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  • Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes
16 Sep 2014
Report

Providing Opportunities for Deeper Learning

Findings From the Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes (Report 2 of 5)

Catherine Bitter, James Taylor, Kristina Zeiser, and Jordan Rickles
The Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes examines how some schools have provided opportunities for students to acquire deeper learning skills and how these opportunities are related to student outcomes.

The concept of deeper learning has been used both to describe a set of competencies or goals for students, and to characterize a way of learning (or a process) that promotes these competencies. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation—a leader in the national initiative to promote deeper learning in schools—has defined deeper learning as “a set of competencies students must master in order to develop a keen understanding of academic content and apply their knowledge to problems in the classroom and on the job.”

The first report from this study described key aspects of participating schools’ approaches to promoting deeper learning—that is, what adults in network schools did to develop deeper learning competencies. In this report—the second in a series—the authors focus specifically on the opportunities that students experienced to engage in deeper learning in their classrooms. In other words, the key question is, "Did students who attended the selected network schools experience more opportunities to engage in deeper learning than would likely have been the case had they not attended the network schools?"

Key Takeaways

  1. On average, students who attended the network schools in the study reported greater opportunities to engage in deeper learning than did similar students who attended non-network schools.
  2. These differences in opportunities were observed among schools serving diverse student populations, including substantial subgroups of traditionally underserved students.
  3. The effects of attending a participating network school on deeper learning opportunities were similarly positive for subgroups of students including initially high- and low-achievers and students who did or did not qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
  4. Teachers’ most challenging assignments collected from the network schools exhibited greater opportunities for independent learning in mathematics and real-world connections in English Language Arts than the challenging assignments collected from the non-network schools, but were not significantly different on other opportunity measures (including complex problem solving, communication, and conceptual understanding in mathematics).
  5. The opportunities for deeper learning experienced by individual students, regardless of whether they attended a network school, were associated with those students’ deeper learning outcomes.

Creative Commons License
Providing Opportunities for Deeper Learning by Catherine Bitter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

PDF icon Report: Providing Opportunities for Deeper Learning (PDF)
PDF icon Technical Appendix: Providing Opportunities for Deeper Learning (PDF)

Related Projects

Project

Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes

AIR is studying the ways in which schools provide opportunities for students to acquire complex knowledge and deeper learning skills. Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the study examines the impact of these opportunities on how students develop five dimensions of deeper learning: mastery of core content, critical thinking skills, collaboration skills, communication skills, and independent learning skills.

Related Work

Students working together
17 Jul 2019
Spotlight

Spotlight on Deeper Learning

What do today’s students really need to learn in order to succeed, not only in the classroom but also later on in college, careers, and as engaged citizens? What role can deeper learning—“a set of competencies students must master in order to develop a keen understanding of academic content and apply their knowledge to problems in the classroom and on the job”—play?
24 Sep 2014
News Release

High School Students Receiving Instruction Focused on “Deeper Learning” Do Better in Math and English and Have Higher Graduation Rates than Their Peers

Students at high schools focusing on deeper learning had higher scores on standardized tests in mathematics and English, and higher graduation rates than their peers, according to a study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). In conducting the Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, AIR researchers found positive effects on students from a wide range of deeper learning approaches.

Further Reading

  • Evidence of Deeper Learning Outcomes
  • Deeper Learning and College Attendance: What Happens After High School?
  • AIR Study Finds Persistent Graduation Advantage For Students in Deeper Learning Network High Schools
  • Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes
  • Spotlight on Deeper Learning
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Kristina Zeiser

Kristina Zeiser

Senior Researcher

Topic

Education

DEEPER LEARNING STUDY PUBLICATIONS

The Shape of Deeper Learning: Strategies, Structures, and Cultures in Deeper Learning Network High Schools

Providing Opportunities for Deeper Learning

Evidence of Deeper Learning Outcomes
Update: Graduation Advantage Persists for Students in Deeper Learning Network High Schools
Update: Deeper Learning and College Attendance: What Happens After High School?

Deeper Learning and Graduation: Is There a Relationship?

School Features and Student Opportunities for Deeper Learning: What Makes a Difference?
Brief: School Features and Student Opportunities for Deeper Learning What Makes a Difference?

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

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