In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 schools are under immense pressure to meet the diverse needs of students. But policies and practices have not evolved quickly enough to meet those needs -- and as a result, the system continues to fail far too many young people. In "Levers of Change: How State Policies Support District…

This report is one in a series of case studies RAND researchers are conducting as part of an independent evaluation of the BHP Foundation's Education Equity program. This case study traces the development of two efforts by UN Women's Second Chance Education Programme (SCE) in India to support policy changes that improve women's access to education…

Purpose: This study conducts a systematic review of policy reforms for the evaluation of scientific and technological research (E-STR) in China's colleges. In doing so, it identifies changes to past policies, as well as the objectives and realizability of the most recent policy reform. Design/Approach/Methods: This study systematically reviews the…

The systematic oppression of Black men and women throughout U.S. history has resulted in persistent unequal access to opportunity. U.S. leaders have long attempted to improve the outcomes of Black Americans through public policy. With nearly all key long-term measures--employment, wealth, incarceration, health--correlating with educational…

Researchers commonly interpret effect sizes by applying benchmarks proposed by Jacob Cohen over a half century ago. However, effects that are small by Cohen's standards are large relative to the impacts of most field-based interventions. These benchmarks also fail to consider important differences in study features, program costs, and scalability.…

The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools across Washington to help decision makers understand what quality mastery-based (or competency-based) learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary. The schools receive funding, coaching, and professional…

A growing body of research evaluates the effects of turnaround on chronically low-performing schools. We extend this literature by formally testing factors that may either mediate or suppress the effects of two turnaround initiatives in Tennessee: the Achievement School District (ASD) and local Innovation Zones (iZones). Using…

This article analyzes the intersection between neo-liberal educational reforms and educational technology in the Israeli education system, through a study of the policy work of an edtech research and development unit in Israel named MindCET, which operates a startup accelerator and other activities and programs. Based on ethnographic research from…

In this study, the South Korean policy of evaluating the nation's entire teacher education programmes regularly, which was introduced amid the globalization and rising popularity of neoliberal education reforms, was examined. Over the years, this policy has been criticized widely for its minimal impact on transforming teacher education. Employing…

This article starts with an outline of how the core concepts of attachment, child development, neuroscience and the impact of trauma have influenced the educational landscape in Scotland. An account is provided of how key Scottish education policies promote nurturing relationships as beneficial for children and young people's wellbeing and healthy…

Outcomes assessment in an academic family science program led to the accidental discovery of grade inflation that was causing impaction problems in upper-division major courses. The current analysis evaluates the effectiveness of a policy intervention designed to improve academic rigor in previously grade-inflated classes. The new policy required…

This paper seeks to raise awareness among educational researchers and practitioners of some significant weaknesses and internal contradictions of randomised control trials (RCTs). Although critiques throughout the years from education scholars have pointed to the detrimental effects of this experimental approach on education practice and values,…

The debate regarding the ability of co-operativism to challenge the consequences of neoliberal policy reform in UK schooling remains concerned with the organisation and policy of co-operative academies. This article follows school research which applies a Foucauldian approach to power to explore and identify violently unequal consequences of…

Across OECD countries, the increasing demand for evidence-based policy making has further led governments to design policies jointly with clear measurable objectives, and to define relevant indicators to monitor their achievement. This paper discusses the importance of such indicators in supporting the implementation of education policies.…

In this brief, we discuss embedding and framing the evolving literatures related to improvement and implementation sciences into a general intervention perspective. From that perspective, we sketch out some basic considerations related to improvement and implementation research, practice, and policy.