Using the Science of Learning to Redesign Schools

Policymakers and educators need to reimagine the American school experience in order to better improve student achievement. According to the 2017 ACT college and career readiness benchmarks, less than half of all U.S. students were prepared for college-level math or reading.¹ What’s more, nearly half of all first-year college students require remediation in English, costing taxpayers roughly $1.3 billion.²

There are promising practices and research that rethink the school experience in order to ensure students are prepared to compete in the 21st century and that foster the tools for lifelong learning. Within pockets of innovation, many schools are being restructured to fit the needs and interests of students—a practice that’s commonly called school redesign.³ In an attempt to improve outcomes for traditionally underserved students, these redesign efforts test new ways for students to experience school, demonstrate their learning, and earn credit toward graduation.

Some of the most successful school redesign efforts embrace timely research on how individuals learn best. This body of research, known as the science of learning, is the application of cognitive science research to education. In this approach, learning scientists develop specific strategies that align with the way the brain best acquires and retains information. The approach has been particularly successful with underrepresented minorities.⁴

School redesign and the science of learning are each at the center of innovative policy reforms and timely research, and the intersection of these movements can help support the kind of education American students need. This intersection is the focus of this brief, which looks at the ways learning science can support school redesign.

This brief builds on the growing momentum for both the science of learning and school redesign. Last month, for instance, the XQ Institute released a policy guide for states on how best to redesign their schools. The document argued, among other things, that students should be able to learn at their own pace, progressing as they demonstrate mastery of key concepts