Stanford researchers find teaching technique that closes achievement gap in schools (interview with Diane Friedlaender)

Student-centered practices, often found in affluent schools have been adapted in four Northern California schools to help low income students thrive in challenging, relevant, collaborative, student-directed curriculum that is connected to real-life situations. Students in these programs achieved above average results on test and in graduation rate says Diane Friedlaender of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.

Researchers from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education spent the last year and a half studying four Bay Area high schools that are using this approach. Their report was released last month, and found the schools outperforming their district counterparts in test scores and graduation rates.

KALW’s Jen Chien spoke with the lead author of the study, Diane Friedlaender, about what student-centered learning is, and how it differs from what we see in most schools today.

DIANE FRIEDLAENDER: It’s like a second home for our kids and their teachers are like aunts and uncles.

Listen to the interview with Diane Friedlaender. 

Diane Friedlaender is a senior associate at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.