Publishers Weekly
03/18/2019
In this lucid and engaging study of the American secondary school system, education professors Mehta (The Allure of Order) and Fine offer a descriptive and prescriptive vision of “what it would take to create engaging, equitable, and intellectually vibrant learning environments” for all students. The authors first examine successful “thematic” schools, including a progressive school that uses project-based instruction, a “no excuses” high school that employs “regimes of tight discipline and control,” and a school that utilizes the International Baccalaureate program, to discover the “school-level characteristics” that drive superior test scores, high college admission, and “deep cognitive engagement.” They conclude that mastery, identity, and creativity define the “powerful learning experiences” emerging from classrooms that offer “a deep focus on thinking and reasoning,” “balance rigor with joy,” and regard students as meaning-makers rather than passive recipients of knowledge. The authors offer lively vignettes, a framework grounded in history and research, and a powerful, precise, and organized critical analysis. Mehta and Fine’s account of a holistic model for cultivating “learners ready to meet the challenges of the modern world” will be as accessible to an intelligent parent as to a school board administrator. (Apr.)
Jay Mathews
In their brave search for depth in American high schools, scholars Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine suffered many disappointments… Undeterred, they spent 750 hours observing classes, interviewed more than 300 people, and produced the best book on high school dynamics I have ever read.
MindShift - Linda Flanagan
Having discovered how the best environments promote deeper learning, Mehta and Fine suggest ways teachers and schools can apply some of these principles to their classrooms and hallways.
Contemporary Sociology - Lisa M. Nunn
Compellingly argued, thoroughly researched, and accessibly written…Offers a clear set of ideas for moving forward if we make the goal of deeper learning a priority in American education.
Edutopia - Marissa King
A hopeful, easy-to-read narrative on what the best teachers do and what deep, engaging learning looks like for students. Grab this text if you’re looking for a celebration of what’s possible in American schools.
Jonathan Zimmerman
In Search of Deeper Learning is both theoretically sophisticated and deeply accessible. This is the first and only book to depict not just the constraints on good teaching, but also how good teachers transcend them. A superb book in every way: timely, lively, and entertaining.
Linda Darling-Hammond
Not since The Good High School and Horace’s Compromise in the 1980s has there been a book which so comprehensively examines the American high school. In Search of Deeper Learning offers vivid examples of joyful and engaging classrooms along with keen insights about what it will take to make these kinds of classrooms the norm rather than the exception in our schools. A must-read for anyone interested in the fate of the American high school.
Ron Berger
This book is a remarkably fresh, balanced, research-based look at American high schools. It is a powerful provocation for discussing what a good high school is, and what good teaching looks like. Every high school faculty should use it as a common read: it will open minds and shatter stereotypes.
Michael Fullan
In Search of Deeper Learning is a dazzling book that takes us on a fantastic journey into what the depths of learning look like, and why they are so tantalizingly beyond our current collective grasp. Read every page of this stunning portrayal of what would be required to save society through deep learning, while recognizing the sandbags of inertia that laden the status quo.
