America’s education system faces formidable challenges. Student performance has not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Big differences in both funding and opportunities exist in school systems across the United States. Attracting and retaining teachers has become more difficult in many contexts and subjects. Many individuals face barriers to accessing and completing college because of costs and other life constraints, and colleges do not always offer the programs and resources that meet individual student needs.
RAND’s education research uses nationally representative surveys, program evaluations, national data sets, and other sources to present a comprehensive picture of these challenges and examine how systems are facing them.
