A new report from the National Association of State Boards of Education suggests ways that state policymakers can get more students invested in learning.
Education is a $600 billion-a-year enterprise, but the investments states make in education will not benefit students unless they are physically and mentally present in the classroom. Too many students are not. According to Gallup, nearly half are actively disengaged from school, and students often cite disengagement as the critical factor in decisions to drop out. In its new report, “A State of Engagement,” the National Association of State Boards of Education asks policymakers to promote student engagement through a suite of policy changes.
The product of a recent NASBE study group, “A State of Engagement” explores the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement and the role peers, educators, school environments, parents and communities play in helping students become invested in their own learning. The report finds that an educational system that more meaningfully engages students will require state policymakers to act.
The report recommends five policy actions:
- Promote measures of educational success that emphasize student engagement. What gets measured? Whose success is measured, and how?
- Back an educator preparation, learning and support continuum that empowers school leaders, teachers and other staff to facilitate more engaging experiences for students. States can begin by ensuring professional development, licensure, and evaluation emphasize strategies for better student engagement.
- Advance school climate guidelines that promote healthy, safe and engaging learning environments for all students, standards that are more conducive to student engagement.
- Invest in school structures that help personalize student learning and thereby expand student engagement. This includes re-visioning where, when, by whom and how learning is delivered.
- Encourage collaboration between schools, parents and other community stakeholders to address students’ comprehensive needs.
For more information, please visit: http://www.nasbe.org/study-group-report/a-state-of-engagement-nasbe-study-group-on-student-engagement/
