Expanded Definition of Student Success
We believe that every young person should finish high school prepared and inspired to pursue a life full of opportunity, choices, connection, and meaning.
What is an Expanded Definition of Student Success?
Back in 2015, we identified a deep interest among teachers and school leaders to expand the definition of student success. We saw teams of educators across the country creating new schools to support holistic student development. Following their lead and leveraging youth development research, we developed a framework to redefine student success beyond traditional metrics.
Our expanded definition of student success approach is centered on the belief that students must develop a strong academic foundation, as well as essential habits, mindsets, and skills, within a positive learning environment, to achieve success in school and life. Since 2015, we have funded the creation of 122 innovative schools across the country designed to help students achieve these goals. We have studied these schools through a multi-year, longitudinal study to understand what drives student success and to share these insights with the broader field.
Our Insight Briefs
- How an Expanded Definition of Student Success Drives Learning: 3 New Insights (2024)
- EDSS Should Guide the Pandemic-Era Learning Recovery (2022)
- How to Meet Students’ Social-Emotional and Academic Needs When Schools Reopen (2020)
- Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement (2019)
- Embracing and Measuring an Expanded Definition of Student Success (2018)
Video Resources
- Expanding the Definition of Student Success: Lessons from Our Portfolio (2019)
- Advancing Equity Through Social Emotional and Academic Development (2018)
- Expanding Our Definition of Student Success (2015)
Additional Research Artifacts
- Student Assets During COVID-19: The Role of SEL and School Climate During COVID (2022)
- Research Meets Practice: How Educators are Responding to COVID-19 Impact Results (2021)
- How Schools are Meeting Social-Emotional Needs During the Pandemic (2020)
- Which Individual and School-Level Factors Predict Student Perceptions of School Climate? (2019)
- Teacher ratings of student SEL vs student-level SEL scores (2019)
- EDSS Survey Measurement Working Paper (2018)
Practitioner Artifacts
- Bright Spots: Lifting Up What Works in Education (2022)
- Lifting Up Student Voice: Tips for Collecting and Reflecting on Student Feedback (2021)
- Data Discussion Quick Tips
EdTech Artifacts