Deeper Learning Opportunities and Outcomes: Evidence in the Midst of a Debate

• In Event: National Standards and Curricula: Challenges Here and Abroad

Abstract

This paper draws on a rigorous 3-year study of the opportunities schools provide for deeper learning, and the associations these opportunities have with a range of student outcomes. The study includes a sample of students in high schools participating in ten networks identified as embracing the goals of deeper learning, and a sample of matched students in comparison schools serving similar, high-need student populations. We draw on OECD PISA-based Test for Schools data, student survey data, and extant data on graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment to understand whether students who attended schools explicitly focused on deeper learning exhibited different educational experiences and outcomes relative to similar students who did not attend these schools.

Authors

• James E. Taylor, American Institutes for Research

• Catherine Sousa Bitter, American Institutes for Research

• Kristina Lillian Zeiser, American Institutes for Research

• Megan Brown, American Institutes for Research

• Micha Segeritz, Research Alliance for New York City Schools