Why 50% of Secondary School Students Have Stopped Trying and How We Can Fix It | With Jenny Anderson

Why are so many young people disengaged from learning — and what can parents and educators do about it?That’s the question that journalist Jenny Anderson seeks to answer in her book, The Disengaged Teen. Alongside co-author Rebecca Winthrop, Jenny unpicks why so many teenagers have switched off from school and presents evidence-based strategies to help reignite their love of learning. In this episode, Jenny joins Kai to share:What ‘student engagement’ really means beyond grades or behaviourThe four modes of student engagement and how to identify themWhy 50% of teens spend most of their time at school in one mode - and why this presents a huge challengeHow agency and the “zone of proximal development” support real learningSimple strategies for parents and teachers to increase student engagementIn this episode, Kai and Jenny discuss:05:30 What student engagement really means — beyond behaviour07:41 Why disengagement is one of the biggest challenges facing schools10:13 The four modes of engagement: passenger, achiever, resister, explorer17:28 Passenger mode: the “invisible middle” of the classroom23:24 Achiever mode and the hidden costs of perfectionism27:32 The challenges and opportunities of Resister mode32:21 Signs a student is in Explorer mode and how to cultivate it35:06 Practical strategies for parents and educators to foster agency and increase engagement43:04 How AI is creating more passengers — and what to do about itAbout Our GuestJenny Anderson is a journalist and co-author of The Disengaged Teen with Rebecca Winthrop. A former finance reporter for the New York Times, Jenny now writes about education, parenting, and human development. Her work explores how families and schools can support adolescents in moving from compliance or resistance into curiosity, agency, and meaningful engagement.ResourcesThe Disengaged Teen — book website Jenny’s Substack: How to Be BraveRebecca Winthrop’s LinkedIn newsletter: Winthrop’s World of EducationKaiPod NewsEnjoyed this episode? Keep the conversation going with KaiPod News — a fortnightly newsletter from Kai Vacher sharing fresh insights, stories, and strategies from education leaders around the world. Subscribe here.Related episodes:Episode 24 — Inside the Fastest Growing School in the UK (with Hugh Viney)Episode 17 — Why have Children Stopped Reading (with Daisy Christodoulou)CreditsHosted by Kai VacherA BSM BSS productionPost-production by Communicating for Impact

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