The U.S. public education system struggles to make up ground lost to COVID. Nowhere is this more evident than in our high schools. In a 2023 Gallup poll, researchers found that American teens are disengaged and questioning the relevance of a traditional educational approach. High school students today are concerned about real-world issues and want to make a meaningful difference in their communities.  

To reengage these students, the high school experience must be reimagined. The approach and design should seize that ethos and develop high school curriculums and experiences that give students the tools and connections to fulfill this desire. Students should still learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but it must be done innovatively to connect concepts with a sense of purpose.

Read Robin Lake’s article It’s Time to Launch a National Initiative to Create the New American High School, to learn how some high schools and programs across the country are rethinking the high school experience.