By Gov. Jeb Bush
This article originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune
Across the country, most high school classrooms still resemble their 20th century counterparts despite massive changes in the workforce over the past 50 years.
Today’s jobs require advanced skills and education or training, yet many graduates feel unprepared for their next steps.
A 2022 YouScience survey found three-fourths of high school graduates reported feeling moderately, slightly or not at all prepared to make college or career decisions after graduation. Roughly one-third of the survey respondents, who graduated high school between 2019 and 2022, said they were not following any planned educational or career path. A more recent survey of teens from EdChoice, a nonprofit focused on school choice, found that just 38% reported feeling extremely or very prepared for education beyond high school.
Thankfully, one state is leading the way when it comes to reimagining the high school experience and aligning it with current needs.
Following a vision set by Gov. Eric Holcomb, House Speaker Todd Huston and Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, education policymakers in Indiana recently proposed a high school redesign that will reshape how young adults experience the last years of their K-12 educational journey and set them up for real success as they transition to college or the workforce.
