Inspiration and Resources for Reimagining High School

The Prichard Committee's newest work on the Meaningful Diploma lifts up a challenge many districts feel: seniors often spend their final year in courses that feel disconnected from the futures they're stepping into. Fleming County High School saw that firsthand. Many seniors—especially those heading straight into work or technical programs—were sitting in traditional English classes that didn't match their goals, while their CTE pathways were buzzing with real-world learning, certifications, and purpose.

That tension sparked a simple but powerful question: What if senior English lived where students already felt meaning? Fleming County's answer: allow seniors to earn their English credit inside their CTE pathway, where reading, writing, and communication flow from the authentic work they're already doing.

The results are alive in classrooms. Instead of Beowulf, welding students analyze OSHA manuals tied directly to the safety skills they're building in the shop. Early childhood students write narratives grounded in their fieldwork with local preschoolers. Ag seniors craft informational pieces connected to the certifications they're earning. Family & Consumer Sciences students develop business concepts from the ground up: researching requirements, outlining processes, and writing the accompanying plans. It's still English—every priority standard intact—but suddenly relevant, embodied, and connected to a future students can see. CTE teachers teach English 12 themselves, using Schools PLP as the spine and collaborating with ELA colleagues to ensure rigor stays high—an approach that shows how staffing, standards, and pathways can work together instead of competing for time.

The benefits are already visible: stronger writing across the building, clearer purpose for seniors, and a staff that sees itself less as “departments” and more as a unified team designing for student futures. Fleming County is illustrating how aligned, purposeful design of the student experience can strengthen both engagement and the quality of student work.

Across the country, schools are redesigning high school so it feels connected to the futures students are actually building. Fleming County's senior English model is one example: instead of siloed courses, they've embedded English inside CTE pathways. It's a reminder that relevance isn't an add-on; it's a design choice that changes everything.

The Prichard Committee's new report, Kentucky's Edge A Diploma That Means More, shows why shifts like this matter. The report surfaces a reality many educators feel but rarely see captured so clearly:

• Graduation ≠ readiness. Fewer than one in three Kentucky graduates demonstrate proficiency in core academic skills.
• Employers aren't confident. Only 12% say recent graduates are fully prepared for the workforce.
• High school is still fragmented. Students experience academic courses, pathways, and career exploration as separate tracks when their futures demand something more coherent.
• Durable skills matter more than ever. Communication, problem-solving, and real-world application are emerging as essential currency for both college and career.



This report doesn't just name problems– it offers a vision for what comes next: mastery of core academics, integrated real-world learning, and a clearer launch into work, college, and community life. If your team is exploring senior-year redesign, pathway integration, performance tasks, or simply wants shared language to anchor your next steps, A Diploma That Means More is a powerful place to begin.

LAST CALL

December 9 – Designing Defenses of Learning (9am–3pm)

COACHES + BUILDING & DISTRICT LEADERS: 

Whether you're launching defenses for the first time or ready to reimagine the ones you have, this session is your design lab. We'll spend the day exploring:

• What makes a defense truly learner-centered
• How to design prompts, artifacts, and reflection arcs that spotlight growth
• Ways to bring students, staff, and the community into the experience

You'll leave with a defense model that's bold, doable, and ready to showcase the strengths and journeys of your learners.

 sign up here