April 25th, 2025

Dear Readers,

Should schools and teachers be doing more to prepare students for their careers?

Or is it not their responsibility to prepare students for success in everyday life?

Your everyday public school should not be concerned with career readiness, at least not to the level it is today. College and trade schools are designed to train students for the jobs they wish to pursue.

Too much pressure is placed on public schools to prepare students for specific careers.

Far too many technical or ultra-advanced high schools require students to specialize in a given field. While specialization may seem beneficial at first, career-specific high schools should be abolished to ensure students remain well-rounded.

That said, there is a way to structure high schools nationwide to help students succeed as broadly as possible.

First, high school should be split into two separate institutions. Currently, high school spans four grades—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. To better meet students’ needs and ease logistical challenges, create a junior high (grades 9–10) and a senior high (grades 11–12).

Although the initial transition could be costly, the long-term benefits would outweigh the expenses.

Smaller campuses reduce overhead and foster environments where students receive more individualized attention. With fewer students per campus, class sizes would shrink, and there would be more opportunities to participate in sports, fine arts, and other activities.

Additionally, freshmen and sophomores, who are generally less mature, would learn in an age-appropriate setting separate from juniors and seniors.

Secondly, the scope of required standards should end after sophomore year. Overhauling state standards nationwide is no small feat, but it’s long overdue.

Through grade 10, focus on lifelong skills—critical thinking, communication, and time management—that support students in all aspects of life. This change would allow districts to get creative with senior high programming.

Two main models for senior high schools emerge: a career/technical school and a college prep school.

A career senior high school would offer career-specific programs alongside a curriculum that ensures students develop essential life skills. These schools could be broad or niche, partnering with technical colleges or job training programs to provide real-world pathways.

They might even feed into larger regional initiatives.

On the other hand, a college-prep senior high would focus on readiness for higher education. Schools could partner directly with universities to align with admissions expectations.

Mandatory SAT and ACT prep courses, along with a dedicated class on navigating college applications, would be part of the curriculum. Like the career school model, college prep schools could be tailored to student interests. Imagine a senior high school just for aspiring accountants that still requires core classes in history, English, and science, but adds specialized coursework in accounting principles, software, and report writing.

This structure works because juniors and seniors would choose their path after completing a fundamentals-focused junior high. By contrast, junior high electives would be minimal, giving students ample time to master the basics.

Students should only begin thinking seriously about college choice at the end of their junior year. Yet today, many start making college lists in middle school and take the PSAT in eighth grade.

What happened to letting kids be kids?

It’s crucial to give students responsibility, but it’s unhealthy to burden them with life-altering decisions too early. The difficult job of teachers is to prepare students for the future without causing undue anxiety about it.

Give students the opportunity to learn and grow—not by forcing careers or colleges on them, but by equipping them with the skills they’ll need in life.

With the proper structure, the rest will follow.