Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Mind the Gap: Will All Students Benefit From 21st Century Learning?

  • 10/12/18

In an economy driven by technological innovation and a complex social landscape, schools must invest in instructional approaches that allow students to express more agency over their learning and create space to apply what they learn to solve real-world problems. Based on our two-year study of personalized learning in 39 schools across the country and a deep look at schools in Colorado and Connecticut, this new paper offers a first view of how academically disadvantaged students experience these 21st century learning environments and what factors are likely to produce better opportunities for their success with these approaches.

CRPE researchers found that in these schools, teachers often lacked the tools and skills necessary to effectively teach students with weaker academic and social-emotional skills. They also found that preexisting capacity challenges in high-needs schools were stressed, and states and districts had not established systems to monitor or mitigate inequities. The researchers conclude that without greater attention to supports and a focus on addressing barriers that limit teacher and school capacity building, 21st century learning will not enable underserved students to succeed......  

Challenges for Schools with Underserved Students

-- Trends suggest that students who enter schools with weaker academic preparation and social-emotional skills are less likely to be successful in 21st century learning environments than more privileged students because:

-- Teachers often lack the tools and skills to provide rigorous and engaging instruction to students who possess weaker academic and social-emotional skills.

-- Shifting to 21st century learning environments can stress preexisting capacity challenges in high-needs schools.

-- States and districts have not established systems to monitor or mitigate the inequities that exist within schools and classrooms.

Recommendations for Funders, Policymakers, and Practitioners to Reduce Inequities

-- Developing the 21st century learning landscape requires aligning efforts at all levels of the system to prevent inequities.

-- Build the evidence base around the impact of weak 21st century instruction on different types of schools and student groups.

-- Use strategies at the state, district, and school level to enable all students to succeed with 21st century learning.

-- Invest in research and development to build new, high-quality models.

-- Build a talent pipeline for teachers and leaders to develop their capacity.

-- Align assessment and accountability systems to 21st century goals.

-- Leverage "outside" opportunities, such as electives, extracurriculars, and summer learning.

Read the paper here.

Featured

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.