Inclusion of "Deeper Learning" Competencies Varies in State Waiver Applications, New Alliance Report Finds

The eleven state applications approved by the federal government for waivers under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act vary in the degree to which “deeper learning” skills are reflected in the standards, accountability systems, professional development, and teacher evaluations, according to a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. The report, Providing Greater Opportunities for Deeper Learning in NCLB Waivers, argues that deeper learning provides students with the deep content knowledge they need to succeed after high school and the skills that today’s jobs demand.

“By adopting the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics, forty-six states and the District of Columbia are saying that all students must be educated to the same high levels of achievement,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “The nation’s education infrastructure needs to respond much more rapidly to support this important shift in goals.”

The report notes that the term “deeper learning” may be new, but its basic competencies are routine educational practice for many accomplished educators as well as some high-performing schools. The U.S. economy can only thrive, argues the report, if the whole population is equipped to succeed in the modern workplace. Meeting this goal requires adopting college- and career-ready standards and ensuring that all teachers have the instructional skills and support needed to create deeper learning in their classrooms.

Read the press release or download Providing Greater Opportunities for Deeper Learning in NCLB Waivers.

Find the Lowest-Performing High Schools in Your State

One in four high school students do not graduate and just 12 percent of the nation‘s high schools produce nearly half of the nation‘s dropouts. Within these lowest-performing high schools (sometimes known as "dropout factories"), just 60 percent or fewer of entering freshmen progress to their senior year three years later.

Prioritizing the Nation's Lowest-Performing High Schools, an issue brief from the Alliance, notes that the lowest-performing high schools are located in every state; in urban, suburban, rural, and small-town America; in large high schools and small. Their one unifying characteristic is that they disproportionately serve our nation‘s poor and minority students.

In an era of diminishing financial resources, it makes good economic sense to target the nation's lowest-performing high schools and focus attention, commitment, and resources on improving them, the brief argues. Directing strategic efforts to turn around these schools could significantly reduce the nation's dropout rate.

"When emergency medical personnel arrive at an accident scene, they immediately deliver treatment to the most severely injured, said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. "Similarly, the nation must focus its attention on the lowest-performing schools with the largest number of ‘victims' in the national dropout crisis. The fact that these schools are so widespread and contribute so greatly to the national dropout crisis dictates making them an essential focus of any federal effort to improve the graduation rate."

While not a graduation rate, a school’s “promoting power” is a good indicator of how well schools are educating their students. See how high schools across the country perform by going to the Promoting Power database. High schools with promoting power less than 60 percent make up the nation's lowest-performing high schools.

Recent Posts from the Alliance's High School Soup Blog

Read more at the High School Soup Blog.

VIDEOS AVAILABLE: Digital Learning and MetLife Survey of the American Teacher

The Alliance recently held two webinars. Video is available for each.

Digital Learning: Student Voices Heard
The first in a new monthly series on digital learning, this webinar featured the voices of those who need support and adequate preparation to succeed in the global workforce: students. Julie Evans, president and chief executive officer of Project Tomorrow, spoke with students who have participated in—and benefited from—a variety of learning experiences that were enhanced by the innovative use of digital technology. Webinar viewers heard about a school district outside of Houston, Texas, where an international business project was enhanced by cross-curriculum efforts and a partnership with FedEx; a pilot science program in Baltimore, Maryland; a credit-recovery program in a rural county; project-based learning; and virtual field trips. Watch video from the webinar.

The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents, and the Economy
The new MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents, and the Economy is the first large-scale national survey to reflect fully the effects of the economy on the teaching profession. The webinar highlighted the findings from the survey and examined the effects of the current economy on families and schools, the teaching profession, and parent and community engagement. Panelists discussed the findings and the data points for policymakers and education leaders to note as they work to turn negative trends into positive ones. Watch video from the webinar.