How 3 districts reimagined high school and the future of work

Key points:

• Students need modern models to succeed in today’s changing world
• Districts are turning to innovative models to ensure student success
• The League of Innovative Schools pilots cutting-edge models in districts
• For more news on high school innovation, visit the eSN Resource Center

If students are to graduate prepared to succeed as they pursue higher education or join the future-ready workforce, high schools must evolve–and innovative districts are ready to meet the challenge.

Forward-thinking educators in the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools are reimagining what high school looks like, restructuring the workday, moving from grading systems to competency-based systems, and prioritizing personalized learning pathways.

Mineola High School in Long Island (NY) features a structured but flexible mix of teacher-led workshops and seminars, asynchronous independent learning, and career training. This combination ensures students have time to explore their interests and build skills that will help them find success in life.

Vermont’s Bellows Free Academy Fairfax High School ditched the traditional letter grading system and move to a system where students earn scores based on their attainment of standards-based proficiencies. The move resulted in students no longer asking what their grades are, and instead, asking what skills they’re learning and how those skills apply to the real world around them.

At Bostonia Global, a charter school in California’s Cajon Valley Union School District, students come to deeply understand their strengths and interests through the district’s World of Work, a comprehensive K-12 career development and assessment curriculum and framework. The framework ensures that every student is able to articulate who they are and what they want to contribute to the world.

For a detailed look at how these districts are reimagining high school, click here.