RAND: No Child Left Behind

Public and Private Collaboration Can Provide Arts Education, Aid Child Development

2008-06-18T00:00:00Z

Amid cutbacks in school arts education funding, public and private organizations in six urban regions have collaborated to expand access to arts learning for children in and outside of public school.

Room for Improvement in California's Use of High-Quality Preschool Programs

2008-06-18T00:00:00Z

More than half of California’s preschoolers attend center-based early care and education programs, but the children who have the most to gain from preschool frequently are those least likely to participate in the programs.

Miscommunication Hindered Student Participation in Programs Created by NCLB

2008-04-04T00:00:00Z

Student participation in school choice programs authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act was hindered because parents did not receive clear and timely communication from schools.

No Child Left Behind Panel Discussion

2008-02-25T00:00:00Z

In a panel discussion hosted by the RAND Corporation, RAND researchers and experts in the field made observations on the implementation and effectiveness of No Child Left Behind. Audio of the event is available online.

California Lags Nation in Tracking Students' Educational Progress

2008-01-29T00:00:00Z

While California has basic tracking system architecture in place to allow the state's educators to closely follow the progress of students from kindergarten to post-secondary education, officials must overcome political and financial barriers.

RAND Review, Fall 2007: Passing or Failing

2007-12-20T00:00:00Z

The Fall 2007 issue of RAND Review presents a midterm report card for "No Child Left Behind", discusses drug benefit plans driven by short-term savings, and analyzes the threat of ungoverned territories.

NCLB Accountability Systems in Place, But Act's Promises Remain Uncertain

2007-11-19T00:00:00Z

After five years of effort, states have implemented most of the test-based accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, and now must focus their efforts on improving poor-performing schools that have been identified.

Revamp NCLB to Fulfill Its Promise

2007-09-16T00:00:00Z

Research reveals that NCLB has flaws, but changes can be made that preserve its basic goals of school accountability and student improvement, writes Brian Stecher.

Assessing Teacher Quality Under No Child Left Behind

2007-08-30T00:00:00Z

A central goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is to ensure that every child is taught by a highly qualified teacher. Most teachers meet their states requirements, but it is uncertain if some states' standards are sufficiently high.

What Do We Know About Vouchers and Charter Schools?

2007-08-16T00:00:00Z

Vouchers and charter schools are two of the most prominent and far-reaching forms of family-choice policies currently in evidence in the nation's schools. An updated version of the report Rhetoric Versus Reality takes a detailed look at what is known about the effects of school choice.

Students Benefit from Supplemental Education Under No Child Left Behind

2007-06-27T00:00:00Z

Students in underperforming schools generally made statistically significant gains in math and reading after participating in supplemental educational services such as tutoring and remediation.

Standards-Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind

2007-05-23T00:00:00Z

How are educators responding to the standards-based accountability provisions in the No Child Left Behind (NLCB) Act? A review of three states representing different approaches, regions, and student populations helps answers this question.

The Limits of Average Test Scores

2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

[State] test scores provide one useful piece of information to parents, school and governmental officials, and other taxpayers... But while this type of reporting provides one way of judging school quality, other information is needed to understand how well schools are actually educating their students, writes Laura Hamilton.

Think It Through on Tests

2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

While testing can serve a valuable purpose, it can only do so if: the tests are designed to measure complex, important content; safeguards are developed to address harmful effects on students; and the tests are used as one part of a comprehensive strategy for producing more-qualified graduates, writes Laura Hamilton.

Academic Gains Not Superior for Students at Privately Run Public Schools

2007-02-01T00:00:00Z

Academic improvement among students attending Philadelphia public schools managed by private operators kept pace, but did not exceed, the achievement gains of students in the rest of the district in the past four years.

Making Sense of Data-Driven Decision Making in Education

2006-11-27T00:00:00Z

Data-driven decision making, applied to student achievement testing data, is a central focus of many school and district reform efforts. Yet many unanswered questions remain about the use of data to inform decisions and the effects on student achievement.

Most Schools Fail to Fully Adopt Reform Models for Boosting Student Achievement

2006-11-09T00:00:00Z

Schools that embrace comprehensive reform models designed to improve student achievement frequently do not fully adopt all recommended practices. The reason most often cited was a shortage of support for needed improvements and investments such as teacher training.

'No Child' Leaves Too Much Behind

2006-09-13T00:00:00Z

The No Child Left Behind law focuses on a very narrow set of outcomes, and ignores many elements that students and their families find satisfying, challenging and motivating about their schools, writes Brian Stecher.

Instructional Reforms Could Help Bridge Achievement Gap

2005-11-01T00:00:00Z

Improving school systems is critical to bridging the achievement gap and achieving federal accountability goals. Research in three urban districts sheds light on promising instructional reform strategies and challenges to bringing about systemwide change.

Edison Schools Match or Exceed Gains of Comparable Public Schools

2005-10-11T00:00:00Z

Most public schools operated for at least four to five years by the for-profit company Edison Schools have shown student achievement gains that match or exceed gains in schools with similar student populations.