Departmentalized instruction, in which teachers specialize in one or more core subjects and instruct multiple groups of students in a day, has become increasingly prominent in elementary schools. Using 8 years of data from Massachusetts and a difference-in-differences design, we estimate the effects of departmentalization on student achievement.…

This research study focused on the effects of departmentalization in the elementary school setting. Previous research on the topic of departmentalization in elementary school settings presented inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze data from self-contained and departmentalized classrooms in fourth and fifth…

Researchers generally credit Albert Bandura for providing the theoretical framework for studying collective teacher efficacy. Research shows that principals using transformational leadership behaviors significantly impact collective teacher efficacy. Policies, such as Every Student Succeeds Act, increasingly put pressure on school districts to…

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is not yet known, but is expected to impact most aspects of our lives and work in the next 20 years. AI will be able to help solve complex problems, help with investment and business development, support medical and health care, and substantially impact the field of education. State education agencies…

There are myriads of research outputs regarding the nexus between leadership behaviors and organizational effectiveness. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of empirical studies examining the indirect effect of leadership behaviors on academic performance in higher education settings via organizational learning. The present study examined the effects…

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is not yet known, but the technology is expected to impact most aspects of our lives and work in the next 20 years. AI will be able to help solve complex problems, help with investment and business development, support medical and health care, and substantially impact the field of education. State…

The rise in numbers of non-tenure track faculty (NTTF) and the impact on student success is not a simple causal relationship. Rather, it is a complex formula of academic supports, strategic staffing, and professional socialization that drives student retention and, inevitably, graduation. At the center of the administration, policies, students,…

This study examines the determinants influencing students' decisions to drop out or stop out (i.e., withdraw temporarily) from colleges in South Korea. Using Korean Education and Employment Panel II survey data (2016-2019), the determinants of students' college discontinuance of 8,485 students were analyzed and categorized as personal, college…

Goals and policy related to artificial intelligence (AI) will focus on improving learning for each learner. State Education Agencies (SEAs) must determine how to begin the journey to this outcome. The steps in this report outline in depth the first steps SEAs can take to begin development of an AI-related vision and strategic objectives that will…

There continues to be confusion among some educators and staff in State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) about what is an accommodation and what is a modification. This confusion about accommodations and modifications happens in how these words are used in both instruction and assessment. The confusion is further…

Micro-credentials are increasingly being adopted across a variety of industries and countries, including the kindergarten through grade 12 education system in the United States, as a way to identify workers with specific skills, knowledge, and competencies. This report presents the results of a study conducted by RAND researchers who investigated…

Discourse around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the United States has long focused on improving the persistence and academic achievement of students. On the surface, such goals are reasonable and well-intentioned. However, the near-exclusive focus on those two outcomes as shorthand for "success"…

This appendix is a companion to the report "Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools: Exploring Implementation Experiences." The appendix provides additional information about the study, which sought to explore schools' implementation of departmentalized instruction, teachers' experiences with the strategy, and…

Assigning upper elementary grade teachers to teach their strongest subjects to multiple classes ("departmentalizing"), rather than teaching all subjects to a single class, ("self-contained instruction") could mean more specialized instructional expertise in the classroom or focus for teacher planning time and professional…

In today's educational landscape, state and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) often experience challenges connecting large-scale accountability data with actual school improvement initiatives. These challenges tend to be rooted in incoherent design and use of data systems for continuous improvement. As we aim to support SEAs in…