Beyond “Fine”

Transcend is only one of a growing number of scholars, educators, and organizations working to develop the research base on the importance of student experiences and outcomes. Below is a sampling of some recent publications that we found particularly compelling.

Learner-Centered in Focus

• Publisher: Education Reimagined
• Author: Khara Schonfeld-Karan, Ph.D. 
• Date: October 31, 2024
• Description: This report explores young people’s experiences in learner-centered environments, suggesting that the learner-centered approach and practices are translating into meaningful, positive experiences for young people. The learner-centered approach is grounded in five key elements designed to support young people for a life of learning as engaged members in society: 1) learner agency, 2) socially-embedded, 3) personalized, relevant, and contextualized, 4) open-walled, and 5) competency-based. Youth in learner-centered environments reported substantially higher agreement on having experiences that reflect all five of these elements in comparison to national benchmarks. 

The disengagement gap: Why student engagement isn’t what parents expect 

• Publisher: Brookings Institution and Transcend
• Authors: Rebecca Winthrop, Youssef Shoukry, and David Nitkin
• Date: January 6, 2025
• Description: Addressing student engagement in school is a crucial factor in overcoming chronic absenteeism and improving academic outcomes. Research shows that families play a vital role in supporting student engagement, but many parents are unaware of the quality of their children’s learning experiences. This report highlights the gap between students’ self-reported experiences in school and parents’ perceptions of student experiences, emphasizing the need for better communication between schools and families to assess and improve student engagement effectively. Read more about the Leaps Student Voice Survey used in this report here.
  • Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results (New York Times guest essay) also explores the report’s findings, and additional coverage can be found in The 74, Report: Kids Check Out of School as They Get Older, and Parents Are in the Dark and EdWeek, Parents Think Their Kids Are Learning a Lot at School. What Do Students Say?

Too Many Students Say School Just Isn’t Relevant. It’s Time to Listen to Them

• Publisher: Teach for America
• Author: Elisa Villanueva Beard
• Date: December 5, 2024
• Description: Many students feel that school doesn’t challenge them or prepare them for the future, with a rise in chronic absenteeism post-pandemic, as more than a quarter of students missed 10% or more of the 2022-2023 school year. The examines the need to improve student engagement through a focus on reading and math instruction, reimagining the teacher role, and preparing students for life after graduation. 

When students feign interest: new research shows how to get them back

• Publisher: Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
• Author: Australian Council for Educational Research; no individual author
• Date: January 13, 2025
• Description: A recent study of over 1,200 Australian students reveals a sharp decline in self-perception of learning ability as students transition from primary to secondary school. Many students report feeling disengaged, demotivated, or unsuccessful in their learning, with passive disengagement often going unnoticed by teachers. The research highlights that students feel most engaged when they have autonomy, are excited and motivated by their lessons, and feel supported by teachers and peers. Students also provided suggestions for teachers to improve engagement, such as showing passion, offering opportunities for independence, and creating enjoyable, challenging learning experiences. The study emphasizes the need for educators to recognize and address both active and passive disengagement to help students develop the skills to manage their own engagement in learning.

The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better

• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
• Authors: Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop
• Date: January 7, 2025
• Description: A shocking majority of teens are disengaged from school, simultaneously bored and overwhelmed. This is feeding a teen mental health crisis. This research uses real-world stories to outline four modes of learning—Resister, Passenger, Achiever, and Explorer—that students use to navigate the shifting academic and social demands of middle and high school and shape their internal narratives about their skills, potential, and identity. It also highlights strategies parents can use to listen, connect, and communicate with their children depending on their learning mode. 

How an Expanded Definition of Student Success Drives Learning: Three New Insights

• Publisher: NewSchools
• Author: Jason Atwood
• Date: May 7, 2024
• Description: In this brief, NewSchools shares several new findings related to its expanded definition of student success, illustrating that student experiences in school influence academic outcomes, specifically, student connection in elementary school, safety in middle school, and engagement in high school. Nurturing strong teacher-student bonds in elementary grades, ensuring safety in middle school, and fostering engagement in high school will help students build skills critical for academic success, including confidence, self-reflection, and resilience.

Learning Conditions Are an Actionable, Early Indicator of Math Learning

• Publisher: PERTS and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research
• Author: Sarah Gripshover, Allison Londerée, Isaac Ahuvia, Andria Shyjka, Faye Kroshinsky, Nina Ryan, Camille Farrington, and David Paunesku
• Date: 2022
• Description: This report seeks to quantify the relationship between high school student math achievement and learning conditions, focusing on three core conditions: teacher caring, meaningful work, and feedback. The study reveals that positive changes in these learning conditions are associated with positive changes in students’ math grades and vice versa. 

What happens when students see the “why” behind school

• Publisher: Gates Foundation
• Author: Patrick Methvin
• Date: August 2024
• Description: This newsletter includes testimonials from high school students illustrating the importance of early encouragement for students to explore their options, opportunities to get hands-on experience, and access to college credit classes to get a meaningful head start in their postsecondary education.

From Input to Impact: Student Voice in High School Transformation

• Publisher: Barr Foundation
• Author: Ali Gross
• Date: June 25, 2024
• Description: This article illustrates what centering the student voice can look like using a framework for reimagining what the high school experience could and should be for young people—a portrait of a graduate—as a north star for decision-making. The Foundation asserts that deeply listening to young people, co-creating solutions with them, and following through on those ideas can help shape school experiences that truly work for all students. 

10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People

• Publisher: Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster
• Author: David Yeager
• Date: August 6, 2024
• Description: Psychologist David Yeager explores how to effectively connect with young people by understanding the neurobiological changes that occur during adolescence. Puberty increases the brain’s craving for social rewards like respect and pride, making young people sensitive to how they are perceived by adults. Yeager introduces the “mentor mindset,” which involves practices such as validating perspectives, asking questions, and setting high standards, to foster better communication and reduce behavioral issues. The book argues that adopting this mindset not only empowers young people but also makes interactions more efficient and rewarding, ultimately leading to well-adjusted, independent, and accomplished individuals. Watch David Yeager discuss the book with author and researcher Angela Duckworth.

Measure Learning Environments, Not Just Students, to Support Learning and Development

• Publisher: Columbia University Teachers College
• Authors: David Paunesku and Camille A. Farrington
• Date: 2020
• Description: Young people are more likely to develop into effective learners when their learning environments afford them certain kinds of experiences. This study explores how schools can ensure they provide those important developmental experiences to all of their students through a conceptual framework that integrates insights from education, psychology, and developmental science; innovations from early warning indicator methods; and the authors’ own experiences as researchers working in partnership with practitioners to build more developmentally supportive learning environments.