Schools in crisis: Here are science-backed ways to improve schools now

Pandemic-related learning loss, a youth mental health crisis, and growing strain on educators have left K–12 schools in a tough spot. But those challenges are being met with enthusiasm by psychologists and other experts, who are imagining ways to reinvent the nation’s classrooms to help both students and educators thrive and excel.

“After a highly disruptive year, kids came back to school needing extra support,” said Russell Skiba, PhD, a professor of school psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and an expert in classroom management. “But teachers often did not get the resources they needed, such as increased mental health support, to be able to respond to those issues.”

Personalized learning pathways, new approaches to discipline, and research-backed programs for teacher and student well-being are just a few of the changes afoot. Here are the most exciting things happening in U.S. schools right now, according to psychologists.

Research shows that hands-on learning works better than direct instruction, especially for young children. The Active Playful Learning program, funded by the LEGO Foundation, is bringing those insights into schools, helping teachers deliver experiential, collaborative lessons that bring joy back into the classroom.

“With Active Playful Learning, teachers are happier and kids feel more valued as agents of their own learning,” said Roberta Golinkoff, PhD, a professor at the University of Delaware who cocreated the program.

[Related: How to reimagine the classroom]

Teachers are shifting into a “guide by your side” role, where they collaborate with children to achieve their chosen learning goals, rather than a “sage on the stage” delivering a lecture.

Some districts, such as Denver Public Schools, are even allowing middle and high students to personalize their own curriculum and attend classes outside the walls of their own school. That flexibility opens up specialty options—such as cybersecurity, nursing, and psychology—to more students, and allows for career-focused education from an early age.

“One school doesn’t have to offer everything to every student. Instead, we can think about the expertise across the district and create more personal learning pathways for kids,” said Nicole Barnes, PhD, senior director for APA’s Center for Psychology in Schools and Education.

Behavioral problems have increased in schools, prompting some to return to strict, zero-tolerance discipline policies. But research shows those policies don’t work and are applied unfairly to non-White students.

“We know that zero-tolerance policies have both short- and long-term negative effects and do nothing to increase the safety of schools,” Skiba said.

Research has shown that other approaches do improve student behavior, including social emotional learning, restorative justice, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, an evidence-based framework that has been found to improve students’ social emotional competence and academic success, school climate, and teacher health and well-being. Empathic discipline, an intervention that helps teachers cultivate a growth mindset about their students and respond with empathy when students act out, developed by psychologist Jason Okonofua, PhD, of the University of California–Berkeley, also improves teacher-student relationships and has been shown to reduce racial disparities in school suspension by up to 50%.

Students also have better behavior, relationships, and grades if they feel they are accepted and valued at school. School belonging tends to improve when schools are more diverse—and diversity can also decrease bullying, according to research by psychologist Sandra Graham, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We have the science behind us to say that we need to promote diversity in schools because it makes school a better place for everybody,” Graham said.

Research also supports applying pressure on social media companies to make their platforms safer for young people. The Likes vs. Learning report (PDF, 623KB), a collaboration between APA, the American Federation of Teachers, and others, points to the harms that can occur online and evidence-based ways to reduce it. For example, a company could limit feed scrolling for teens during the school day or provide a hotline for schools to call if bullying happens.

“There are big things that have to change around education,” Golinkoff said. “But we can make education better now. We don’t need to wait for those things to change.”