States Address Gen Z Disengagement in High Schools Through Transformative Policies
A report by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) and KnowledgeWorks highlights that 40% of Gen Z high schoolers feel unprepared for the future, three in ten feel they don't belong in school, and less than half enjoy school daily. These statistics, coupled with high chronic absenteeism rates, underscore the urgent need to rethink the high school experience. The report examines how state leaders, particularly state boards of education, can move beyond a traditional one-size-fits-all model to empower communities in building high school experiences that meet the needs of today's students. It outlines a vision for states to create a policy environment that supports local innovation and makes school more meaningful. Examples include California's Secondary School Redesign Pilot, Washington's Future Ready Taskforce, Indiana's profile of a graduate dashboard, and Kentucky's legislation supporting local accountability systems.
