A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION - A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION outlines a research and development agenda for transforming American high schools. It argues current education structures lag behind an AI-driven economy, with employers, declining postsecondary enrollment, chronic absenteeism, student disengagement, and educator burnout signaling urgent need. The agenda calls for replacing seat time with demonstrated learning, strengthening interconnected learning environments, and modernizing diploma and assessment systems to support academic excellence, real-world problem solving, and life- and work-ready skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Foreword

A Vision for Transformation

A Research and Development Agenda

Two Essential Foundations

R&D Priorities for Action

Mobilizing Collective Action: A Multisector Imperative

The Moment Is Now

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

2025 A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION CONTENTS 04 FOREWORD 06 A VISION FOR TRANSFORMATION | 08 | A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA | | --- | --- | | 10 | TWO ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONS | | 13 | R&D PRIORITIES FOR ACTION | 19 MOBILIZING COLLECTIVE ACTION: A MULTISECTOR IMPERATIVE | 21 THE MOMENT IS NOW | | --- | | 22 ENDNOTES | 23 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION 2 To rise at this time, universal high school transformation is the key to our nation prevailing, and a robust Research and Development Agenda is essential to help get us there.” TIMOTHY KNOWLES, PRESIDENT CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING FOREWORD American high school education is at a crossroads. While the world accelerates toward an AI-driven economy that demands creativity, critical thinking and adaptability, our high schools remain trapped in an outdated architecture designed for a different era. The evidence is stark: Employers seek skills they don’t see reflected in diplomas and degrees;1 four-year college enrollment is dropping;2 and economic security is elusive for the vast majority of Americans. Since the global pandemic, chronic absenteeism has soared; student disengagement has accelerated; and educator burnout has reached crisis levels.3 This is not a moment for incremental change – it is a moment for transformation. Transformation will not result from innovations and interventions at the edges of our education system, but instead, it will require direct and bold interrogation of the structures and standards that lock our system in the past and prevent our schools from preparing young people for today’s world. Thus, the time has come to move beyond the “Carnegie Unit” or “credit hour” and its century-old grip on American education.4 The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie) is committed to replacing seat time with demonstrated learning, isolated classrooms with interconnected ones, and narrow academic measures with comprehensive preparation for life and work. The question is not whether change is needed, but whether we will act with the urgency that the moment demands. The window is open. Across the nation, thousands of communities have created “portraits of a graduate” focused on the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school, work and life. States have started to make important policy shifts: reimagining the high school diploma, creating new opportunities for students to earn meaningful credentials before they graduate, and ensuring competency (not time) is the primary currency of learning. Critically, there are hundreds of extraordinary schools – in rural, urban and suburban communities across the nation – that illuminate what the future of high school can be. CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION 4 FOREWORD Certainly, this window of opportunity is shaped and influenced by countless determined educators and visionary leaders who have come before us. However, we must be clear-eyed about the long history of promising innovations that have struggled to endure within a system designed for a different time.5 While examples of elegant efforts to reimagine high school span the century, the reality is that our best efforts have not taken root, sustained, or scaled. This time, our approach must be different. The stakes are as high as they have ever been – for young people, the economy, democracy and our social fabric. CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION 5 A VISION FOR TRANSFORMATION In collaboration with XQ Institute6 and partners from across the nation, we are committed to building a new architecture

FAQs

Why does the document call for high school transformation now?

It highlights that education structures are outdated for an AI-driven economy, while employers lack visible skills aligned with diplomas, college enrollment is declining, and the pandemic has increased absenteeism, disengagement, and educator burnout.

What major shift does the agenda promote for learning measurement?

It calls for moving beyond seat time to demonstrated learning, replacing “Carnegie Unit” time-based structures with competency-focused systems tied to what students know and can do.

How does the vision describe redesigned learning experiences and engagement?

It emphasizes new learning experiences grounded in the science of learning, ensuring teaching and learning are reliably engaging, rigorous, and experiential, including real-world problem-solving across classrooms and communities.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James