Students avoided a district's learning centers because of stigma that the centers were only for struggling students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r? · q1
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Student listening sessions in a rural district revealed that perceived stigma discouraged learning-center use even when support was needed. → stigma-finding

Evidence¶

stigma-finding¶

Smith, K. A., & Stewart, J. (2026, January). Research and development in America’s schools: How school systems drive sustainable improvement and innovation. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/283

q1 · i? · qualitative · r?

Qualitative finding from student listening sessions conducted by district staff with Regional Educational Laboratory support to explore barriers to flex-time use. Students reported they "avoided learning centers due to the perception that they were only for students who were struggling"; no quantitative effect size is reported.

"Many students, including those who were struggling, said they avoided learning centers due to the perception that they were only for students who were struggling. This stigma discouraged usage, even when support was needed."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Struggling students were no more likely than peers to use a district's learning centers — related
• In a rural district's flexible scheduling program, students used only 19 percent of daily flex-time for academic activities — related
• Students avoided metaphorical visualizations they perceived as childish or insufficiently rigorous, signaling disciplinary legitimacy concerns even when the tools could help them — a broader claim this one bears on