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Child Well-Being

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The health and well-being of children is associated with numerous outcomes on their physical, mental, social, and economic development. RAND research covers issues related to physical and mental health and development; child abuse and neglect; bullying, violence, and trauma; child poverty and homelessness; coping with military deployment in families; socioeconomic disparities; access to social services, and more.

Commentary
Biden's Child Tax Credit Will Bring Lifetime of Improvement
The American Rescue Plan is expected to cut child poverty in the United States by more than 40 percent. The benefits are important to families today and could be compounded over the hundred years these children are expected to live.
Apr 28, 2021
Report
Challenges in Implementing Physical Security Measures in K–12 Schools
Creating safe and secure environments is essential to supporting effective teaching and learning in America's classrooms. What are the most common challenges to physical security planning in schools?
Jun 3, 2021

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News Release
1 in 5 Teachers Feel Carrying Gun to Class Would Make Schools Safer; More Than Half Think Armed Teachers Would Make ...
U.S. teachers are divided on whether arming themselves would make schools safer, with one in five saying they would be interested in carrying a gun to school.
May 31, 2023
Report
What Do Teachers Think About Carrying Guns to School?
U.S. teachers are divided on whether arming themselves would make schools safer. One in five feels that carrying a gun would make schools safer and would do so if allowed. More than half believe teacher-carry policies would make schools less safe. And teachers' top safety concern is bullying, not guns.
May 31, 2023
Journal Article
Home Visiting for First-Time Parents: Community Innovation
We outline lessons from the First Born home visiting program for other universal programs, including the pros and cons of universal services, the expectation that universal programs will have population-level impact, and barriers to innovation.
May 25, 2023
Journal Article
Effect of Child Benefit Payments on Child Outcome Expenditures in South Korea
Using longitudinal data, Korea's child benefit programs are shown to generate positive child outcome expenditures. The effects are higher for lower- and middle-income families, suggesting that policy should target income groups.
May 25, 2023
Research Brief
Domestic Abuse Prevention and Outreach Approaches for the Military Community
This study focused on identifying strategies to help prevent domestic abuse among service members and their spouses or partners before it occurs and strategies for outreach to high-risk groups that could be effective in the military environment.
May 16, 2023
Report
Preventing Domestic Abuse in the U.S. Armed Forces
Domestic abuse has severe consequences for service members, their families, and, potentially, unit readiness. What strategies could help prevent domestic abuse before it occurs and help the military with communication to reach individuals who might have risk factors for domestic abuse?
May 16, 2023
Research Brief
Labor Trafficking in the United States
The U.S. Department of State has estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year to perform bonded or forced labor. The dimensions of this problem are growing, making it more challenging to study and address.
May 9, 2023
Report
Current and Future Research on Labor Trafficking in the United States
Reducing the prevalence of human trafficking is a national priority. In this report, researchers recommend a research agenda for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to address labor trafficking policy and enforcement.
May 9, 2023
Blog
Truth Decay and National Security, Gun Violence, Blockading Crimea: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Truth Decay and national security, America's gun violence problem, how Ukraine could blockade Crimea, and more.
Apr 14, 2023
Report
Supporting Students in Foster Care
State and federal policymakers have passed legislation designed to promote collaboration between the education and child welfare systems with the goal of improving educational stability for youth in foster care and, in turn, their educational outcomes. But there are barriers to cross-system collaboration.
Apr 4, 2023
Blog
Violence in Schools, Neurodiversity and National Security, Drug Cartels: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on preventing school violence, dealing with drug cartels, the benefits of a neurodivergent national security workforce, and more.
Mar 31, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: March-April 2023
The cover story describes how K-12 schools can build trust with students to increase threat reporting and strengthen school safety. The Q&A with Ashley Woo explores how restrictions on race- and gender-related topics are affecting teachers.
Mar 22, 2023
News Release
U.S. Opioid Crisis Best Viewed as Connected Ecosystem; Changing Policymakers' Approach Can Aid Solutions
The nation's opioid crisis, which kills thousands of Americans annually, is best viewed as an ecosystem where all parts of the vexing problem are interconnected, underscoring the need for holistic solutions that address the broad needs of those with substance use disorders, their families, and the communities where they live.
Mar 16, 2023
Report
America's Opioid Ecosystem
Patterns and consequences of opioid use are changing dramatically. Researchers provide a nuanced assessment of America's opioid ecosystem, highlighting how leveraging system interactions can reduce addiction, overdose, suffering, and other harms.
Mar 16, 2023
Visualization
The Ecosystem Approach to Opioid Policy
RAND researchers created a tool to help federal, state, and local policymakers better understand issues surrounding opioids as an ecosystem—and explore innovative policy ideas.
Mar 16, 2023
Essay
Preventing Violence in Schools: How to Encourage Students to Report Threats
One of the most consistent findings in research on school shootings is that someone knew an attack was possible but didn't report it. There are ways schools can encourage students to come forward when they see or hear something concerning: tip lines, training, and a lot more trust.
Mar 9, 2023
Journal Article
Early Evaluation of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Trailblazer Programme: A Rapid Mixed-Methods Study
An early evaluation of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Trailblazer programme examines the development, implementation and early progress of the 25 mental health support teams created as the first step of the programme.
Feb 1, 2023
Commentary
Ways to Help Students Report Threats to Their School
When students or others don't know how to report a threat or aren't willing to do so, important opportunities to protect students may be missed. Schools receive little guidance about how to implement an effective reporting program or how to build a robust reporting culture. A recent research effort helps to fill this gap, highlighting seven key implications for school safety planning.
Sep 29, 2022
Report
Holistic early education and care: Policy and practice in France 2017-2021
The report presents an overview of holistic early childhood education and care policy and practice in France between 2017-2021, including an analysis of broader societal, political and research trends regarding early childhood development.
Sep 8, 2022
Journal Article
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2): A New Approach for Measuring Human Potential and Wellbeing
The Gross Developmental Potential (GDP2) is proposed as a new capabilities-based framework for assessing threats to thriving and understanding progress in achieving lifelong health and wellbeing.
Sep 2, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Alex R. Dopp

Behavioral and Social Scientist

Alex Dopp (he/him) is a behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation. Also an implementation scientist and child clinical psychologist, he studies the use of research evidence, and related policy implications, for improving youth mental health and substance use services. He has rare…
Katie Tosh

Adjunct Policy Analyst

Katie Tosh (she/her) is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. Her research interests include the design, implementation, and evaluation of education and health programs and policies. She is particularly interested in quality improvement and systems change. She is skilled at planning…

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