Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Feb. 18, 2025
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Improving Military Health Readiness Assessments
The health of service members is critical to the U.S. military's readiness and combat effectiveness. The U.S. Department of Defense monitors health readiness through a suite of assessments. While this suite shows DoD's commitment to this important topic, the number of items in these assessments has grown over time. And the mandated time frames in which assessments must be conducted (relative to deployment timelines) might create unnecessary costs and increase the burden on service members.
A new RAND analysis examines DoD's five health readiness assessments and identifies opportunities to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. For example, our findings show that technology-related barriers can make it difficult for health care providers to view and use assessment data. Removing such obstacles and enhancing technological efficiency could help improve the health readiness assessment process and, in turn, lead to better care for service members.
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Are Teachers Using AI?
RAND recently surveyed educators across the United States to better understand their use of artificial intelligence tools and products during the 2023-2024 school year. The results show that 25 percent of teachers used AI for their instructional planning or teaching. However, there was large variation in use among different types of teachers. For example, English and science teachers were nearly twice as likely to report using AI tools as mathematics teachers or elementary teachers of all subjects. Additionally, teachers and principals in higher-poverty schools were less likely to report using AI than their counterparts in lower-poverty schools.
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What the Pentagon Might Learn from Ukraine About Fielding New Tech
In more than three years battling Russian forces, Ukraine has fielded a high volume of new weapon technology that has been invaluable in collecting intelligence, enabling drone strikes, and guiding the removal of land mines. According to RAND experts, Ukraine's success in these areas may provide lessons for DoD as the U.S. government seeks new avenues for efficiency. For example, DoD might consider adopting parts of Ukraine's drone acquisition approach, especially its focus on cheaper commercial drones that can be modified quickly for specific mission needs.
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** RAND Recommends
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- RAND's Sara Hughes discusses U.S. and global water policy and the legacy of the Flint water crisis more than ten years later.
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- ICYMI from last Thursday's newsletter, here's a country-by-country rundown of what you need to know about the Indo-Pacific.
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- RAND's Sarah Hunter explains how the Los Angeles wildfires, which displaced thousands of residents, are worsening the city's housing shortage: "Now there's just going to be more strain on the system."
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** Events
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Improving Transition Support for Those Leaving the Military
Thursday, February 20, 2025 (Online)
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Policy Lab: AI Risks and Benefits in Clinical Care
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 (Online)
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RAND Health Care Workforce Summit
Monday, March 17, 2025 (Washington, D.C.)
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** Learn the Tools of Defense Policy Analysis
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Applications are open for Pardee RAND Graduate School's new Master of National Security Policy degree program. Full-time and part-time schedules are available at our campuses in Santa Monica, CA, and Arlington, VA.
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