Author’s Note:
I have always believed that schools should be places where students discover who they are and who they are becoming. This post reflects a recent conversation with school leaders from across the Americas about how we design graduation pathways that honor student strengths, widen access to rigor, and prepare young people for a rapidly changing world. As always, this work is ongoing, and we learn best when we learn together.
Last week, I had the opportunity to present at AMISA LeadCon in Cartagena on a topic that sits at the heart of my work as a school leader: how we design graduation pathways that are academically rigorous, deeply meaningful, and responsive to the future our students are actually stepping into.
The world our students are entering is not the world many of us grew up in. The pace of change is accelerating. New professional fields are emerging. Technology is reshaping how people learn, communicate, and work. Colleges and employers are looking for students who can think creatively, collaborate, solve real problems, and demonstrate adaptability. In this landscape, a single, one-size-fits-all pathway through high school is no longer sufficient.
It is time for us to widen the doorway.
Rigor Should Not Be a Gatekeeper
In our work, we have created graduation pathways that maintain academic rigor while aligning learning to students’ goals. Through partnerships with universities both domestic and international, students can participate in dual enrollment courses that result in recognized university-issued certifications and significant college credit before they graduate high school. These experiences invite students to see themselves as scholars in a broader academic world. They build confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging in higher education spaces that some students might otherwise view as distant.
This is not about acceleration for its own sake.
It is about belonging.
It is about students seeing themselves as capable of moving into the future with purpose.
Honoring Neurodiverse and Differently-Wired Learners
Equally important is our commitment to students who may not thrive in a traditional high-stakes academic structure. Too often, these students are told, implicitly or directly, that rigor is not for them. That success will look smaller. That their path must be a reduced version of the path others take.
I believe we can do better.
The pathway we designed for neurodiverse and struggling learners leads to a full high school diploma, not a lesser credential. It is built through structured work study, community-based internships, and opportunities where students can demonstrate growth, mastery, and identity in authentic environments. Instead of narrowing their choices, this pathway opens them.
Rigor does not need to look the same for every student.
But dignity must.
The Conversation That Followed
What made the experience in Cartagena meaningful was not the presentation itself, but the conversation afterward. School leaders in the room asked thoughtful, generous, future-focused questions:
How do we hold high expectations while expanding access?
How do we design learning for students who are growing up in a world different from our own?
How do we create pathways that allow every student to step into adulthood with confidence and agency?
The shared understanding in the room was clear.
The future of education is not about more programs or more layers of complexity.
It is about purpose.
Pathways should help students understand themselves.
Pathways should align with their emerging plans and passions.
Pathways should empower them to see possibility in front of them.
Gratitude
I am grateful to Dereck Rhoades, Executive Director of AMISA, and to the entire AMISA team for creating a space where these conversations can happen with honesty and collaboration. I am equally grateful to the leaders who leaned in, questioned, shared, and dreamed together. The work is always stronger when we do it together.
The Work Ahead
We are all learning in real time. The world will continue to shift, and our schools must remain attentive, responsive, and human-centered.
But the goal remains simple and steady.
Help students become who they are capable of becoming.
Help them see a future for themselves.
Help them walk toward it with confidence.
This is what it means to build pathways with purpose.
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