Melissa Kay Diliberti

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND, and Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Santa Monica Office

Education

M.Phil. in policy analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; M.P.P., The George Washington University; B.A. in political science and international studies, University of Michigan

One Page Bio

Overview

Melissa Kay Diliberti is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She analyzes data from RAND's American Educator Panels to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the U.S. education system. Her research interests include domestic and international education policy. Prior to joining Pardee RAND, she was a researcher at the American Institutes for Research, where she provided analysis support to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Diliberti has an M.P.P. from the George Washington University and a B.A. in political science and international studies from the University of Michigan.

Research Focus

Commentary

Civic Education

Social Studies Achievement Has Plummeted Nationally. Four Reasons This Trend Will Not Be Reversed Without Systemic Action
The U.S. Department of Education recently released results from the latest national social studies assessments. U.S. history scores continued a previous pattern of decline and civics scores declined for the first time ever. Reversing these trends will require concerted effort and increased investments at all levels of the U.S. education system.
May 22, 2023
The RAND Blog
LGBTQ+ Populations

How Florida's Expansion of 'Don't Say Gay' Law Will Hurt Students and Teachers Across the United States
Policies restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and representation of LGBTQ+ individuals are likely to make schools less welcoming to America's estimated two million LGBTQ+ youth. Policymakers should develop policies that cultivate learning and work environments where all students and educators feel safe and valued.
May 13, 2023
USA Today
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The End of the U.S. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Q&A with RAND Experts
We asked RAND experts to reflect on the past three years: What were the effects on the United States and around the world, what has changed, what are the most important takeaways, what was done right, and what was done wrong? At the same time, they looked ahead to what might be done to mitigate the health and geopolitical impacts of future pandemics.
May 8, 2023
The RAND Blog
Civic Education

Whether Democracy Is Eroding or on the Upswing Depends on What State You Live In
Voter laws, civic education opportunities, and trust in government are all important aspects of democracy that impact individuals' civic participation. If policymakers had better ways to measure and monitor this “civic infrastructure” beyond just voter turnout, a different, more complicated but complete picture of our democracy would likely emerge.
Dec 13, 2022
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Educator Well-Being

Educators' Poor Morale Matters, Even If They Don't Quit. Here's Why
State and district education leaders can take steps now to reduce teacher and principal stress this fall in two ways: Recognize that job-related stress is systemic and that educators closer to the classroom may experience more of it, and talk with teachers and principals about the sources of stress in their job, and what could alleviate them.
Aug 11, 2022
The 74 Million
Educational Institutions

The Remote Learning Paradox: Some Educators, Parents Want to Keep Online Classes Option Even Though Instruction Suffered
Despite remote learning not going particularly well during the pandemic, about one-third of U.S. schools are keeping it as an option. Is remote learning a pandemic blip or a permanent feature of public education moving ahead?
Jun 24, 2021
The 74
Students

The American Rescue Plan Is a Chance to Support Students with Disabilities. Here Are Some Investments Worth Considering
National surveys of K–12 teachers provide insight into challenges for effectively educating students with disabilities during the pandemic and beyond. Understanding these challenges can help identify important funding options to address gaps.
May 5, 2021
The 74

Publications

Journal Article
Survey: What Purpose Do Suspensions Serve? Principals Don't Seem Quite Sure
Efforts to encourage principals to limit use of excessively punitive disciplinary practices have been underway for more than a decade and yet suspension rates remain high. We sought to learn more about principals' beliefs about school discipline.
Jun 20, 2023
Journal Article
Survey: Principals Say They Need Better-Trained Teachers and More Resources to Address Student Misbehavior
Educators have long struggled to reduce student misbehavior—a challenge that has become more acute since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight two things principals say they need to reduce misbehavior: better teacher prep and resources.
Jun 20, 2023
Report
Teachers' Views on School Safety: Consensus on Many Security Measures, But Stark Division About Arming Teachers
RAND researchers used survey responses from the American Teacher Panel to learn what teachers think about school safety, including what they think about policies that would allow teachers to carry firearms in schools.
May 31, 2023
Report
The Missing Infrastructure for Elementary (K–5) Social Studies Instruction: Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey
This report uses data from the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels to investigate the state of infrastructure to support elementary social studies instruction during the 2021-2022 school year.
Mar 7, 2023
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Fall 2022 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare superintendents' responses to the fall 2022 American School District Panel survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by locale, student race and ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Feb 16, 2023
Report
Educator Turnover Has Markedly Increased, but Districts Have Taken Actions to Boost Teacher Ranks: Selected Findings from the Sixth American School District Panel Survey
Researchers analyzed district leader survey results to see whether educator turnover increased nationally at the end of the 2021–2022 school year and to learn whether districts continued to experience staff shortages during the 2022–2023 school year.
Feb 16, 2023
Report
Technical Documentation for the Sixth American School District Panel Survey
This report provides technical information about the fall 2022 survey of the American School District Panel. The authors describe the survey administration and weighting processes they used to produce nationally representative estimates.
Feb 16, 2023
Journal Article
Survey: Understanding How U.S. Public Schools Approach School Discipline
How prevalent do zero-tolerance policies remain today? To find out, researchers surveyed 1,080 public school principals across the U.S.
Feb 8, 2023
Journal Article
Navigating Political Tensions Over Schooling: Findings from the Fall 2022 American School District Panel Survey
Using survey data and interviews with superintendents, researchers investigate the extent to which polarization about issues such as race, sexuality, gender, and Covid-19 was interfering with schooling as of fall 2022.
Feb 1, 2023
Report
Defining and Measuring Civic Infrastructure
This report offers a framework for defining civic infrastructure, then presents measures that provide information to help monitor civic infrastructure across the nation, in individual states, in communities, and across diverse populations.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
How Are U.S. Public School Teachers Approaching Civic and Citizenship Education?
A survey of U.S. teachers was used to assess how civic and citizenship education is being provided, what teachers view as the most important aims of this education, and whether U.S. teachers' views match those of teachers in other countries.
Sep 29, 2022
Report
RAND American School District Panel: Creation and Technical Description
This report describes the American School District Panel (ASDP) sample design, methods used to recruit districts, recruitment results, and methods used to weight ASDP data to the national population of public school districts in the United States.
Aug 4, 2022
Report
Districts Continue to Struggle with Staffing, Political Polarization, and Unfinished Instruction: Selected Findings from the Fifth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of districts' challenges at the end of the third school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors assess nationally representative survey responses from 291 district leaders who completed the American School District Panel in spring 2022.
Jul 19, 2022
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Spring 2022 COVID-19 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare superintendents' responses to the final section of the spring 2022 survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student race and ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Jul 12, 2022
Report
State of the Superintendent — High Job Satisfaction and a Projected Normal Turnover Rate: Selected Findings from the Fifth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of U.S. superintendents' job satisfaction and intentions to remain in their position, researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 222 superintendents in the American School District Panel in spring 2022.
Jul 12, 2022
Report
Technical Documentation for the Fifth American School District Panel Survey
This report provides technical information about the spring 2022 survey of the American School District Panel. The authors describe the survey administration and weighting processes they used to produce nationally representative estimates.
Jul 12, 2022
Draft
Measuring School Poverty Matters, but How Should We Measure It? Comparing Results of Survey Analyses Conducted Using Various Measures of School Poverty
Explores the relationship between school-level free or reduced-price lunch rates and alternative measures of school and community poverty and how these measures compare to one another as explanatory variables and covariates in analyses.
Jun 8, 2022
Report
How States Are Creating Conditions for Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials in K–12 Classrooms: Findings from the 2021 American Instructional Resources Survey
In this report, the authors examine adoption and use of instructional materials using survey self-reports from teachers across the United States and from a network of states that is focused on improving use of standards-aligned materials.
Jun 7, 2022
Report
Flux in the Educator Labor Market: Acute Staff Shortages and Projected Superintendent Departures: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
To obtain a national picture of the staffing challenges that districts are facing in the 2021-2022 school year, RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel from October to December 2021.
Feb 15, 2022
Visualization
American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool: Fall 2021 COVID-19 Survey Results
This tool allows users to compare district leaders' responses to each question in the fall 2021 survey. Charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student race/ethnicity, and district poverty level.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
Technical Documentation for the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
This report provides technical information about the November 2021 survey of the American School District Panel. The authors describe districts' characteristics and the weighting process that was used to produce nationally representative estimates.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
District Leaders' Concerns About Mental Health and Political Polarization in Schools: Selected Findings from the Fourth American School District Panel Survey
RAND researchers surveyed 359 district and charter network leaders in the American School District Panel to learn about the extent of challenges to schooling in 2021-2022, including student and teacher mental health and political polarization.
Feb 8, 2022
Report
Changes in School Composition During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for School-Average Interim Test Score Use
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has exacerbated concerns about using school-aggregate test scores to monitor school performance. In this report, researchers investigate how changes to school composition may contaminate aggregate scores.
Jan 19, 2022
Report
The Rise of Virtual Schools: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
Results from the June 2021 American School District Panel survey suggest that K–12 remote instruction will outlast the pandemic. This report highlights districts' plans for temporary and more-lasting remote instruction options starting in fall 2021.
Aug 30, 2021
Report
School Districts Have Expanded Their Nonacademic Services for 2021–2022, While Academic Offerings Remain Much the Same: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
Results from the June 2021 American School District Panel survey suggest that while public schools are expanding their nonacademic offerings due to the pandemic, most academic programs for the 2021–2022 school year will remain the same.
Aug 23, 2021
Report
Will Students Come Back? A July 2021 Parent Survey About School Hesitancy and Parental Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools
This report provides the survey questions and weighted responses from a July 2021 survey of parents concerning school hesitancy and preferences for COVID-19 safety practices in schools in the United States.
Aug 18, 2021
Report
The K–12 Pandemic Budget and Staffing Crises Have Not Panned Out—Yet: Selected Findings from the Third American School District Panel Survey
This report presents district leaders' accounts of staff turnover and fiscal health at the end of the 2020–2021 school year. The authors highlight district leaders' concerns about facing a fiscal cliff after federal aid expires.
Aug 16, 2021
Visualization
Summer 2021 COVID-19 Survey Results: American School District Panel Interactive Survey Results Tool
This tool allows users to compare district leaders' responses to each question in the June 2021 survey. Bar charts display results for all respondents and by district type, locale, student racial and ethnicity composition, and district poverty level.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Technical Documentation for the Third American School District Panel Survey
This report provides technical information about the June 2021 survey of the American School District Panel. The authors summarize districts' characteristics and the weighting process that they used to produce nationally representative estimates.
Aug 16, 2021
Report
Will Students Come Back? School Hesitancy Among Parents and Their Preferences for COVID-19 Safety Practices in Schools
RAND researchers surveyed more than 2,000 parents of children ages 5-18 in May 2021 about their willingness to send their children to school in person in fall 2021 and whether they would vaccinate their children against coronavirus disease 2019.
Jun 10, 2021
Report
COVID-19 and the State of K–12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Spring 2021 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys
The authors provide technical information about the sample and survey instrument, along with resultant descriptive data, for the COVID-19 surveys administered to principals and teachers via RAND's American Educator Panels in spring 2021.
May 27, 2021
Report
Divergent and Inequitable Teaching and Learning Pathways During (and Perhaps Beyond) the Pandemic: Key Findings from the American Educator Panels Spring 2021 COVID-19 Surveys
This Data Note provides a picture of students' learning experiences in kindergarten through grade 12 schools that have adopted a variety of operational models (e.g., fully in-person, hybrid, fully remote) during the 2020–2021 school year.
May 27, 2021
Visualization
American School District Panel Winter 2021 COVID-19 Survey
A total of 434 district leaders from school districts and charter management organizations (CMOs) took the second survey of the American School District Panel between January 21 and March 5, 2021. This tool presents weighted survey results that are nationally representative of school districts in the United States.
May 11, 2021
Report
Urban and Rural Districts Showed a Strong Divide During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Second American School District Panel Survey
This report includes results from the second survey of district leaders by the RAND Corporation's American School District Panel. The survey covered 2020-2021 school year instruction, COVID-19 testing and vaccines, enrollments, budget, and staffing.
May 11, 2021
Report
Teachers' Lesson Modifications for Students with Disabilities: Findings from the 2020 American Instructional Resources Survey
In this Data Note, researchers explore teachers' reports of how much and in what ways they modify their lessons to support students with disabilities.
Feb 23, 2021
Report
Stress Topped the Reasons Why Public School Teachers Quit, Even Before COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has added more stress to an already high-stress profession: American public school teacher. The authors of this report reveal how important stress has been—even more so than pay—to teachers' decisions to leave the profession.
Feb 22, 2021
Report
Adapting Course Placement Processes in Response to COVID-19 Disruptions: Guidance for Schools and Districts
Because of the pandemic, spring 2020 end-of-year assessments were canceled and schools began the 2020-2021 year without assessment data. The authors compare three strategies to estimate missing test scores and help with course placement decisions.
Feb 16, 2021
Journal Article
Teachers Are Not All Right: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Is Taking a Toll on the Nation's Teachers
Findings discuss issues affecting teacher wellbeing during the pandemic, including higher workloads and increased teacher burnout.
Jan 15, 2021
Report
Remote Learning Is Here to Stay: Results from the First American School District Panel Survey
The RAND Corporation fielded a survey to the new American School District Panel to develop a national picture of school districts' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and innovations that they plan to keep after the pandemic.
Dec 15, 2020
Report
COVID-19 and the State of K-12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Fall 2020 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys
This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and data for the coronavirus disease 2019 surveys that were administered to principals and teachers in fall 2020 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.
Nov 16, 2020
Report
Will This School Year Be Another Casualty of the Pandemic? Key Findings from the American Educator Panels Fall 2020 COVID-19 Surveys
In this Data Note, researchers present findings on teaching and learning during a pandemic by drawing on surveys administered via the RAND American Educator Panels to nationally representative samples of teachers and principals in October 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
Report
Prepared for a Pandemic? How Schools' Preparedness Related to Their Remote Instruction During COVID-19
Using responses to the American Educator Panels, RAND researchers investigate how schools' pre-pandemic planning translated into remote learning practices and principals' confidence in student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sep 29, 2020
Report
The Digital Divide and COVID-19: Teachers' Perceptions of Inequities in Students' Internet Access and Participation in Remote Learning
Researchers investigate the relationship between teachers' reports of students' internet access and their interaction with students and families during school closures related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Sep 24, 2020
Report
Which Parents Need the Most Support While K–12 Schools and Child Care Centers Are Physically Closed?
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been particularly challenging for parents as schools and child care centers closed or switched to distance learning in spring 2020. RAND researchers examine which parents need the most support.
Jul 27, 2020
Report
Teaching and Leading Through a Pandemic: Key Findings from the American Educator Panels Spring 2020 COVID-19 Surveys
Drawing on the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels, this Data Note presents nationally representative teacher and principal survey results on several aspects of schooling during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Jun 22, 2020
Report
COVID-19 and the State of K–12 Schools: Results and Technical Documentation from the Spring 2020 American Educator Panels COVID-19 Surveys
This technical report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveys administered to principals and teachers via RAND's American Educator Panels in spring 2020.
May 26, 2020