American Institutes for Research Study Finds Students Attending Deeper Learning High Schools Are More Likely to Graduate on Time

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A study released today by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found high school students attending "deeper learning" schools are more likely to graduate on time, with a difference of 9 percentage points. The term deeper learning refers to a set of educational outcomes including mastering academic content; critical thinking and problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills; learning to learn; and development of an academic mindset. These graduation results held true for a range of schools using various approaches to achieving deeper learning outcomes. According to a longitudinal study by the Center for Public Education, on-time graduates have better outcomes in every aspect of life including academic, career, civic and health.

"Until recently, the evidence base regarding deeper learning's impact was limited. The AIR study is among the strongest evidence yet of deeper learning's promise to help students master the learning necessary to succeed and to keep pace with the seismic environmental and social changes that are recalibrating America's future," said Barbara Chow, program director for education at the Hewlett Foundation, which funded the study.

The AIR study responds to a clarion call for more research on deeper learning from a 2012 National Research Council (NRC) report entitled Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. The NRC validated deeper learning's emphasis on critical reasoning and a suite of other cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills that allow students to master rigorous academic content as well as learn how, why, and when to apply knowledge to answer questions and solve problems.

AIR analyzed opportunities and outcomes for students attending schools in the Deeper Learning Network (DLN) community of practice. The researchers selected 13 moderately or well-implementing network schools for the study, and, for each, they selected a non-network school as a comparison. The DLN and comparison schools featured in the study are all public high schools with traditionally underserved student populations including students of color, English language learners and students from low-income families. Additionally, each network school and its comparison school had similar incoming student achievement rates and comparable levels of federal, state, and local funding.

AIR study's rigorous, quasi-experimental study of matched schools found:

• HIGHER GRADUATION RATES: Students who attended the network schools graduated on time at statistically significantly higher rates;
• MORE 4-YEAR COLLEGE ATTENDANCE: After graduation, students who attended network schools were more likely to attend a four-year college and enroll in more selective institutions.
• BETTER TEST SCORES: Students who attended network schools achieved higher standardized test scores, including state assessments and an OECD PISA-based test. These assessments measure core content knowledge and complex problem solving skills;
• STRONGER INTERPERSONAL AND INTRAPERSONAL SKILLS:  Students who attended network schools reported higher levels of academic engagement, collaboration skills, motivation to learn and self-efficacy; 
• GREATER OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN: While in school, students who attended network schools benefited from greater opportunities for deeper learning through such practices as project-based learning, internship opportunities, and longer-term cumulative assessments; and
• EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES: Attending a network school benefited diverse groups of students. Regardless of a background or incoming achievement levels, students who attended network schools achieved the same positive deeper learning outcomes.

Dr. Jennifer O 'Day of AIR stated, "This study is the first comprehensive look to understand if there were differences in what students experienced and learned by attending a school in the deeper learning community of practice instead of a nearby school serving similar students. The results are very promising, and we need to invest more time and energy to further understand what appear to be early indicators of success."

To read the Evidence of Deeper Learning Outcomes summary and full report, visit: http://bit.ly/1rknT2u

About the American Institutes for Research
http://www.air.org

About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
http://www.Hewlett.org

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SOURCE American Institutes for Research (AIR)