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This digest summarizes the highlights of an analysis of assessment practices used in education and professional development for educators. A research team from RAND conducted a broad review of the literature and reviewed the documents of organizations engaged in such assessments. Researchers interviewed experts, attended conferences, and conducted site visits to exemplary programs. Findings show that the main task of assessment focuses on the quality and productivity of specific providers of education and professional development, but higher-level assessment of the system as a whole was also found to be crucial. The RAND study identified key similarities and differences among approaches to evaluation, and classified them into four models: (1) use of an intermediary organization to review the way individual providers assess their own quality and productivity; (2) actual assessment by an intermediary organization; (3) assessment by providers with no involvement of an intermediary; and (4) a focus on the learner that involves certification of student competencies. Factors that are important in choosing an approach to assessing the quality and productivity of providers were identified, and the advantages to each model were outlined. Regardless of the model selected, the study found that three key steps must be included by any provider of student assessment. The goals of the education activities must be identified, the outcomes related to those goals must be measured, and whether the outcomes met the goals must be evaluated. The literature provides guidelines for providers who want to develop their own evaluation measures. (SLD)

ABSTRACT State small-group health insurance reforms, implemented in the 1990s, aimed at controlling the variability of health insurance premiums and to improve access to health insurance. These reforms only affected [...]

During the summer of 1999, the 3 Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) engaged RAND Corporation to study the interactions between DFAS and its customers. The goal of this study [...]

The article focuses on the need of deploying the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces despite budgetary constraints as of November 2013. It mentions that the post deployment and job benefits of the reservists is confirmed, according to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), but duty related absences causes extra burden on employers. It states that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) should promote interaction with employers on duty-related absences.

There is concern that now, as state and federal governments are increasing school accountability requirements and relying on school administrators to promote improvement, schools and districts will not be able to attract and retain enough qualified people to fill these positions. This report develops a conceptual structure for understanding the careers of schools administrators and describes what is known about those who hold such positions and how their characteristics have changed over time. It also describes how factors such as wages, working conditions, entry barriers, and incentives influence individuals' decisions to seek particular administrative positions. Based on their review and analysis of existing research and empirical data, the authors find there is little evidence of a nationwide crisis in the labor market for school administrators. They do, however, identify three key areas of concern: substantial variation in financial rewards at the state and local levels, barriers to entry into the field that affect people's willingness to become administrators, and an administrative population with many members nearing retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]