Redesigning High School to Prepare Students for the Future

By Ivan Duran, Superintendent, and Tove Tupper, Chief Communications Officer, Highline Public Schools (Washginton)

Reading time: Two minutes

Originally published on AASA, The School Superintendents Association Schools of Thought blog.

9th grader Iman Seid dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist. Her classmate, Hanai Letebo, is determined to pursue nursing. Both are part of the inaugural class of Tyee High School’s new Health Sciences Program, in SeaTac, Washington. Their voices capture what redesign is about - helping each student see and step into the future they choose.

At Highline Public Schools, we call this the Highline Promise: Every student is known by name, strength and need, and graduates prepared for the future they choose.

When we think about the future our students are stepping into, it looks nothing like the world most of us entered as young adults. The pace of change in how we work, communicate and access information is unmatched.

If we want to prepare students for their future - not ours - schools must evolve too.

That’s why Highline launched a districtwide effort to redesign middle and high schools. At Tyee High School, one of Highline’s comprehensive high schools, this vision came to life with the Health Sciences Program, which opened this fall.

A New Pathway in Health Sciences

The program prepares students for high-demand, high-wage medical careers while giving them options to pursue college degrees. It is built around three layers:

1. Career Preparation. Students will earn industry-recognized credentials and gain exposure to real-world medical careers.
2. Foundational Courses. Ninth and tenth graders take hands-on, foundational classes such as Human Body Systems, Intro to Health Science Careers, and Medical Terminology.
3. Pathway Options. In grades 11 and 12, students will choose from one of three pathways:
   1. Nursing Assistant Pathway to earn a Nursing Assistant Certification (NAC).
   2. Pre-Allied Health Pathway to explore careers such as physical therapy or radiology technology.
   3. College in the High School Pathway to earn college credit toward a two- or four-year medical degree.

Read the rest of the post at AASA's Promise-Keeper blog series

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