NASBE Initiative Delves into Deeper Learning

ARLINGTON, Va., April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A rapidly changing world necessitates education adapt at an equally swift pace, as students need to be equipped with an ever-broadening knowledge base to prepare them for their post-K-12 lives. The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is embarking on an effort to go beyond policies that expand the breadth of learning to help state boards to encourage explore deeper learning. This three-year project to encourage such policies is supported with an approximately $774,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 

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To accomplish this, NASBE will work with state-level education policymakers by raising their awareness of the need for deeper learning in preparing students to be college- and career-ready and by creating a national coalition partnership to serve as an expert think tank especially focused on state level policy and deeper learning, among other actions.

"Deeper learning is an essential ingredient to education," said NASBE Interim Executive Director Brad Hull. "Global competitiveness, technological advances, and momentous issues for the human family are increasing exponentially. Expertise in critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, collaboration, and self-awareness will be essential to survive and thrive as we move through the 21st century. These skills must be learned throughout a lifetime and begun at an early age."

Through the length of the grant, NASBE will also build policymaker skills to help them better understand deeper learning and apply that learning to their policymaking, especially regarding assessment, accountability, teacher professional development, curriculum and instructional methods. To assist boards with this, NASBE will produce a deeper learning discussion guide, host conference calls and webinars, and sessions at its annual conferences.

Further, NASBE will award grants to six states during the project's first two years with the intent of raising the visibility of deeper learning as an issue in each state, as well as capacity building. Additionally, NASBE staff and subject-matter experts will conduct in-state policy workshops in each state that receives a grant.

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America's state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen state boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.

SOURCE National Association of State Boards of Education