Building a "Many Paths to Success" Culture in K–12 Schools

For generations, American education has promoted a single narrative of success: graduate high school, earn a college degree, and secure a good job. But the world our students are inheriting no longer fits that script. The economy has transformed, employer expectations have evolved, and students are navigating increasingly complex and diverse journeys. The reality is clear: in today's job market, there are many paths to success. Skills are the true currency of mobility, and the best path forward is unique to each individual student's strengths, aspirations and goals.

The Evidence is Mounting

National research confirms the urgency of this labor market shift:

• The Schultz Family Foundation’s Broken Marketplace report underscores how outdated “high school to work” systems prevent students from accessing good jobs.

• YouScience found that 72% of students feel only moderately, slightly, or not at all prepared for life after high school. Even more telling, 77% said they would have been more engaged in school if they better understood their strengths and career options.

• ERP’s own longitudinal research found most students do not follow a “traditional pathway” after high school. Success is nonlinear—students find their way through diverse, often winding routes and the path is different for every student.

• The Burning Glass Institute’s No Country for Young Grads report reveals that, for the first time in modern history, a bachelor’s degree is no longer a reliable pathway to professional employment.

Taken together, the message is clear: students need guidance that reflects the realities of today’s economy and labor market, not yesterday’s assumptions.

The Hidden Strengths in Our Classrooms

Despite these challenges, there is good news. The vast majority of high schools already teach the skills employers demand—critical thinking, problem solving, communication, teamwork, and adaptability. Students are learning and demonstrating their proficiency in these competencies every day through their coursework, projects, and extracurriculars.

What’s missing is translation. Students rarely hear about their learning in the language of “skills.” Employers rarely see student transcripts or grades as a meaningful signal of job readiness since they do not signal a student’s skills. The disconnect is not in teaching and learning, but in connecting what students know to how the labor market evaluates talent.

The Gap in Guidance

Unfortunately, K–12 schools have limited resources and effective tools for career guidance. Most counselors carry overwhelming caseloads, leaving little time for personalized guidance. Schools lack the frameworks, tools, and real-time labor market information to advise students effectively in a new skills-first environment.

The result? Students graduate without a clear understanding of their own skills, unsure how to pursue careers that match their strengths. Educators, meanwhile, are left without the support they need to provide meaningful direction.

Why "Many Paths to Success" Matters

Today’s high schoolers are stepping into an economy fundamentally different from the one older adults faced at their age. College remains an excellent pathway for many, but it is not the only one—and increasingly, it is not the best option for students who can achieve their career goals without a degree or the time or opportunity cost associated with pursuing one. Apprenticeships, certificates, micro-credentials, and skills-based hiring are expanding opportunities for the next generation in ways that traditional models of guidance are failing to capture.

We need to start now to build a "many paths to success" culture in K–12 schools—one that is:

• Non-biased: not privileging one pathway (such as a four-year degree) above others and ignores individual students’ needs and goals.

• Inclusive: ensuring every student sees their strengths as valuable, no matter their background.

• Asset-based: focusing on what students can do in rigorous academic coursework, rather than what they lack.

  
  

A Call to Action

The task before us is not to reinvent what schools teach, but to reinterpret and recast it to career. We must equip educators with tools to translate student learning into the language of skills and connect those skills to real opportunities. We must provide students with frameworks to see the full spectrum of their options—and to recognize that there is no single “right” path, only the path that best aligns with their individual needs, strengths, interests, and aspirations.

Educational Results Partnership (ERP) has taken up this challenge through our Skills Currency initiative, which translates student performance into workforce-relevant skills and creates a common language shared by students, educators, and employers. But this work cannot happen in isolation. It requires a collective commitment to redefining success for today’s students.

A culture that embraces many paths to success will prepare young people not just to survive in a changing economy—but to thrive in it. Is your district ready to for this culture change? Contact us today to get started.