Deeper Learning: How Eight Innovative Public Schools Are Transforming Education in the Twenty-First Century

Monica Martinez · Dennis McGrath

Jun 2014 · New Press, The

About this eBook

Studies suggest that up to half of high school dropouts leave school because their classes are boring or irrelevant to their lives and aspirations. Yet the majority of U.S. schools continue their attempts to engage some 50 million students through conventional methods such as lectures, note-taking, and rote learning, often with dismal results. In Deeper Learning, award-winning education strategist Monica Martinez and education sociologist Dennis McGrath offer a transformative framework for learning that has led to standout results in schools across the country and has the potential to support the development and success of every student.

Through examples from eight public schools, the authors chart the path to crafting flexible learning environments that meet the widely varied needs of individual students. They showcase interactive approaches that compel students to learn how to learn and provide an invaluable guide for teachers and communities wondering how their schools will be able to adapt to the Common Core standards and new assessments. Above all, Deeper Learning shows how inspired, engaging education does not have to be the province of elite private schools and how all young people can become creators, collaborators, and critical thinkers.

About the author

Monica Martinez is the senior engagement manager at the U.S. Education Delivery Institute and the former CEO and president of the New Tech Network. She currently lives in the Bay Area. Dennis McGrath is a professor of sociology at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is the author of The Academic Crisis of the Community College and The Collaborative Advantage. He lives in Philadelphia.