About the ASDP

RAND, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), the Council of Great City Schools, and MGT launched the American School District Panel (ASDP) in fall 2020. The ASDP is part of the American Educator Panels.

This team conducts surveys and follow-on interviews two times a year and publishes 2-3 reports on timely and recurring topics after each survey.

The ASDP effort is informed by an advisory committee of district, charter management organization (CMO), policy, and community leaders who provide input on survey and qualitative study topics. The ASDP surveys explore a range of district functions, such as curriculum and instruction, professional development supports, and services for students with disabilities. The research will examine district strategy, structure, policy, and practice, and will provide insight into how districts are changing to support school-level problem-solving.

Download data for free from the American Educator Panels data portal or create a free account to explore interactive data visualizations on Bento.

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Contact us

If you have questions about the American School District Panel, contact asdp@rand.org.

Supporting organizations

The American School District Panel is supported by the following state and regional organizations:

Advisory committee

  • Valerie Bridges Former Superintendent Edgecombe County Public Schools
  • Sharon Contreras CEO The Innovation Project NC
  • David DeRuosi Executive Director New England School Development Council (NESDEC)
  • Cristina de Jesus President and CEO Green Dot Public Schools
  • Chad Gestson Executive Director AZ Institute for Education and the Economy at Northern Arizona University
  • Kristine Gilmore Chief Leadership and Learning Officer AASA
  • Jason Glass Superintendent Laguna Beach Unified School District
  • Ray Hart Executive Director Council of the Great City Schools
  • Pedro Martinez Commissioner of Education Massachusetts Department of Education
  • Rico Munn Vice President for Metro Denver Engagement and Strategy Colorado University
  • Sonja Santelises CEO Baltimore City Public Schools
  • Greg White President and CEO LEARN Charter Schools
  • Lakisha Young Founder and CEO The Oakland REACH

How we recruit school districts to participate in the ASDP surveys

Who we recruit

The aim of the ASDP is to provide nationally representative estimates of school districts. As such, we invite all U.S. public school districts (excluding charter management organizations, DoD, reservation-based, and other “non-regular” school districts) to participate in each of our surveys.

Survey results from participating school districts are weighted to national characteristics of school districts based on National Center for Education Statistics data.

How we recruit survey participants

The ASDP team contacts districts in several ways and through multiple contact points, though primarily through an email directly from ASDP@rand.org.

The ASDP partners with several national- and state-level organizations, who we refer to as “trusted partners,” that also reach out to superintendents on behalf of the ASDP to encourage participation in each survey. In addition to the initial invitation email from RAND and/or a trusted partner, U.S. school districts that have not yet responded to the survey receive several reminder emails over the survey fielding period.