Alabama is building a foundation for high school transformation, with a focus on preparing students for the state’s evolving workforce. State leaders have developed a handbook on work-based learning to help school systems design and implement high-quality, hands-on learning experiences for students that enable them to earn credit toward graduation. Flexibility from seat time requirements ensures that students won’t need to meet instructional time requirements to earn those credits.
In addition, in 2023, the state launched the Alabama Talent Triad, a statewide initiative designed to connect Alabamians with education, training, and employment opportunities based on their skills. To better prepare individuals—including high school students—for the workforce, the initiative provides recommended learning, apprenticeships, and upskilling opportunities, as well as resources for scholarships to support continued learning. It also provides students with the opportunity to document and showcase skills gained through coursework, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs in a Learning and Employment Record (LER). This LER acts as a digital wallet, making student competencies visible to potential employers and other education providers, encouraging skills-based hiring, and opening doors for future career pathways even before graduation.
As Alabama continues to advance this work, state leaders should consider developing a Portrait of a Graduate that reflects the broad set of competencies that all high school graduates should have by the end of high school. State leaders could also explore opportunities to launch a statewide initiative with dedicated resources to incentivize community-led high school redesign.
