Policy & Research

This report seeks to make large-scale assessments of student achievement more transparent and provide guidance on item development and quality. The report provides an in-depth look at what is assessed in a selection of current large-scale assessment items to illustrate what kinds of student...

This report focuses on schools using student-centered practices through either the Linked Learning initiative or Envision Education model. Linked Learning, a state-wide initiative, integrates rigorous academics with career-based learning and real-world workplace experiences.  The main features...

This policy brief describes how four student-centered high schools support student success. In addition, it recommends policy strategies that could sustain schools like these on a much broader scale, so that they become the norm rather than the exception.  The four high schools featured in this...

This paper is about transforming how students learn and lead by re-evaluating the systems that govern teacher learning and leadership.  By integrating a variety of research evidence and narratives, the author examines current reforms' limitations, explore deeper learning’s promise, and summarize...

This report is aimed at supporting state boards of education that are working on providing significantly more students with deeper learning opportunities and facilitating board-level conversations on key related topics. The report provides foundational principles that underlie deeper learning,...

This paper makes a compelling case for “student-centered” practices in the nation’s high schools. The paper does not offer a prescriptive agenda.  But the authors do argue, and the evidence strongly suggests, that students benefit when given ample opportunities to:  

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