Learning from Innovative School Models and Funding Approaches
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The problem: Public school education has been organized in the same way for centuries despite considerable evolution in the knowledge, competencies, and skills to succeed in the 21st Century. States and local school systems need insights on innovative school models, which could offer into newer approaches to prepare students for college and jobs, and funding mechanisms that could open opportunities to students.
Approaches that make a difference: Through mixed-methods evaluations of charter schools and vouchers, as well as personalized and project-based learning approaches, RAND uncovers ways to improve student outcomes and provides guidance on the implementation and cost of innovations.
Our researchers have examined the impacts of models that incorporate:
- Competency-based and student-centered learning
- Remote learning and approaches to reopening schools in the pandemic era
- Microschools, community schools, and the effects of innovative high school designs
- Personalized learning and the four-day school week
Mixed evidence on funding models: Recent work on school funding has assessed student-based funding formulas and block grants and the use of evidence-based decision tools to aid funding decisions.
- As of 2024, 18 states had educational savings account (ESA) programs that allow parents to redirect funds from their local school to a private school. This is up from four states in 2019 despite a lack of empirical evidence that ESAs improve outcomes.
- Key findings from the Spring 2021 American Educator Panels provided real-time insights into experiences with operational and funding models, and researchers offered recommendations for schools and educators to consider when making decisions about how to spend federal funds.