Beyond Fine
How Students Really Feel About School and Why It Matters
“FIne.”
Here are four key findings from our national dataset:
Many students report that even when they feel like they’re learning, they don’t love school. The majority say that school feels irrelevant, boring, and offers them few opportunities to take charge of their learning.
Students with better school experiences also have better outcomes: higher GPAs and test scores, better attendance, and fewer disciplinary incidents. Schools with better student experiences earn, on average, higher state accountability scores.
The longer students spend in school, the less they like it. Middle and high school students are particularly dissatisfied with their school experiences compared to elementary school students.
Innovative communities across the country are adopting new models that create extraordinary learning experiences. Many schools and districts with strong student experiences and outcomes feature design choices that differ from the “traditional” approach to school.
And to build better schools, we need to listen to the people who know most about the experience of school:
students themselves.
This report provides evidence to support the four findings above, grounded in the voices of students themselves.
It also connects that evidence with the wide body of existing insights from other individuals and organizations working at the forefront of educational research and innovation.
We hope this report helps educators, funders, policy influencers, and all other readers better understand the current state of young people’s learning experiences—the good, the bad, and everything in between—so we can move together towards a world where school is not just “fine,” but instead truly extraordinary for every learner.
Next Steps For:
Educators, School Leaders, and System Leaders
- Invest in gathering evidence about the quality of learning experiences.
- Utilize student voice to guide ongoing school improvement work.
- Engage in community design processes to implement new models that improve student experiences.
Funders and Policymakers
- Broaden their individual and collective priorities beyond a singular focus on traditional outcomes to also include evidence on the quality of learning experiences.
- Prioritize R&D into new learning models that are designed to improve student experiences.
Learn More
Learn More
Leaps Student Voice Survey
This validated tool measures the quality of learner experiences through the lens of our Leaps for Equitable, 21-Century Learning.
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Press
Transcend is a national education nonprofit founded on the beliefs that we must reimagine schooling so all children can realize their infinite potential. We also…
Transcend is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates nationally.
