that incorporate rapid testing.

    Aug 28, 2020

  • A teacher preparing classroom for social distancing, photo by izusek/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Engaging Learning Spaces Are Important, Even During a Pandemic

    While considering new uses for and formations of school space, planners might also consider whether these spaces will be conducive to learning. Research links the physical condition of learning spaces to improved student physical health and academic performance.

    Aug 18, 2020

  • Jennifer Panditaratne helps Hazeline with her reading assignments as she is homeschooling in Broward County, Florida, U.S. May 29, 2020. Picture taken May 29, 2020, photo by Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters

    Report

    Parents Need Help During School and Child Care Center Closures

    The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly challenging for parents since schools and child care centers closed or switched to distance learning in the spring. Parents with children in different age groups and those under financial stress need the most support.

    Jul 27, 2020

  • Social distancing dividers for students in a classroom at St. Benedict School in Montebello, near Los Angeles, California, July 14, 2020, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    Commentary

    Back to School: Working Parents Will Need Help from Employers

    Reopening schools would provide much-needed child care for parents who need to work, help feed 30 million U.S. children, and prevent further inequitable learning losses. But it also means exposing more kids to the virus. How can families and employers prepare for the disruptions that lie ahead?

    Jul 17, 2020

  • A satellite image of haze of eastern China

    Journal Article

    Geolocating Growth of Suspect "Boarding" Facilities in Xinjiang China

    GEOINT analysis shows steady construction progress in both 2017 and 2019 of suspect facilities in southern Xinjiang.

    Jul 14, 2020

  • Two children on a couch watching TV and their phones, photo by patrickheagney/Getty Images

    Essay

    The COVID Slide: How to Help Students Recover Learning Losses

    Research shows that summer breaks contribute to income-based achievement and opportunity gaps for youth. How can we use what we know about summer learning to help kids in the age of COVID-19?

    Jul 9, 2020

  • Harvard University campus after it shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 25, 2020, photo by Keiko Hiromi/Reuters

    Commentary

    College in America Could Be Changed Forever

    COVID-19 is threatening to upend the models that both public and private higher education depend on in the United States. As universities consider whether to postpone in-person classes until next year, many parents and students may be questioning the value of a traditional higher education.

    Jul 7, 2020

  • Teenage girl studying with video online lesson at home, photo by valentinrussanov/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Three Steps to Make Learning More Equitable Should Schools Close Again This Fall

    The quality of remote instruction depends on whether students can connect and interact with educators online. But poverty is a major driver of who gets high-quality online instruction and who doesn't. What can states do in this new reality?

    Jun 30, 2020

  • A group of six multi-ethic children, 3-4 years old, standing in the park together, laughing and shouting, photo by kali9/Getty Images

    Commentary

    The Five Common Myths About Inclusive Education

    Rising levels of social inequality and diversity in Europe have made social inclusion a priority for the European Union. But it remains a challenge to ensure access to quality early childhood education and care, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Jun 23, 2020

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