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For more than a century, American schools have adhered to a familiar rhythm: six to seven periods a day, five days a week, each class lasting roughly 40 to 60 minutes. Known as the Carnegie Unit model, this structure—established in 1906—has shaped the academic journey of millions of students. But as the needs of learners evolve in an increasingly complex and interconnected world, a growing movement is challenging the status quo and calling for a profound rethinking of how time is used in schools.
Educators, researchers, and policymakers across the country are now asking a fundamental question: Does the traditional school day still serve today’s students?
In a recent wide-ranging conversation on the future of American education, Louis Freedberg—longtime education journalist and current Executive Producer of the Sparking Equity podcast—offered a candid but hopeful outlook on the state of public education. Drawing from decades of experience, including his time at the Pacific News Service, Freedberg highlighted both the urgent challenges facing schools and the innovative efforts to meet them.
One of the most pressing issues, he noted, is the growing disengagement among students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional schooling in 2020, chronic absenteeism has reached historic highs, prompting serious questions about how effectively schools are engaging young people.
“The current structure and learning opportunities we’re offering students are not working—or not working sufficiently—for young people to want to get up and go to school,” Freedberg warned. “That presents a crisis—not just for public education, but for education as a whole.”
Freedberg’s remarks reflect a bipartisan push to break free from outdated models and to center learning on students’ needs, interests, and life paths. At the heart of this conversation is the Carnegie Unit itself, a metric that equates 120 instructional hours with one academic credit. But as Freedberg and others argue, this one-size-fits-all approach fails to account for how students truly learn.
“People don’t learn in hourly bites,” he said. “We need more flexibility in school schedules and a greater focus on durable skills—like collaboration, critical thinking, and resilience—that are more relevant to today’s economy.”
Across the country, educators and reformers are turning theory into action. In states like Indiana, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, pilot programs are testing new ways to measure student success beyond standardized test scores. Many of these efforts are centered on a concept known as the “Portrait of a Graduate”—a forward-looking framework that defines what students should know and be able to do by the time they complete high school.
“These portraits emphasize skills over grades,” Freedberg explained. “They ask: Can the student communicate well? Work in teams? Solve problems? These are the qualities employers are looking for—and they should be at the heart of education.”
At the federal level, reform has lagged. Freedberg lamented that the U.S. Department of Education has remained “largely missing in action,” but emphasized that momentum is still growing at the local level, often led by teachers themselves.
One such example of grassroots innovation is MetWest High School in Oakland, California. A member of the Big Picture Learning network, MetWest is upending the traditional high school experience by placing student voice and real-world relevance at the core of its educational model.
Under the leadership of Principal Dr. Shalonda Gregory, the school has redesigned learning around individual passion and purpose. “School should be fun. It should be engaging, rigorous, and most importantly, connected to students’ identities,” Gregory told a recent gathering of educators and stakeholders. “Part of my goal is to normalize joy in schools.”
At MetWest, students craft personalized learning plans that align with their interests. Core classes are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for internships in the community. From working at auto shops and art studios to non-profits and city offices, students don’t just prepare for careers—they start building them.
One senior, Gregory recounted, interned at a skateboard shop, blending his love of mechanics and design. Today, he has a job offer, a side hustle fixing cars, and the confidence to pursue a future shaped by his passions. “Our students aren’t just graduating with diplomas,” she said. “They’re leaving with associate degrees, career skills, and real-world experience.”
Rather than funneling students into pre-set academic or vocational tracks, MetWest offers pathways as diverse as its student body—each crafted in collaboration with mentors, teachers, and the students themselves.
“We don’t have multiple pathways. We have personalized ones,” Gregory explained. “Learning should be by design, and that design should come from the student.”
This student-centered philosophy echoes the goals of another powerful model gaining traction across California and beyond: Linked Learning. Spearheaded by Anne Stanton, President of the Linked Learning Alliance, the initiative integrates academics, technical education, hands-on work experience, and social-emotional support into a unified learning experience.
“I spent years working with young people on the margins—homeless youth, foster youth—helping them reconnect to school and work,” Stanton recalled. “That experience drove me to focus on the adolescent years, which I see as a ‘decade of difference.’”
Developed initially through the James Irvine Foundation, Linked Learning aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by grounding students’ coursework in real-world relevance. Rather than choosing between college and career, students prepare for both—without compromise.
The model has grown rapidly, now serving over 330,000 students in more than 250 schools across California. Linked Learning connects education to the state’s 15 major industry sectors, offering opportunities in fields as diverse as agriculture, health care, and engineering. Students learn from internships, build professional networks, and gain practical skills alongside academic credentials.
“We’re not just measuring academic performance,” Stanton emphasized. “We’re looking at durable skills, career readiness, and student agency. And we’re seeing powerful results.”
Linked Learning has influenced major policy shifts, including the launch of California’s Golden State Pathways Program—a $500 million investment aimed at scaling career-connected learning across the state. Stanton hopes to expand the model to reach 600,000 students.
But, as she acknowledged, the work is complex. “It requires rethinking the school day, how teachers are trained, who delivers instruction, and where learning takes place,” Stanton said. “We’re talking about breaking down walls—literally and figuratively—to bring the community into schools and send students out into the world.”
She also emphasized the role of public perception in driving change. “We need to shift the narrative around adolescence. Teenagers are not problems to be solved—they’re assets to be developed. They’re creative, capable, and full of potential. Our systems need to reflect that.”