Lessons from graduates on rethinking high school

Students’ experiences of high school—what works, what doesn’t, and what they need from it to succeed—are hugely helpful to Map’s growth as a school, continually adapting and evolving to meet the complex needs of learners. 

We had the opportunity to speak to some recent Map graduates who reflected on their previous school experiences, what brought them to Map, how they knew it was different, and what they’re aspiring to accomplish with their diplomas.

Here’s what we learned from them.

Schools that can adapt to the needs of students make a huge difference

Map understands that each student has their own unique set of needs, and that the traditional high school system often fails to meet those needs. At her last high school, Rosaleigh struggled to conform to this system.

“I had learning problems, dyslexia type issues, and it wasn’t really being helped,” Rosaleigh says. “Then I had a seizure type of disorder, so regular school just didn’t work for me, and I ended up dropping out sophomore year.”

Then, Rosaleigh found out about Map Academy from her cousin. Hearing how it helps get disconnected students back on track, she moved from Maine to Massachusetts to attend the school. At Map, she says, teachers quickly understood and adapted to her learning challenges.

“I didn’t feel like excluded or anything, or different. It was just like, ‘We can fix this for you.’ Like, it was just super easy,” she explains. “I finally felt like I can get work done and it’s normal and I’m not stressing out, or that … I have to do all of these things to try to get things done for myself.”

This kind of supportive, student-centered teaching “should be happening everywhere, but it’s so rare,” says Rachel Babcock, Map Co-Founder & Co-Director. “We know that all humans are individuals. We know that every person is different. So then it’s not shocking to think that a system that is built on making all those individual humans line up and match, swim in the same direction at the same time … is doomed to fail.” 

Instead, Map’s academic model is built to be asynchronous and competency-based. Students work at their own pace and on their own time, and move forward once they can demonstrate that they are able to demonstrate what they’ve learned. This structure helps Map teachers realize when students are dealing with learning challenges or have a different learning style, then adjust accordingly.

“Our whole model is based on meeting students where they’re at instead of having the student meet the system where it’s at,” Rachel explains. “It’s not that radical a concept, that we meet the human rather than asking the human to meet us.”

“It’s on the student’s terms—not the system’s terms, not the staff’s terms,” she continues. “Instead of structuring time so that the students have to comply, we open time and resources so students can access them.”

Young people want to learn and believe a high school diploma is important

There’s a lot of stigma that comes with being labelled a “high school dropout.” Some believe these students just don’t care about their future and need more discipline. But young people really value the idea of a high school diploma—and often, despite a range of barriers outside their control, they are working really hard to reach graduation.

“What human being doesn’t … want to feel supported? Doesn’t want to have options?” Rachel says. “That’s what education is supposed to do. There’s nobody in the whole universe that would say, ‘I don’t want to be educated.’” 

When it comes to dropping out, students “don’t know there are options, or they’ve given up on options,” she explains. “It’s never that they don’t want their education … It’s that it isn’t resonating with them. It’s not meeting their needs.”

Map was created to support students in this exact position—students whose needs aren’t being met; who want to finish high school, but face circumstances in their personal lives that make education difficult. 

Logan was one of these students. 

“I had to drop at 16 to pursue a full-time job,” he explains. “Home life just wasn’t that great at the time, so I needed to support myself.”

Despite working 70 hours a week, he became homeless, eventually ending up at a shelter after couch-surfing. One of the conditions of the shelter was to set some goals—one of Logan’s was to graduate.

“I realized how much of a necessity a high school diploma is,” he says. “Today, we practically can’t even get a job without a high school diploma. So it’s very much a necessity for me to be able to move on with any career path I want.”

As Logan says, a high school diploma is undoubtedly valuable, but Co-Founder & Co-Director Rachel says that value is nuanced.

“Just simply getting a diploma does not magically make everything better, but not having one? There’s so much shame, there’s so much assumption, there are so many doors that will close,” she explains. “The absence of it is a lifelong burden.”

That’s why Map works with their students to set goals based on their individual needs and circumstances, giving students like Logan a path toward graduation. At Map, he was able to make progress at a pace that worked for him and his schedule. 

“I’m grateful for where I am and all the opportunities I’ve been given,” he says. “Even though my life didn’t go the way it was supposed to, I’m still getting that high school diploma.”

Students care about their futures—but they need opportunities to explore what’s possible

Equally important to getting a diploma is being prepared for what happens after graduation. But many students in traditional systems aren’t getting the support they need to prepare for life after high school.

“I never got asked the question at my old school, ‘What do you want to do with your life? And what steps are you taking to accomplish that?’” says Jake, a recent Map graduate. “Nobody said anything like that. They never asked. So I never got suggested anything.”

For students who have access to family and community connections, or the resources and time for extracurricular activities, post-secondary opportunities are often clearer, and teachers will help those students pursue them. But for students on the margins who are facing barriers in and outside of school, “nobody wants to ask them what they want to do after high school,” Rachel says, “because they know the system isn’t going to get them there.”

“Adults in those systems—and I was in one for a long time—know in their guts and their hearts that the system is not preparing students for what comes next,” she explains.

Without an opportunity to plan for the future, Jake felt like high school was just something he was obligated to get through—so when he first arrived at Map, he thought he would take advantage of Map’s self-paced model and speed through to graduation. 

Then, Map staff told him about the school’s YouthWorks program, a Commonwealth Corporation initiative that helps teens and young adults become career-ready. Through grant funding, YouthWorks students are paid to explore career options and learn important job readiness skills. After finishing YouthWorks, Jake started earning some early college credit through Map’s dual enrollment program with Bridgewater State University, an experience that helped him get a feel for what college might be like.

While the time these opportunities required ended up slowing down Jake’s progress toward graduation, he says he’s glad he took advantage of them. At his last school, life after high school felt unclear. Now, with encouragement and support from Map, he has a vision of what his future might look like—and it includes heading off to college this fall.

“I didn’t even know I wanted to go to college until literally like six months ago. [That’s] because of teachers being like, ‘Hey, you should do this.’ Nobody was doing that in my last school,” he explains. “I’m grateful for every single opportunity that was given to me because I feel like it all worked out in the long run.”