#United States #Stanford #Competency-Based Learning #Carnegie Foundation #Education Transformation

Transforming American High Schools: A New Vision

On July 24, 2025, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching unveiled an ambitious new research and development agenda designed to revolutionize high school education across the United States. The initiative, dubbed "A National Call to Action: A Research and Development Agenda for High School Transformation," sets forth a comprehensive strategy aimed at shifting the educational focus from traditional time-based measures to competency-based models. This pivotal change aims to better equip students for a rapidly evolving society and economy.

Addressing the Need for Change

The foundational premise of this agenda is rooted in the understanding that the American educational system is at a crucial turning point. As articulated by Dr. Timothy Knowles, the President of the Carnegie Foundation, the existing framework of high school education is outmoded and ill-equipped to prepare students for challenges in a future increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and other technological advancements. He emphasized, "American education is at a crossroads… our high schools are trapped in an outdated architecture preparing students for a world that no longer exists."

In light of growing concerns regarding chronic absenteeism, student disengagement, and educator burnout exacerbated by recent global events, this agenda seeks to chart a path forward that enhances student engagement and learning outcomes. The initiative highlights the urgency of adopting innovative educational practices and creating systems that resonate more effectively with today’s learners and their future careers.

The Vision: Eight Key Research Priorities

The Carnegie Foundation's R&D Agenda outlines eight interconnected research priorities aimed at remodeling the current education landscape:
1. Shared Vision and Collaboration: Promote collective decision-making among communities to drive transformation in high school education.
2. Supportive Learning Environments: Establish environments rich with relational support to foster strong student and educator connections, ensuring a sense of purpose and agency.
3. Empowering Educators: Redefine the roles and working conditions of teachers, giving them the autonomy to foster academic and applicable skill development.
4. Engaging Curriculum: Revitalize the high school curriculum to be engaging, rigorous, and rooted in real-world applications, moving beyond the simple metric of seat time.
5. Learning Ecosystems: Create fluid pathways that connect high school experiences to postsecondary education and career opportunities, expanding student access to credible credentials.
6. Comprehensive Assessment: Develop reliable assessments that accurately reflect students’ academic and skill development, while capturing evidence of learning through diverse contexts.
7. Family Engagement: Design tools that facilitate constructive collaboration between educators and families to enhance student learning outcomes.
8. AI-Driven Infrastructure: Investigate the digital, physical, and social infrastructures necessary to support enhanced educational practices in high schools.

Implementing the Agenda

The Carnegie Foundation plans to collaborate with research institutions, educators, and policy makers from now until 2035 to build evidence-based strategies that will propel this agenda forward. Through three categories of research – Discovery, Development, and Impact – the foundation aims to explore current educational practices, design and test innovative tools, and evaluate the effectiveness of new policies and educational programs.

Dr. Brooke Stafford-Brizard, senior vice president for innovation and impact at the Carnegie Foundation, underscored the collective responsibility required to implement these transformative strategies. She stated, "Transforming American high schools requires more than school-level proof points —it demands unprecedented collaboration across districts, states, researchers, and communities." This collaborative ethos is crucial for ensuring that innovative practices don't merely exist in isolated instances, but instead become embodied widely across America’s educational ecosystem.

Looking Ahead

Through the R&D Agenda, the Carnegie Foundation aims to not only address existing challenges but also to anticipate and shape future educational needs. The agenda’s alignment with the Future of High School Network, in partnership with the XQ Institute, indicates a commitment to testing and refining competency-based educational models.

As we move toward 2035, this agenda is poised to focus national resources and efforts towards ensuring that American high schools evolve into a powerful engine of opportunity for all students, paving the way for a prosperous and equitable future.

The mission of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching remains steadfast: to catalyze transformational change in education, guaranteeing that every student has the chance to lead a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Established by Congress in 1906, the foundation has a long-standing history of impact in the education sector, advocating for change and improvement. The new R&D agenda represents the latest evolution in their efforts to promote a more effective, dynamic educational system in the United States.