Redesigning the High School Experience
Why Does This Matter?
Students deserve high school experiences that set them on a path to achieving durable college and career credentials in high-wage job sectors. But in an era of unparalleled change, high schools—and especially high school schedules—haven’t evolved much in the past 100 years.
The pandemic only exacerbated the disparities and challenges high schools have long faced: chronic absenteeism is ballooning, teacher satisfaction is at an all-time low, and more students are veering off-track for graduation, requiring additional support to accelerate learning.
By redesigning high schools, district leaders can re-engage students, improve teacher experiences, and foster connections between schools and communities. Read our vision paper to learn more, and check out our supporting resources for guidance on getting started in your district.
Getting Started: Transforming High School
How-to Guides for High School Redesign
Our students need an education that will help them graduate ready to transform our world. But systemic barriers leave far too many struggling with a lack of engagement and purpose. To provide students with effective academic and wellness supports, we need effective high schools by design. Our seven guidebooks cover how to implement strategies like high-dosage tutoring, credit recovery, and professional learning and collaboration for teachers to create the school experiences our students deserve. Check out the guides here.
The Opportunities (and Challenges) of Organizing for College and Career Readiness
For district leaders to prepare all students for their post-graduation next steps, it’s crucial that they understand the gaps between their vision for high school, their desired student outcomes, and the current organization of their systems and schools. To help with this process, we’ve analyzed data to identify root causes of inequities—including advanced course enrollment, students’ progression through sequences of courses toward credits and credentials, and how teachers’ roles are structured to support students’ success. Read our interactive article to learn about our data-backed recommendations for meeting common district challenges.
Our Latest Publications on Transforming High Schools
Transforming 9th Grade Experiences
Ninth grade is considered the “make or break” year for many students and a powerful indicator for student success through high school and beyond. Students experience many new challenges in their transition to high school—both academically and socially—creating distinct needs that school leaders must support. Transforming the high school experience for all students starts by prioritizing resources for 9th grade. Explore our vision for 9th grade and examples from the field.
Blended Learning Models That Work
This content package reveals what blended learning models can do for districts and offers in-depth guidance for implementation. Whether you’re looking to expand course variety, scale pathway-aligned learning outside the school walls, or create additional teacher time for other strategic priorities, you can find key strategies that work for your priorities and budget. See how your district can benefit from implementing blended learning models.
Students with access to postsecondary opportunities—like college courses and relevant career-based internships and certifications—are more likely to graduate high school on time and to start, continue, and finish college. High school leaders can transform the student experience “to and through” graduation by investing in postsecondary and career opportunities. See how strategic approaches to scheduling and staffing can unlock these opportunities in your school and district.
More Resources
- 5 Ways High Schools Need to Look Different: The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated and intensified long-standing patterns of inequity and unmet needs across the nation—perhaps none more pronounced than those in our nation’s high schools. ERS President and CEO Karen Hawley Miles reflects on how high school teachers and leaders can forge more equitable experiences by implementing key strategies, including building strong relationships with students and among educators.
- Three Steps to a Strategic Schedule: High school master schedules are complex puzzles that can determine the viability of supports that drive on-time graduation rates and students’ postsecondary success. Read about our three-step process for establishing effective school schedules.
ERS’ High School Service Offerings
ERS has partnered with districts and schools across the country to transform high schools into inspiring places for students’ learning and personal development. We support district and school leaders by:
- Conducting college and career opportunities audits. We analyze student course enrollment and transcript data to understand student experience patterns and how experiences vary across schools, grade levels, or student groups. For examples, see The Opportunities (and Challenges) of Organizing for College and Career Readiness.
- Redesigning master schedules and staffing models. We collaborate with high schools to redesign schedules—including adjusting time usage, teacher roles, and budgets—to improve student and teacher experiences. We align our strategies with each schools’ core priorities, focusing on increasing personalized attention for students, strengthening professional collaboration routines for teachers, or expanding access to college- and career-aligned opportunities within and outside the school building. Throughout the redesign process, we train school leaders to continue implementing and adapting schedules over time.
- Restructuring school planning processes. We connect school and district leaders to design annual planning calendars grounded in both school and district strategies. Our data dashboards support leaders in making informed decisions about scheduling, staffing, budgeting, and hiring as we collaboratively design new protocols for providing school leader coaching and feedback.
How can ERS can support your district?