This article is a follow-up to our 2019 post: I use evidence to inform my teaching. There is overwhelming research (documented on the Human Restoration Project website) supporting common sense initiatives to reimagine education. The current system isn’t working and we can do better. We’re past the point of waiting for change and hoping that a single policymaker or political party will “save” education. We must demand better right now.
The Issue
Young people are struggling. The vast majority of students spend their days “tired” “stressed” or “bored.” Moeller et al., 2019High school students' feelings: Discoveries from a large national survey and an experience sampling studyLearning and InstructionView source → Nearly all teenagers report that school is a somewhat or significant source of stress. APA, 2013Stress in America 2013: Are Teens Adopting Adults' Stress Habits?View source → Teenagers face an unprecedented mental health crisis: feeling sad, helpless, depressed, and anxious. Jones et al., 2022Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January-June 2021MMWR SupplementsView source → This crisis has gotten worse over the last two decades, especially in middle school and high school – a problem before the pandemic which was exacerbated after 2020. CDC, 2020Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits Among Children Aged <18 Years During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, January 1-October 17, 2020MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly ReportView source → The APA has written that, “We are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.” APA, 2020Stress in America 2020: Stress in the Time of COVID-19View source →
When surveyed, 96% of teenagers report that anxiety and depression are a problem their peers face, with 70% identifying them as major problems. Horowitz & Graf, 2019Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their PeersView source → And horrifically, the suicide rate of students increases between 30 to 43% during the school year. Black, 2022Children's Risk of Suicide Increases on School DaysScientific AmericanView source →
A Pew Research Center report finds that the vast majority of young people feel their peers are facing anxiety and depression (alongside bullying, drug addiction, drinking alcohol, and poverty).Gallup scientists categorized 1 in 10 students as both disengaged and discouraged, and reported that older students “feel less cared for by adults and see less value in their own work.” Brenneman, 2016Gallup Student Poll Finds Engagement in School Dropping by Grade LevelEducation WeekView source →
Alongside these mental health statistics, we find a crisis of engagement. Children ask fewer questions as they proceed through school. Children aged 14mo to 5 years old have been found to ask an average of 107 questions an hour, but by the time those children reach elementary school they may only ask 2 to 5 questions over 2-hours. Chouinard et al., 2007Children's Questions: A Mechanism for Cognitive DevelopmentMonographs of the Society for Research in Child DevelopmentPreschoolers' questions may play an important role in cognitive development. When children encounter a problem with their current knowledge state (a gap in their knowledge, some ambiguity they do not...View source →
In what is described as the “school engagement cliff”, a steep drop in engagement occurs from 5th to 6th grade (8 points); 6th to 7th grade (12 points); and 7th to 8th grade (9 points). In total, engagement drops from 74% prior to the typical middle school years (5th grade) to 40% after these years (9th grade). A 34% decrease. Brenneman, 2016Gallup Student Poll Finds Engagement in School Dropping by Grade LevelEducation WeekView source →
A 2016 Gallup Poll notes the “school engagement cliff” from 74% engagement at Grade 5 to 40% at Grade 9.Likewise, test scores and absenteeism (shown below) worsen in middle school as engagement plummets. Rockoff, 2010Stuck in the Middle: Impacts of Grade Configuration in Public SchoolsJournal of Public EconomicsView source → Similar studies have found the same findings. Archambault et al., 2008Student Engagement and Its Relationship with Early High School DropoutJournal of AdolescenceAlthough the concept of school engagement figures prominently in most school dropout theories, there has been little empirical research conducted on its nature and course and, more importantly, the...View source → Fredricks et al., 2004School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the EvidenceReview of Educational ResearchView source → Martin et al., 2014Exploring the Ups and Downs of Mathematics Engagement in the Middle Years of SchoolThe Journal of Early AdolescenceView source → Ryan & Patrick, 2001The Classroom Social Environment and Changes in Adolescents' Motivation and Engagement During Middle SchoolAmerican Educational Research JournalThe authors investigated how students' (N = 233) perceptions of the social environment of their eighth-grade classroom related to changes in motivation and engagement when they moved from seventh to...View source → Schwerdt & West, 2012The Impact of Alternative Grade Configurations on Student Outcomes Through Middle and High SchoolJournal of Public EconomicsView source →
These figures, measuring students who remain in an elementary school building (K-8) versus students who attend a middle school (6-8), highlight negative test score and attendance trends across the intermediate school ages.These crises has been compounded by the devastating impact of COVID-19, where more than 140,000 US children lost a primary or secondary caregiver to the pandemic. Hillis et al., 2021COVID-19-Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death in the United StatesPediatricsView source → Although disparities in engagement and mental health among race, gender, gender identity, disability, and other demographics existed prior to the pandemic, these disparities were made worse, leading to drastic mental health disparities facing BIPOC students Chen et al., 2019Psychiatric Symptoms and Diagnoses Among U.S. College Students: A Comparison by Race and EthnicityPsychiatric ServicesView source → SAMHSA, 2021Behavioral Health Equity Report 2021: Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators Measured from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2015-2019View source →, LGBTQIA+ students The Trevor Project, 20222022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental HealthView source → YouthTruth, 2022Insights from the Student Experience: Emotional & Mental HealthView source →, Latinx EL students Polo et al., 2023The Epidemic of Internalizing Problems Among Latinx Adolescents Before and During the Coronavirus 2019 PandemicJournal of Clinical Child & Adolescent PsychologyView source → Roche et al., 2022COVID-19 Stressors and Latinx Adolescents' Mental Health Symptomology and School Performance: A Prospective StudyJournal of Youth and AdolescenceView source →, Disabled students Stelitano et al., 2022How Has the Pandemic Affected Students with Disabilities? An Update on the Evidence: Fall 2022View source → Zhang et al., 2022Impact of Online Learning in the Context of COVID-19 on Undergraduates with Disabilities and Mental Health ConcernsACM Transactions on Accessible ComputingView source →, and underserved students generally. Kurtz et al., 2022Student Mental Health During the Pandemic: Educator and Teen PerspectivesView source → Camara et al., 2022COVID-19-Related Mental Health Difficulties Among Marginalised Populations: A Literature ReviewCambridge Prisms: Global Mental HealthView source → Hamilton & Ercikan, 2021COVID-19 and U.S. Schools: Using Data to Understand and Mitigate Inequities in Instruction and LearningView source → Murthy, 2022The Mental Health of Minority and Marginalized Young People: An Opportunity for ActionPublic Health ReportsView source →
This mirrors how schools have always inequitably served youth, causing many cited instances of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination Kohli et al., 2017The New Racism of K-12 Schools: Centering Critical Research on RacismReview of Research in EducationView source →, leading to less engagement and participation in schools. Kohli & Solorzano, 2012Teachers, Please Learn Our Names!: Racial Microaggressions and the K-12 ClassroomRace Ethnicity and EducationView source → NCES, 2022Status Dropout RatesView source → Riddle et al., 2021Student Engagement in Schools Serving Marginalised CommunitiesInternational Journal of Inclusive EducationView source → Wang & Fredricks, 2013The Reciprocal Links Between School Engagement, Youth Problem Behaviors, and School Dropout During AdolescenceChild DevelopmentView source → Wood et al., 2017Predicting Dropout Using Student- and School-Level Factors: An Ecological PerspectiveSchool Psychology QuarterlyView source →
What Can We Do?
Incorporating interdisciplinary project-based learning, designed to take action within communities and act for the social good, leads to more involved and engaged youth (with specific impact for those who have been historically disenfranchised from education). Creghan & Adair-Creghan, 2015The Positive Impact of Project-Based Learning on Attendance of an Economically Disadvantaged Student Population: A Multiyear StudyInterdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based LearningView source → Eldiva & Azizah, 2019Project Based Learning in Improving Critical Thinking Skill of Children with Special NeedsView source → Farber & Moore, 2020Projects for HopeView source → Filippatou & Kaldi, 2010The Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning on Pupils with Learning Difficulties Regarding Academic Performance, Group Work and MotivationInternational Journal of Special EducationView source → Han et al., 2016How Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Project Based Learning Affects High-Need Students in the U.S.Learning and Individual DifferencesView source → Heberle et al., 2020Critical Consciousness in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Critical Assessment, and Recommendations for Future ResearchPsychological BulletinView source → Ikeda, 2021Designing for Liberation: A Case Study in Antiracism Instructional DesignJournal of Applied Instructional DesignView source → Kanter & Konstantopoulos, 2010The Impact of a Project-Based Science Curriculum on Minority Student Achievement, Attitudes, and CareersScience EducationView source → Leggett & Harrington, 2019The Impact of Project Based Learning (PBL) on Students from Low Socio Economic Statuses: A ReviewInternational Journal of Inclusive EducationView source → Study after study, it is completely clear that designing for those at the margins leads to greater learning experiences for all.
When we incorporate alternative assessment metrics – such as portfolios, narrative-based grading, learning labor contracts, and other forms of moving away from grades (e.g. “ungrading”) – we engage youth. Feldman, 2019Beyond Standards-Based Grading: Why Equity Must Be Part of Grading ReformPhi Delta KappanView source → Garvey, 2022Perspective Chapter: Ungrading, Grading Contracts, Gamification and Game-Based LearningView source → Ko, 2021Revolutionizing Grading: Implications on Power, Agency, and EquityView source → Rapchak et al., 2023Moving Toward Equity: Experiences with UngradingJournal of Education for Library and Information ScienceView source → Spurlock, 2023Improving Student Motivation by UngradingView source → Supovitz & Brennan, 1997Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Which Is the Fairest Test of All? An Examination of the Equitability of Portfolio Assessment Relative to Standardized TestsHarvard Educational ReviewView source → Taylor, 2022The Pandemic and Pedagogy Experimentation: The Benefits of UngradingView source → Torres et al., 2020Reflection Through Assessment: A Systematic Narrative Review of Teacher Feedback and Student Self-PerceptionStudies in Educational EvaluationView source →
When young people and educators learn together, moving away from sit-and-get content and toward a framework of social emotional justice, they emerge with greater self-actualization, more purposeful lives, and greater engagement in their communities. Jagers et al., 2019Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Toward SEL in Service of Educational Equity and ExcellenceEducational PsychologistView source → Jagers et al., 2021Transformative Social and Emotional LearningView source → Litmanen et al., 2012Capturing Teacher Students' Emotional Experiences in Context: Does Inquiry-Based Learning Make a Difference?Instructional ScienceView source → Allen et al., 2021The Connection Project: Changing the Peer Environment to Improve Outcomes for Marginalized AdolescentsDevelopment and PsychopathologyView source → McMain, 2021Transformative Education Against Oppression: An Emergent Framework of Social Emotional Learning for Social Emotional JusticeView source →
Experiential learning, such as high quality project-based learning, is associated with higher academic outcomes and interest across all subject areas, including science Andriyani et al., 2019The Effectiveness of Project-based Learning on Students' Science Process Skills: A Literature ReviewJournal of Physics: Conference SeriesView source → Fogleman et al., 2011Examining the Effect of Teachers' Adaptations of a Middle School Science Inquiry-Oriented Curriculum Unit on Student LearningJournal of Research in Science TeachingView source → Balemen & Keskin, 2018The Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning on Science Education: A Meta-Analysis SearchInternational Online Journal of Education and TeachingThe present study aims to demonstrate, by means of a meta-analysis, the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning in the context of academic performance and various study characteristics. For this...View source → Evans, 2019Student Outcomes from High-Quality Project-Based Learning: A Case Study for PBLWorksView source → Rivet & Krajcik, 2008Contextualizing Instruction: Leveraging Students' Prior Knowledge and Experiences to Foster Understanding of Middle School ScienceJournal of Research in Science TeachingContextualizing science instruction involves utilizing students' prior knowledge and everyday experiences as a catalyst for understanding challenging science concepts. This study of two middle school...View source →, mathematics Branch, 2015The Impact of Project-Based Learning and Technology on Student Achievement in MathematicsView source → Gerhana et al., 2017The Effectiveness of Project Based Learning in TrigonometryJournal of Physics: Conference SeriesView source → Han et al., 2016The Effect of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Project Based Learning (PBL) on Students' Achievement in Four Mathematics TopicsView source → Koparan & Guven, 2014The Effect of Project Based Learning on the Statistical Literacy Levels of Student 8th GradeEuropean Journal of Educational ResearchThis study examines the effect of project based learning on 8th grade students' statistical literacy levels. A performance test was developed for this aim. Quasi-experimental research model was used...View source → Nurbavliyev et al., 2020The effective use of the project-based learning method on students academic achievement in mathematicsUniversal Journal of Educational ResearchView source →, social studies Hernandez-Ramos & De La Paz, 2009Learning History in Middle School by Designing Multimedia in a Project-Based Learning ExperienceJournal of Research on Technology in EducationThis article describes a study in which eighth grade students in one school learned to create multimedia mini-documentaries in a six-week history unit on early 19th-century U.S. history. The authors...View source → Memisoglu & Baysal, 2011The Effect of Project Based Learning Approach in Social Sciences Class on the Student Success and MemorabilityView source → Summers & Dickinson, 2012A Longitudinal Investigation of Project-Based Instruction and Student Achievement in High School Social StudiesInterdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based LearningView source →, and English language arts/language learning Castaneda, 2014English Teaching Through Project Based Learning Method, in Rural AreaCuadernos de Linguistica HispanicaView source → Parsons et al., 2010Teaching Against the Grain: One Title I School's Journey Toward Project-Based Literacy InstructionLiteracy Research and InstructionThe current high-stakes testing environment is compelling many educators to teach reading in programmatic ways. This type of teaching contrasts research on effective literacy instruction. This...View source →. PBL has been associated with improved equitable outcomes Cervantes et al., 2015The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Minority Student Achievement: Implications for School RedesignView source → Cheng et al., 2021Equity-Centered Project-Based LearningView source → Kee & Lai, 2022Learning Motivation and Psychological Empowerment of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged LearnersInternational Journal of Inclusive EducationView source →, improved social-emotional health Culclasure et al., 2019Project-Based Learning (PjBL) in Three Southeastern Public Schools: Academic, Behavioral, and Social-Emotional OutcomesInterdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based LearningView source → Fitzgerald, 2020Overlapping Opportunities for Social-Emotional and Literacy Learning in Elementary-Grade Project-Based InstructionAmerican Journal of EducationView source → Freitas et al., 2019Project-Based Learning as a Tool for Sounding Perception and Developing Socio-Emotional Skills in 4th-Grade StudentsCreative EducationThis reports an analysis of the application of Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology with a group of 17 students of the 4th grade of an elementary school at Taubaté town, São Paulo State, Brazil....View source → Jagers et al., 2019Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Toward SEL in Service of Educational Equity and ExcellenceEducational PsychologistView source →, and more agency, self-efficacy - a generally better overall experience. Bell, 2010Project-Based Learning for the 21st Century: Skills for the FutureThe Clearing HouseProject-Based Learning (PBL) is an innovative approach to learning that teaches a multitude of strategies critical for success in the twenty-first century. Students drive their own learning through...View source → Bradley-Levine & Mosier, 2022Literature Review of Project-Based LearningJournal of Educational Research and PoliciesView source → Brandt, 2020Measuring Student Success Skills: A Review of the Literature on Self-DirectionView source → Evans, 2020Measuring Student Success Skills: A Review of the Literature on CollaborationView source → Evans, 2020Measuring Student Success Skills: A Review of the Literature on Critical ThinkingView source → Thompson, 2020Measuring Student Success Skills: A Review of the Literature on Complex CommunicationView source → Turcotte et al., 2022This School is Made for Students: Students Perspectives on PBLJournal of Formative Design in LearningView source → Surr et al., 2018Learning with Others: A Study Exploring the Relationship Between Collaboration, Personalization, and EquityView source →
Implementing community-driven, project-based learning shifts the roles of educators and young people. Instead of reinforcing teacher-driven control that is typical in most schools, these systemic shifts require a movement toward self-determination theory (SDT). Instead of the pursuit of rewards, punishments, and other mechanisms for compliance, SDT adopts instruction and assessment methods that lead to greater motivation, purpose, and autonomy. Burton et al., 2006The Differential Effects of Intrinsic and Identified Motivation on Well-Being and PerformanceJournal of Personality and Social PsychologyView source → Ryan & Deci, 2000Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-BeingAmerican PsychologistHuman beings can be proactive and engaged or, alternatively, passive and alienated, largely as a function of the social conditions in which they develop and function. Accordingly, research guided by...View source → Ryan & Patrick, 2001The Classroom Social Environment and Changes in Adolescents' Motivation and Engagement During Middle SchoolAmerican Educational Research JournalThe authors investigated how students' (N = 233) perceptions of the social environment of their eighth-grade classroom related to changes in motivation and engagement when they moved from seventh to...View source → Ryan & Deci, 2020Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation from a Self-Determination Theory Perspective: Definitions, Theory, Practices, and Future DirectionsContemporary Educational PsychologyView source → Ryan & Weinstein, 2009Undermining quality teaching and learning: A self-determination theory perspective on high-stakes testingTheory and Research in EducationView source → Niemiec & Ryan, 2009Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in the ClassroomTheory and Research in EducationView source → Reeve & Cheon, 2021Autonomy-Supportive Teaching: Its Malleability, Benefits, and Potential to Improve Educational PracticeEducational PsychologistAutonomy-supportive teaching is the adoption of a student-focused attitude and an understanding interpersonal tone that enables the skillful enactment of seven autonomy-satisfying instructional...View source →
As could be assumed, designing learning environments and experiences that bring people together, which celebrate peer relationships and academic success, directly correlates to less engagement drop-off and better well-being. Archambault et al., 2008Student Engagement and Its Relationship with Early High School DropoutJournal of AdolescenceAlthough the concept of school engagement figures prominently in most school dropout theories, there has been little empirical research conducted on its nature and course and, more importantly, the...View source → Upadyaya & Salmela-Aro, 2013Development of School Engagement in Association with Academic Success and Well-Being in Varying Social ContextsEuropean PsychologistView source → When we design relevant coursework where students choose what matters most to them, they are more engaged. Wang & Eccles, 2013School Context, Achievement Motivation, and Academic Engagement: A Longitudinal Study of School Engagement Using a Multidimensional PerspectiveLearning and InstructionView source → The more student-centered our practices (and the more teachers/schools provide direct support to students), the more students academically achieve in coursework and in test scores. Brennan, 2015Exploring A Complex Model Of Student Engagement In Middle School: Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs And AchievementView source → Fredricks et al., 2019What Matters for Urban Adolescents' Engagement and Disengagement in School: A Mixed-Methods StudyJournal of Adolescent ResearchView source → Scheidler, 2012The Relationship Between Student Engagement and Standardized Test Scores of Middle School Students: Does Student Engagement Increase Academic Achievement?View source → (Albeit, test scores are not necessarily a great indicator of academic success to begin with…)
The CASEL framework for systemic social-emotional learning.Of course, this is all common sense. Shifting to a “doing with” from a “doing to” model that involves hands-on, meaningful, authentic projects that value all learners (as opposed to simply completing entirely fact-driven worksheets and tests all day) is going to be more engaging. And it’s not that we don’t know better – hundreds to thousands more of these studies exist dating back more than one hundred years ago – It’s just the will to change. We need to recognize that youth and educators are in crises – and that schools need to change. It’s no longer warning bells – we are in a state of emergency. We need educators who are willing to push beyond the bureaucratic “tow the line” systems that most districts tend to reinforce every day. It’s going to take mitigated risk-taking of thousands of educators and young people who have the willingness to take actionable hope. It’s only then that we’ll truly start to restore humanity to education.
(Human Restoration Project works with schools to reimagine systems and build systems alongside students. Learn more here!)