Book Recommendation: In Search of Deeper Learning

In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School

Jal Mehta & Sarah Fine (Harvard University Press, 2019)

Recommended by John D. Duffy

In Search of Deeper Learning begins with a bold premise: the tacit agreement governing high school classrooms across America can be summed up as: “I pretend to teach, and you pretend to learn.” From the opening page, the authors had my full attention.

Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine studied 30 high schools across the country, looking for examples of what they call deeper learning — classrooms where students demonstrate mastery, produce work with real-world value, and express something meaningful. Across these schools, Mehta and Fine found that deeper learning was rare. When it did occur, it happened despite, not because of, district or state mandates. It is the human, relational work of teachers that makes these outcomes possible.

The book emphasizes that the most inspiring instruction happens when a course represents “the whole game at the junior level.” This involves scaling professional-level work so that younger students can fully engage with it — much like participating in a high school musical rather than a Broadway production. Deeper learning classrooms encourage students to tackle complex tasks, assume multiple roles, collaborate with peers, and create projects that serve their community. Without this focus, classrooms risk becoming exercises in compliance, reduced to little more than scripted performance.

Reading this book renewed my excitement for teaching. It pushed me to keep centering real disciplinary work and to make space for students to take ownership of their learning. For anyone frustrated by policy limits — or seeking practical guidance for creating meaningful instruction — In Search of Deeper Learning offers a clear vision of what’s possible.

This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of Kappan, Vol. 107, No. 3-4.