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The RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan research organization, is engaged in an effort to counter Truth Decay-"the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life." 1 As Jennifer Kavanagh and Michael Rich wrote in their seminal report on this topic, Truth Decay is characterized by growing disagreement about what material counts as facts and evidence along with declining public trust in sources of evidence. 2 Public schools have the potential to exacerbate or counter Truth Decay by supporting students' development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to media literacy, critical thinking, and other aspects of civic education. As part of RAND's Truth Decay initiative, we administered a survey to public-school teachers about their approaches to civic education. We will issue several brief Data Notes that draw on the survey data, along with a more comprehensive report later in 2020. The purpose of this report is to supplement the other material in this series by serving as a source of technical information about the survey. RR-A112-1The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RRA112-1.

Learn Together Surveys 2021 Technical Documentation and Survey ResultsT he RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels (AEP) consist of the American Teacher Panel (ATP) and American School Leader Panel (ASLP). These panels are nationally representative samples of K-12 public school educators. The ATP includes more than 25,000 teachers, and the ASLP includes more than 7,500 school principals. Members of both groups respond to numerous online survey requests each year. The AEP began in 2014 and expanded significantly during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years (Robbins and Grant, 2020).Starting in 2013, RAND researchers have recruited AEP members using probabilistic sampling methods. The AEP samples are designed to be of sufficient size to facilitate national analyses and analyses of prevalent subgroups at the national level (e.g., elementary school teachers, high school mathematics teachers, teachers in urban schools). Similarly, the ATP is designed to permit analyses of the following geographic areas: Alabama,

For decades, groups of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) deputies have organized themselves into secret subgroups, some of which have allegedly committed illegal acts or violated departmental policy. Although LASD has acknowledged that these groups exist, their purpose and actions within the department have remained unclear. To better understand this issue, Los Angeles County Counsel commissioned the RAND Corporation to conduct an independent research study on deputy subgroups within LASD. The study was commissioned to help the county and LASD learn more about how subgroups have affected community perceptions and trust in LASD, how these subgroups are formed, why they exist, and what actions might be taken if it is determined that these subgroups have a significant impact on LASD's mission. With cooperation from various county stakeholders, including community representatives across the county, the Office of the Los Angeles County Counsel, LASD, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, the authors of this report sought to understand the community perspective, the perceptions and experiences of deputies, and the organizational perspective of LASD to provide a comprehensive picture. The authors also aim to assist county decisionmakers and LASD in their efforts to address problems created by the subgroups going forward. This report should be of interest to Los Angeles County officials and residents. Justice Policy ProgramRAND Social and Economic Well-Being is a division of the RAND Corporation that seeks to actively improve the health and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world. This research was conducted in the Justice Policy Program within RAND Social and Economic Well-Being. The program focuses on such topics as access to justice, policing, corrections, drug policy, and court system reform, as well as other policy concerns pertaining to public safety and criminal and civil justice. For more information, email