What High School Can Do To Prepare Students For The Future

The high school years are forming years for a young adult. It is a sensitive time as the students are developing physically, and mentally. They learn skills that will help them go into careers; they end being a kid and enter adulthood. The goal of High schools, is to prepare kids for a workforce or continuing education towards a career. But, the education system in the US is failing them. When young adults end high school, they are not prepared for what’s next. As a result, they make bad choices because of the lack of not knowing what to do and not having practical skills. High school, if re-designed, can prepare students to go into a career, the workforce or shorten their college years.

The four-year high school plan, known as the “traditional” high school model, is the most common used in the US. It has been in place for over a century. The traditional model was designed to give students a comprehensive education to prepare them for college and the workforce. But this basic education composed of subject matters in english, mathematics, social sciences, and a lot of non-purposeful electives, is not a good approach for all students. It is a standardize approach, a one size fits all that does not consider interest and career goals. The standard approach is filling students with four years of general studies, irrelevant courses (the majority), and wasted time.

Subject matters to meet state standards make up the majority of high school courses, they check a box and pass state exams.  Yet, remain irrelevant for future career skills. The system is ineffective at accomplishing its goal and inefficient.

Irrelevant courses for most students are taught at High School

How the Education System Can Serve High School Students Better

High school can do a better job by adjusting courses and having students finish in three years. The courses should be relevant to real world skills employers need and leave room for a year of technical training or dual enrollment college courses. This would enable students to develop career and technical skills for our rapidly evolving 21st century.

The education system for young adults can be easily reengineered to prepare students with employable skills. How can we do this? The change would address problems with the current system: lack of flexibility, inadequate preparation for the workforce, limited opportunities for college-dual enrollment classes, and limitations for alternative methods of learning.

To design a system to better serve high school students we need to start by looking at what the workforce needs? what skills the modern world is asking for? It used to be that to succeed you needed to go to college, but, in today’s world, that’s not true, if it ever was. Many careers need computer literacy, hands on skills and technical skills. Four-year degrees are not necessary for such careers. Certificates, vocational or short training programs is all that would suffice. High school curriculums can focus on providing students those practical skills. Students need courses where critical thinking and collaborative work is practiced.

Where To Focus Students In

A focused learning pathway offered in high school would develop specific skills like CTE programs which tailor learning needs based on specific skills and include hands on training or internships. This is focused learning to a direct path for the workforce. Courses can be substituted to tailor to those career practical skill and experience. For example, in mathematics After algebra 1 and geometry, working adults hardly ever use that knowledge. The exception is for physicians, medical providers or scientist, people who require college education and beyond. Schools would offer that track for those students pursuing college, and biomedical degrees.

A change in the system would also emphasize practical skills such as problem solving, and critical thinking on real world projects. These exercises would train students on how to handle real world situations in a career. A skill employers would find useful. This small change would massively increase students’ chances of succeeding in their chosen field and raise their confidence to be in the workforce.

Moreover, in a more flexible school system which caters on students’ interest and specific career path, exist better standards to support students who do choose a college track. Besides with training them with knowledge, communication skills and practical problem-solving skills, the last year of learning could be solid college courses that concentrate on the general courses taken in the first year of college. This would give students a taste for college and see if the path is for them. It would also shorten the college years to 3 years for a bachelors.

High School- A broken System, Change It

It is astonishing the four-year high school model has not been changed. The phrase says, “don’t change if it’s not broken”. It is broken! Parents, educators, researchers, and policy makers have known this for some time. Yet, we are failing our students by not making positive significant change in the system that takes them to their goal.  redesigning the high school system can be done smoothly by changing courses, take out some and adding relevant career specific courses to meet goals. CTE and similar programs can be added to career tracks. And certainly, the four years can become three years with the final year of dual enrollment or hands-on training/internships for students choosing to go into the workforce.

It’s time to make a change. After Covid-19 pandemic it became clear the system is ready for change. A significant number of students are choosing not to go to college and are left with no practical skills employers are looking for in a candidate. To have students succeed for the future, we need to provide the proper support and guidance. We want these kids to be independent individuals ready to be useful members of society. Through their skills and how they contribute to communities, it will bring purpose and happiness in their lives.