The State of the American High School

Earlier this month, Tom Vander Ark, Chief Executive Officer at Getting Smart, posted an article titled “The State of the American High School in 2024.”

Vander Ark writes,

“Over the past 120 days we’ve conducted tours of over 50 high schools in more than 1,000 classrooms across various cities including Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Northern Colorado, Kansas City, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. These schools were purposefully selected for their dedication to real world learning, positioning them at the forefront of innovative education. These visits showed schools leading the way into new pathways, active learning methods, and work-based learning initiatives. From our observations at these leading schools, we’ve identified 8 key insights about the state of American high schools.”

“More Students in Intentional Pathways – During our extensive observations, we encountered numerous intentional career pathways, aligning with our research focus. In many educational systems, there’s a noticeable shift away from the traditional ‘college for all’ approach and a greater focus on pathways that connect students with various career opportunities.”

“This trend is support by compelling evidence from California, where enrollment in career pathways has significantly increased from 18% to 23% over the past six years. Moreover, with the inclusion of dual enrollment pathways, this figure doubles. California’s substantial investment of over $6 billion in pathways underscores its commitment to aligning K-12 education with community colleges and universities, as outlined in the Master Plan for Career Education. This comprehensive plan aims to streamline the multitude of career training pathways and funding sources, ensuring a cohesive educational journey for students.”

“More Evidence of Career Exploration – In many cities, we observed middle-grade career exploration initiatives that help guide high school students in selecting their pathways. We found commendable the emphasis on career exploration and the implementation of individual learning plans within the K-12 framework of St. Paul Public Schools. Similarly, we commend the Middle School Career Exploration program in Dallas ISD, which incorporates the Education Opens Doors curriculum.”

“Further supporting this observation is the fact that a majority of states (73%) recognize middle school career exploration as a crucial aspect of students’ education. Moreover, an overwhelming majority (92%) allocate funding to support such activities, and a similar percentage (92%) have policies in place to ensure its implementation…”

“Engagement is the Exception – While the increase in students enrolling in quality pathways is promising, a pervasive issue we noted is the low levels of student engagement. Across most master schedules in career, arts, and elective courses, we found that active engagement, community-connected projects, and work-based learning experiences are often relegated to the periphery.”

“Supporting this observation, Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine, during their 2018 tour In Search of Deeper Learning, similarly found that deep engagement was more of an exception than the norm. Additionally, according to Gallup’s 2023 report, on average, students rate their school’s ability to make them feel excited about learning as a mere C+. Moreover, a concerning 71% of public school leaders expressed at least ‘somewhat’ concern about the mental health of their students…”

“Still Stuck in Courses – For the past two years, Tim Knowles of the Carnegie Foundation has been emphasizing the entrapment of American high schools within the confines of the Carnegie Unit. These units dictate graduation requirements, licensure, funding, and even the physical layout of nearly every school, being structured around time-bound content courses.”

…

“Math Education is Obsolete – In most schools, the lowest levels of engagement were in math – which is also the subject of highest concern for pandemic learning loss). Math expectations (and the algebra, geometry, and algebra II course sequence) are stuck in the Sputnik Era. In The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age, Conrad Wolfram estimates that 80% of the math curriculum is focused on simply completing repetitive exercises that students typically do by hand. There’s no need to add fractions, learn long division, or factor polynomials when computers can calculate. Instead, ‘humans should learn to use computing tools to address increasingly complex problems.’…”

“Our school visits showed very little math instruction relevant to career pathways. It’s admittedly hard for schools to innovate in math because traditional gateway courses and tests assess hand calculation. Changing will require a policy shift (and it might start with new career-oriented credentialed diploma pathways like that being considered in Indiana).”

“More Dual Enrollment – We observed a significant increase in dual enrollment programs, indicating a positive trend in expanding educational opportunities. Dual enrollment, which may be twice as prevalent as AP courses, offers a broader spectrum of quality. However, akin to the traditional approach observed in many AP classes, most dual enrollment courses still follow conventional instructional methods and assessment practices.”

…

“Pictures of the Future from the Edges – While [still] stuck in courses, the shift to powerful learning experiences focused on transferable skills was contained in many career pathways…”

“Equity at Scale – Finally, the Masters of Scale award goes to Dallas ISD for equitable and responsive pathways at every high school and in every corner of the city. Every comprehensive high school has a P-Tech (which seamlessly blend early college opportunities with work-based learning experiences) and 3-5 career academies. Career Institutes in every quadrant of the city provide pathways to 18 high-wage, high-demand careers. Specialty schools add entrepreneurial options and it’s all transported choice. Dallas County Promise adds college-going support and Big Thought adds afterschool options.”

…

“Conclusion – American high schools are still stuck in traditional course-based structures and graduation requirements (including badly outdated math expectations). They are increasingly organizing courses into coherent, accelerated, supported pathways connected to opportunity. Client-connected projects are trending and showing up inside core, career and elective courses. We didn’t see much evidence of productive AI use by teachers or students this spring. We anticipate seeing a lot more AI use on our schools visits next year.”

Are we satisfied with Vander Ark’s report?

How long would it take for every school district in the country to model itself after Dallas ISD?

Can the American high school figure out a better way to get their students to become smarter and stronger in math?

When will high schools realize their coursework is limited by the master schedules they create and the approved certifications of their teachers?

Is the American high school the vehicle that will prepare our 14- to 18-year-olds to become smarter and stronger citizens for this country?

I’m afraid all of the answers to these questions aren’t promising. The question is this: will those answers ever become promising?

It’s time for a new learning system, especially for our older learners.

Til tomorrow. SVB