For Students

"That was fun! Much better than the teacher talking the whole time. When can we do that again?"
Kayla A., Student

Promotes achievement

Peer learning has decades of research supporting its ability to enhance academic engagement and achievement, as well as develop critical thinking skills, encourage deeper processing of material, support long-term retention, and boost student attendance.

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Prevents drug and alcohol use

Peer learning provides a means for at-risk, socially isolated students to develop relationships with lower-risk students, who provide positive social influences and role modeling of more constructive behavior. As a result, the latest research demonstrates that at-risk students exposed to peer learning are less likely to initiate and/or escalate use of alcohol and other drugs.

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Enhances social-emotional skills

Peer learning places an explicit emphasis on the development of group social skills. Students learn how to share ideas, provide leadership to the group, summarize the group’s thinking, and encourage one another. Research finds that these authentic social experiences in small groups also develop skills such as cognitive and affective empathy.

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Reduces bullying

Recent research finds that the enhancements to interpersonal relations and social-emotional skills that emerge from peer learning contribute to a range of improved student behavior, including reductions in bullying and aggression and greater social and academic support of peers.