High Schools Must Reinvent for an AI Future — XQ Report Finds States Falling Behind

Artificial intelligence and rapidly evolving technologies are forcing traditional high schools to adapt, but states vary widely in whether and how they encourage schools to teach critical thinking, provide workplace experiences and expand access to college-level coursework, according to a new report from the nonprofit XQ Institute. In The Future Is High School, XQ argues that today’s economy demands an educational model conventional high schools were not designed to provide.

“We live in an age of self-driving taxis, blockchain, and renewed interest in space exploration. The public launch of ChatGPT placed a powerful form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) within the reach of every American,” the report states. “(The) stage is shifting rapidly. Our young people are growing up at a time when the economy and workforce are in constant flux. And high schools must keep pace.”

XQ stresses that high schools should pair strong academic instruction with interpersonal and higher-order thinking skills, and expand access to work-based learning and early-college opportunities. “Math, English and science remain essential,” said XQ CEO Russlynn Ali, “but layered on top of that we need critical thinking, collaboration and adaptability — skills that help graduates succeed in whatever path they choose.”

How States Measure Up

XQ assessed every state and Washington, D.C., against 10 policy goals co-created with school leaders. The goals are intended to spur innovation by widening access to internships and early college, enabling mastery-based credit, and identifying the durable skills students need for the future.

XQ Policy Actions map. View the fully interactive map athttps://policyactions.xqinstitute.org/#mapfor more information about each state.

• 46 states allow students to use work experience, such as internships, for credit toward a high school diploma.
• 38 states ensure every student has a pathway to earn college credit before graduating through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or college classes.
• 32 states permit schools to award course credit based on mastery or competency rather than seat time alone.
• 32 states have adopted a “Portrait of a Graduate” or similar framework naming future-focused skills like teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving.

Despite progress, no state met all 10 goals. Just 10 states met six of the goals (including Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington), 31 states met at least four, and Alaska and Florida met only two. Two of XQ’s most ambitious aims — creating reliable assessments for interpersonal and higher-order thinking skills and putting those results on student report cards — have not been realized by any state.

State Examples XQ Highlights

• Indiana: Expanded flexibility so schools can award credit based on demonstrated proficiency rather than only time in class.
• Rhode Island: Revised diploma requirements so that, beginning in 2028, students must take coursework in math, foreign language and arts that qualifies them for college admission.
• Texas: Allows students to earn up to 12 hours of college credit in high school via college courses, AP or IB.
• Colorado: Encourages CareerWise high school apprenticeships and frames career preparation as Learning About Work, Learning Through Work, and Learning At Work.
• Utah: Funds teacher training in mastery/competency approaches and pilots alternative report cards that keep A–F grades while adding a Mastery Learning Record for durable skills.

Measuring Durable Skills

XQ and several states emphasize the need to develop valid assessments of durable skills — collaboration, communication and critical thinking — and to include those measures on student records. Twelve states are experimenting with new tests and report cards; six are participating in a pilot called Skills for the Future, run by ETS, the Carnegie Foundation and the Mastery Transcript Consortium (now part of ETS). Pilot states include Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

“There’s no clear way yet to assess how well students have mastered durable skills to prove to colleges or employers they have those skills,” Ali said. “Schools tend to prioritize what the state measures, so these skills won’t gain traction until they’re part of report cards and accountability systems.”

XQ plans to update its state-by-state analysis every two years for the next decade and will promote the 10 policy goals on a listening-and-advocacy tour to 25 communities beginning March 4 in Indianapolis, with a stop in Columbus the following week. XQ was co-founded and is partly funded by Laurene Powell Jobs. Since 2015, XQ has invested in innovative secondary-school designs and supported work across multiple states.

Ali cautioned that policy change alone is not enough: successful reform requires sustained implementation, support for teachers, and buy-in from schools and families. “It’s not a checklist. It has to be implemented in a way that is sustained and empowering and supportive of what needs to happen in the classroom,” she said.

Disclosure: XQ provides financial support to The 74.