Education, Labor, and Workforce Development Research

From remote learning to classroom equity to local workforce training initiatives, Pardee RAND students explore a wide range of education and labor policy issues. RAND research has examined educational systems and school-to-work pipelines for almost five decades. Students have coauthored research on topics from early childhood education to postsecondary education, as well as educator effectiveness, instructional technology, employment outcomes, and retirement.

Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

Through project-based research and other experiential learning opportunities, students work with faculty mentors to obtain professional skills and tacit knowledge that courses alone cannot convey. Here are a few recent projects and their resulting research.

  • Electricianas Mate 3rd Class Malachy Osikwemhe repairs a dimmer switch on the missile deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87). Mason is deployed as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rob Aylward/U.S. Navy

    Developing Strategic Plans for Defense Human Resource Management

    Although leaders of many organizations appreciate the value of strategic planning, they wrestle with the principles that should be used to guide a planning process. Nathan Thompson (cohort '20) and Prof. Charles Goldman colleagues explore what principles should guide the development and implementation of strategic plans in defense human resource management organizations.

  • Two women firefighters in protective workwear, photo by xavierarnau/Getty Images

    Developing a Pipeline of Diverse Talent into the Public Sector

    Research by Luke Irwin (cohort '16) and Prof. Charles Goldman finds that public-sector agencies, schools, and community organizations could attract more diverse and talented workers by articulating leadership commitment to recruiting from underrepresented groups, communicating the benefits of public-sector careers, and improving awareness of jobs and internships.

  • Students making their way through a hallway at Ridgeview STEM Junior High in Pickerington, Ohio, December 21, 2021, photo by Shane Flanigan/USA Today via Reuters

    School Districts Still Struggled in Year Three of the Pandemic

    Research by student Melissa Kay Diliberti and Professor Heather Schwartz found that 90 percent of school districts changed operations in 2021–2022 because of teacher shortages. They increased substitute teacher pay and their number of staff above prepandemic levels. They also struggled with political polarization around critical race theory, student and staff mental health, and student learning loss.

  • Students hold signs inside the Kentucky Capitol Rotunda in opposition to bills Kentucky lawmakers say would eradicate critical race theory from state schools, January 12, 2022, photo by Alton Strupp/USA Today via Reuters

    Anti-Bias Education in U.S. Public Schools

    Teaching students explicitly about issues of identity, diversity, equity, and bias can lead to positive outcomes. Ashley Woo (cohort '18), Prof. Julia Kaufman, and RAND colleagues found that nearly three in four K–12 teachers reported that they provide such anti-bias instruction, but more than half said that their school's or district's curriculum materials did not adequately address anti-bias topics.

Explore Pardee RAND student-authored research on Education, Labor, and Workforce Development »

Faculty Mentors

View all Education, Labor, and Workforce Development faculty

Recent Dissertations

View all Pardee RAND dissertations