How Interest-Driven Learning Drives Student Engagement: Lessons from Student Changemakers
Across Massachusetts and beyond, educators are grappling with rising absenteeism and persistent student disengagement. As schools work to re-engage students in meaningful learning, one message is becoming increasingly clear: students are more likely to show up and invest in their education when their learning feels relevant, purposeful, and connected to their lives.
This insight brief from the Rennie Center explores how interest-driven, real-world learning experiences can strengthen student engagement. Drawing on lessons from Student Changemakers, a program grounded in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), the report highlights how students develop critical research, communication, and problem-solving skills while investigating issues that matter to them. By integrating this work into core academic courses, the program moves beyond traditional project-based learning to explicitly teach the skills students need to analyze information, collaborate with others, and contribute to their communities.
Through examples from participating schools, the brief illustrates how students have translated their learning into action by launching community initiatives, presenting findings to policymakers, and shaping decisions in their schools. It also shares key lessons for educators and leaders looking to increase engagement, including the importance of connecting learning to real issues, building transferable inquiry skills, and creating authentic audiences for student work. Together, these findings point toward a more engaging, relevant, and empowering vision for teaching and learning.