AYPF/Mississippi State University Study Tour
Helping School and State Leaders Understand Deeper Learning
Washington, DC
Wednesday, May 25th – Friday, May 27th, 2016
In Mississippi there is an interest among superintendents, principals, and research and education faculty to gain a clearer understanding of Deeper Learning – the mastery of rigorous core academic content; critical thinking and problem solving; teamwork and collaboration; effective communication; learning how to learn; and cultivation of an academic mindset. Participants want to learn how to prepare students for postsecondary success, ensuring that they know how to apply knowledge and are ready to enter the workforce. As an ever-expanding global market demands a more skilled workforce, educators, employers and policymakers are realizing the important role career-readiness plays in preparing students for a range of postsecondary options while still in school. They are also increasingly convinced that this preparation needs to include not only knowledge, skills, and dispositions but also hands-on workplace experience. They are interested in learning what this kind of learning necessitates regarding instruction and assessment, as well as the preparation and ongoing professional development of teachers.
On this study tour participants visited two schools that are providing students with deeper learning and career preparation. At the start, participants received an introductory briefing providing an overview of deeper learning. Participants visited two schools in the Washington, DC area. At one school, Capital City Public Charter School, the focus was on deeper learning and how teachers and administrators are providing students with rich academic learning alongside deeper learning skills. Participants also learned how this school is developing teachers’ professional capacity. Through conversations with students, teachers, and administrators, participants witnessed first-hand how a culture is created that supports students as they acquire deeper learning competencies in real-world settings that lead to career- and college-readiness. At the second school, Arlington Career Center, the focus was on career preparation and how students are exposed to hands-on learning with real world application. Following each school visit, AYPF staff conducted debrief sessions that provided participants with an opportunity to reflect on the learning and relate it to their own efforts in Mississippi.
Deeper Learning Overview-PowerPoint Presentation
Resources on Deeper Learning
Prompts for Conversations With Students About Deeper Learning
How Deeper Learning Can Create a New Vision for Teaching. National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future. Martinez, M.R., McGrath, D.R. & Foster, E. (2016).
Evidence of Deeper Learning Outcomes:
American Institutes for Research (AIR):
Findings From the Study of Deeper Learning: Opportunities and Outcomes
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE):
Student-Centered Schools: Closing the Opportunity Gap
Creating Systems of Assessment for Deeper Learning
Jobs for the Future (JFF):
Students at the Center: Deeper Learning Research Series
Resources on School Site Visits
Capital City Public Charter School Fact Sheet
Resource Videos on Deeper Learning
Videos Innovation Lab Network. Next State of Learning [Video]. Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from: http://www.nextstateoflearning.com/
Instruction at Capital City Charter at the high school level:
1. This video features peer critique of writing in a 10th grade English class
2. This video features integrated arts instruction in three EL schools, the last of which is Capital City high school.