Deeper Learning ― How Eight Innovative Public Schools Are Transforming Education in the Twenty-first Century

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.

Monica Martinez is a leading expert in secondary and postsecondary education with more than twenty years of experience directing and researching major education innovation and reform initiatives. The former CEO and President of New Tech Network, Martinez has been a columnist for Phi Delta Kappan and regularly gives talks on education reform, high school innovation, and the future of learning. In 2011 Martinez was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. A Colorado native, she currently lives in the Bay Area.