Child Policy

RAND Child Policy serves as a gateway to RAND research on children's issues from prenatal to age 18, and provides easy access to objective information that will help improve policy and decisionmaking. RAND research on child policy is conducted by multiple research divisions, and draws upon the expertise of over 140 researchers and consultants.

Child Policy research is organized by topic area, including research projects and publications. We deliver up-to-date research findings on children's issues to those who need it at the local, state, and national level. In addition, we offer a monthly email announcement of new RAND publications and projects, as well as a quarterly newsletter for Congressional staff.

We also operate the Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities to provide easy-to-understand information on what works to improve outcomes for children and their families.

More »Featured Research

Early Puberty in Girls Is a Risk Factor for Delinquency, Requires Positive Parenting — Aug. 31, 2008

Early puberty is a risk factor for delinquency, and early puberty combined with low parental nurturance, communication, or parental knowledge of the child's activities presents a risk for aggressive behavior in early adolescent girls.

Abstract

The Cost-Effectiveness of Education Interventions in Poor Countries — Aug. 27, 2008

The August issue of Policy Insight discusses the growing use of randomized trials to determine the effectiveness of development programs in low-income countries, suggesting that similar methods should be used to assess the cost-effectiveness of education interventions in these countries

Full Document Working Paper PRGS Policy Insight Web Page

More »Featured Project

Ask the Experts about Television Exposure in Young Children — Jun. 19, 2008

What does research tell us about media and outcomes for young children? Child Policy experts answer your questions on the topic of videos and television programming for children under two years old.

View All »Related News & Commentary

September 2, 2008: Few Parents of Chronically Ill Children Use California Paid Family Leave Program

August 24, 2008: Change Choices, Not Conversation, By Melissa Flournoy (Monroe (LA) News Star)

June 18, 2008: Most California Children Attend Center-Based Preschools; Educational Quality of Programs Falls Short

June 18, 2008: Creative Collaborative Approaches Work to Maintain, Extend Arts Education in Six U.S. Urban Areas

June 10, 2008: Virginity Pledges May Help Postpone Intercourse Among Youth

View All »Featured Reports

RAND Review - Spring, 2008: Baby Steps

The cover story compares neonatal services across the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Sweden; other features discuss water resources management, U.S. policies in Asia, and political polarization.

Full Document

Inspiration, Perspiration, and Time: Operations and Achievement in Edison Schools

RAND has undertaken a study to assess the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California. This volume describes which groups of students are falling short of proficiency in the early elementary grades and evaluates the potential for well-designed preschool programs to close those achievement gaps.