Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Dec. 5, 2024
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School Resource Officers: What Does the Evidence Say?
School resource officers are sworn law enforcement officials stationed directly in schools. The number of school resource officers, or SROs, has grown substantially in recent years. During the 2019-2020 school year, 65 percent of U.S. public schools reported having a security staff member present at least once a week. That's up from about 43 percent a decade earlier.
In a new paper, RAND researchers assess the existing evidence base to better understand the history of SROs, the role they play in schools, and their impact. The findings suggest that the presence of SROs may reduce some types of crime and increase the detection of weapons and drugs in schools. However, the presence of SROs also appears to have costs for students. Students at schools with SROs, particularly Black and Latino students, are more likely to face disciplinary action by school administrations. Such disciplinary actions can affect high school graduation, college attendance, and future contact with the criminal justice system.
Given these costs, the authors conclude that "it is worth asking whether alternatives are available that can reduce disruptive behavior in schools without the negative consequences associated with SROs."
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The Future of U.S. Drug Policy
Last month, American voters struck down drug legalization initiatives in four of the five states where they were on the ballot. What does this mean for U.S. drug policy? According to RAND's Beau Kilmer, we just don't know yet. "Be careful about overgeneralizing about what lies ahead on drug policy," he says. "Some states will continue to consider proposals to liberalize laws on cannabis and/or psychedelics, but whether these efforts will pass is a big unknown." Further, many questions remain about how the incoming Trump administration will approach drug policy, including substance use disorder treatment.
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Increasing Supply Chain Resilience
"National security" broadly describes what a nation does to protect its essential interests. This is often viewed in solely military terms, but many other factors affect national security. One is the security of supply chains across the economy. In a new report, RAND's Bradley Martin explores key risks to supply chains and potential ways to improve supply chain resilience. "Supply chains are extremely complex," he writes. "This opacity can result in vulnerabilities developing without the affected parties even being aware of them."
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** RAND Recommends
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- Many fear that the front-runner in Romania's presidential race, if elected, will back away from NATO and align with Russia. In Politico Europe, RAND's Anca Agachi explains the significance of Romania's security role within the Western alliance.
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- The Federation of American Scientists highlights the RAND Forecasting Initiative (RFI), which uses crowdsourced forecasting to expand decisionmakers' analytical toolkits.
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- A new RAND report examines mental health services intended to help victims of anti-Asian hate incidents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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** Events
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Policy Lab: AI and the Future of Work
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (Online)
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The RAND/USC OPTIC Method for Policy Expert Ratings
Friday, December 13, 2024 (Online)
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** The Rise of AI: Insights from RAND Experts
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AI tools are evolving quickly, and decisionmakers are grappling with how to maximize the potential benefits and minimize the risks. Insights from RAND can help. Our researchers have been studying how AI will affect national security, the economy, health care, and much more.
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