– A series of studies conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that students at high schools that emphasize deeper learning frameworks such as project-based learning, along with internships, and long-range assessments have higher attendance and graduation rates than non-deeper learning schools. Students who attend deeper learning schools in the study achieved higher scores on the OECD PISA-Based Test for Schools (PBTS)—a test that assesses core content knowledge and complex problem-solving skills—than did similar students who attend non-deeper learning high schools.Students who attend deeper learning schools report more positive interpersonal and intrapersonal outcomes than students who attend non-deeper learning schools.Students who attend deeper learning schools are more likely to graduate from high school on time (within four years of entering Grade 9) than are students who attend non-deeper learning high schools.Students who attend deeper learning schools are more likely to enroll in four-year institutions and in selective institutions. The schools are located in California, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Minnesota.
American Institutes for Research (2014, Sept.). Findings from the Study of Deeper Learning Opportunities and Outcomes: Strategies, Structures, and Cultures in Deeper Learning Network High Schools.
– In a study involving 3,600 students in both AP Environmental Science and AP U.S. Government and Politics courses from five districts serving a diverse student body, researchers found students in project-outperformed students in traditional classrooms by eight percentage points, in passing the AP test. Students from low-income households and wealthier peers had similar gains. When teachers in the study taught the same curriculum for a second year, PBL students outperformed students in traditional classrooms by10 percentage points.USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research (2021, Feb. 22).Knowledge in Action Efficacy Study Over Two Years.