State leaders in Minnesota have adopted a number of policies that support high school transformation. Notably, state policy provides broad authority for local school systems to award students credit towards graduation based on demonstrations of subject mastery. State leaders have also developed a robust guide for educators that articulates the four domains—employability skills, mindsets and social awareness, career development, and transitional knowledge—and corresponding competencies that represent Minnesota’s vision for career and college readiness. Included in the guide are sample activities and resources tied to each competency, along with strategies for leveraging students’ personalized learning plans to promote career and college readiness. The state also provides school systems with guidance on how to take advantage of seat time flexibility, such as giving students credit for the completion of high-quality work-based learning experiences.

To build on this foundation, state leaders could explore launching a statewide initiative with dedicated resources to incentivize community-led high school redesign.