Deeper Learning Resources

As districts work to reopen schools in the pandemic and post-pandemic era, how can they support schools in creating high-quality summer learning experiences focused on acceleration rather than remediation? The Accelerating Learning Series kicked off with the panel, “Strategies for Whole Child Summer Learning and Beyond.”

How can districts design new schedules to expand learning time for students and accelerate learning? In the third of a five-part series, panelists discussed reimagining the traditional school day through such strategies as partnerships with community-based organizations and community school approaches. They also discussed how high-quality expanded learning initiatives support students’ development of critical skills, as well as their social and emotional well-being.

Access to deeper learning is essential in a knowledge-based economy, but most schools, especially those serving low-income students and students of color, still focus on routine lower-level skills. The inequalities are so deep-seated that clearing a path to deeper learning for marginalized young people has required—and continues to require—considerable engagement in civil rights litigation, enforcement, and advocacy, as well as education reform.

The U.S. Department of Education virtual Professional Learning Series takes an in-depth look at how community schools can transform student learning and outcomes. The series examines programs from across the country, explores ways that community school approaches can further whole child learning, and digs into the ways that pandemic federal relief funding (including American Rescue Plan funds) have been used to support community schools.