Bringing Student-Centered Learning and Equity-Oriented Practices to Scale: Promising findings from a Research-Practice Partnership

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Recognizing the traditional school model may be past its “sell date,” educational advocates are seeking promising paths to reshape our educational system. This has led to a paradigm shift away from teacher-centered, single-subject and towards student-centered learning models. While the former caters to the “average” learner and relies heavily on whole-class instruction, student-centered learning ensures the learners’ experience is driven by their interests, responsive to their differences, and adaptive to their individual academic needs. Further, research evidence suggests that key features of student-centered learning may also disrupt persistent educational inequities. By offering a wider range of educational experiences, students from diverse backgrounds may be better served as they are no longer limited by a single mode of instruction (Darling-Hammond et al., 2014).

Yet student-centered instruction is often challenging to enact effectively. This work documents key practices and promising outcomes from a research-practice partnership between the University of Virginia and a 6-12 laboratory school which is “nested” within a larger primarily rural district and an even larger network of partnerships involved in the Remaking Middle School national initiative. The driver diagram in Figure 1 highlights the strategies employed to bring the knowledge and resources originating in the laboratory school (an incubator for educational innovation) to scale, first within the district, and then to the broader national initiative.

Engaging in rapid-cycle research cycles and integrating multimethod and mixed methods approaches, two research questions were addressed:

1. What school structures and supports facilitate the scale and spread of key student-centered practices, including project-based instruction and performance-based assessments?
2. To what extent does student-centered learning impact academic and non-achievement outcomes?

Drawing on qualitative data collected from interviews and surveys, the first process-oriented question revealed stakeholders’ needs with regard to bringing student-centered approaches to the classroom. One emergent theme was the importance of addressing human capital needs as a key lever in transforming outcomes for students. This includes: integrating teacher-led training into professional development, fostering a culture of inquiry and exchange through increased common planning time, non-evaluative classroom observations, and regular student work review. Additionally, there is a need for a manageable, streamlined system for tracking students moving at different paces and integrating course schedules and competency assessments with state reporting systems.

The second outcome-oriented question was explored with a small subsample of students (n = 37) who were new to the student-centered approach (68% identified as White, 31% qualified for free or reduced-price meals). Mean scale scores for pre- and post- surveys on key outcomes of interest (see Table 1) were evaluated for significance of difference using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test for hypothesis testing of repeated measurements on a single sample. Results show the mean scale score for academic persistence and belonging were significantly higher in the Spring compared to the Fall (p ≤ 0.02) with an increase of 0.21 and .37, respectively.

This work responds to recent calls for active engagement with students as partners in learning to yield improved outcomes- particularly for students who have long been underserved by public education.

Authors

• Shereen El Mallah, University of Virginia - Charlottesville
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie Passman, Albemarle County Public Schools
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chad Ratliff, Albemarle County Public Schools
  Non-Presenting Author