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How one district turned scheduling instincts into decisions they could defend—and what the data revealed about instructional time, CTE pathways, and senior year....

Faced with the reality of declining accountability ratings and accreditation challenges, school leaders began to evaluate whether the schedule was helping or hurting student performance. Superintendent John Cabral saw that the district's only high school needed wholesale transformation to provide students the best education possible and the ability to succeed in whatever path they choose after graduation....

How can we redesign education to truly prepare students for the future of work? In this episode of Lessons Learned Season 2, host Matt sits down with Roberto Rodriguez, former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, to discuss how schools can better prepare students for the rapidly changing world of work. ...

What does it take to transform early opportunities into lasting career mobility? In this episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt welcomes Dr. Monique Perry-Graves, CEO of Road to Hire, an organization dedicated to guiding students from Title I high schools into high-paying careers. Under her leadership, Road to Hire equips young adults with the skills, confidence, and connections they need to achieve economic mobility....

How can industry and education work together to prepare students for the future? In this episode of Lessons Learned Season 2, host Matt sits down with Matt Kellam, Manager of Workforce Development at Dominion Energy, to explore the powerful connection between K–12 education and industry....

How can districts prepare students for both college and career success—and what does it require from our instructional leaders? In this episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt sits down with Adam Bowen, Superintendent of New Buffalo Area Schools, for a candid conversation on building systems that equip students for life after graduation—whether that path leads to higher education, the workforce, or both....

How do we prepare students for jobs that don't exist yet? In this episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt tackles this question with Chike Aguh, Senior Advisor of The Project on Workforce at Harvard....

How can we align K–12 pathways with real economic opportunity? In this episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt sits down with Dr. TJ Vari, Senior Director of Product Strategy at MaiaLearning, to explore how schools can design college and career pathways that truly prepare students for life after graduation—starting as early as kindergarten....

What if K-12 school districts saw scheduling as a strategy for alignment rather than a task to be done? In this episode of Lessons Learned, host Matt sits down with Dr. Steven Gering, Director of School Success, to explore how schools can better prepare students for life beyond graduation. ...

A breakdown of Abl's college and career readiness framework—a research-backed methodology for assessing postsecondary readiness...

This season, the BetterLesson podcast is featuring leaders who are redefining what it means to graduate students who are future-ready. From redefining graduation requirements to reallocating limited resources towards high-wage, high-growth industries, these seven leaders share their most important learnings....

What does building ‘life-ready’ students really look like? From district superintendents to CTE directors, these voices share a collective optimism about the future of public education. Across their diverse experiences, a shared message emerges: real progress requires courageous leadership, deep community engagement, and a relentless focus on what matters most: students and teachers....