Deeper Learning Resources

September 23, 2022 | Key civil rights conditions are essential to deeper learning—providing the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge that students need to succeed. Authors examine the community and school inequities that create persistent obstacles to this goal, the civil rights actions needed to remove them, and highlight exemplary schools that offer deeper learning that engages and empowers students.

August 24, 2022 | A student’s performance under conditions of high support and low threat differs substantially from how they perform without such support or when feeling threatened. To create identity-safe classrooms where students can learn and thrive, schools can promote trust and interpersonal connection; create purposeful communities of care and consistency; use restorative practices to promote understanding, voice, and responsibility; and recognize diversity as an asset.

August 22, 2022 | Young people today must learn to think critically, solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and embrace lifelong learning. There is still a long road to travel to ensure all students have access to this type of “deeper learning”; however, policies that promote healthy environments, supportive learning conditions, well-resourced and inclusive schools, skillful teaching, and high-quality curriculum can help pave the path forward.

July 26, 2022 | In California, the approximately 47,000 students who live in foster care face complex educational challenges. This report sheds light on the needs, characteristics, and outcomes of California students living in foster care and promising practices to better support them, including enhancing effective coordination and collaboration among agencies; building trusting relationships in schools; and providing targeted social, emotional, and academic services.

May 25, 2022 | Because performance assessments surface examples of how students use their academic and nonacademic learning in authentic situations, they can help admission officers at higher education institutions more fully understand applicants. But a college’s abilities to effectively use reliable evidence of student learning in the admission process depends on how they frame the “ask” for these materials.

July 7, 2021 | Federal COVID relief packages have allocated over $176 billion for pandemic-related education needs—the federal government’s largest single investment in schools. In a series of fact sheets, policy experts discuss how states and districts can develop, implement, and refine plans for these funds. Strategies emphasizing expanded and enriched learning time can create powerful learning opportunities that efficiently accelerate learning and improve student engagement and achievement.

June 8, 2021 | Education aims to give every student opportunities to learn and thrive, but the outdated design of our schools contributes to widening inequalities. Science provides a clear path forward: students’ knowledge, skills, and well-being can be significantly influenced and improved by learning environments that use whole child design. Key design principles show how schools can utilize the science of learning and development to reshape systems, structures, and practices to improve student outcomes.

May 5, 2021 | Many education stakeholders have called for intensive remediation for students to address this year of disrupted schooling and potential learning loss. However, remediation alone will not meet students’ needs and could potentially deepen inequalities. Pandemic and post-pandemic learning environments should be centered on strong teacher-student relationships that address students’ social and emotional learning, creating intellectually rigorous and equitable educational settings