This paper details the complexities of in- and out-of-school challenges encountered by off-track youth. It outlines the tremendous opportunity these students present for high school innovation. The authors maintain that schools appropriately designed can effectively meet the academic and nonacademic needs of over-age and under-credited students. The authors provide recommendations school design and systems modifications that can be implemented in either public charter or district alternative high schools. It is the authors’ position (and experience) that schools implementing these design elements maintain safe and healthy climates and cultures, content and effective staff, and most importantly –greater performance gains and improved life circumstances for their students.

1. POSITION
PAPER #1
JULY 2015
Pathways to Opportunity Project:
Increasing EducationalEquity through InnovativeSchoolDesign Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 1
Position
Summary
Often invisible and/or considered too late to
help, approximately 30 percent or 57,600
young people ages 16-21 in New York State
are off-track or disconnected from school
completely. This percentage of disengaged
youth is consistent across most of our
nation’s large and mid-size school systems.
Who are these young people – these
opportunity youth? They are predominantly
male and minority; may live in extreme
poverty; may experience homelessness,
debilitating health and/or other emergent
circumstances; and may be court-involved.
Most need additional educational and
nonacademici
supports not typically found in
traditional high schools. The daily hardships
that off-track youth face, make it difficult for
them to stay in or reengage in school.
Despite their challenges, off-track youth have
the same interests, hopes and dreams as other
young people. However, their needs in- and
out-of-school are vastly different. For
example, many are at least two grade levels
behind in academic performance and/or in
respect to age and credit accumulation. Most
need human and social services and other
supports. The majority would benefit from a
fast track to postsecondary education and/or
employment.
This student population, therefore, presents a
tremendous opportunity for high school
innovation. Because of their maturity, these
students have the capacity to accelerate
learning and realize performance gains within
relatively short periods of time. This position
paper summarizes the Pathways to
Opportunity Project (#PathtoOpp) work, and
recommends innovative school design
elements for high schools serving over-age
and under-credited students.
Launched in spring, 2013 in collaboration
with the New York State Department of
Education and the State University of New
York (SUNY) Charter Schools Institute, the
#PathtoOpp’s Project is comprised of an
experienced group of educators, government
officials, and youth development professionals
engaged in a multi-year endeavor to ensure
off-track youth enroll in and graduate from
high school, college and career-ready. The
goal of #PathtoOpp is to transform how high
schools educate opportunity youth. We seek
to ensure that young people who are off-track
to graduate and/or have disconnected from
school entirely have access to an adequate
supply of quality seats that provide
academically rigorous, therapeutic and
nurturing learning environments in public
charter and district high schools across New
York State (NYS).
Why Should States and Charter Authorizers
Encourage Unique Design Elements for
Schools Serving Off-Track Youth?
In recent years, general interest in the plight
of opportunity youth has experienced
New York and states across the country
should require high schools serving off-track
youth to adopt innovative and evidence-based
school design elements that produce effective
cultures, supportive climates, notable
graduation rates and sustainable
postsecondary success.
The Problem: Despite a recent
resurgence in interest from the field, too
many high schools serving off-track youth
across NYS and similar locales
underperform on a variety of academic
and nonacademic measures.

2. Increasing Educational Equity through Innovative School Design Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 2
significant momentum. This interest has
resulted in corporate social responsibility
initiatives; media-generated content;
foundation-supported research, papers,
programs, initiatives and
collaboratives/working groups; university-led
investigations; and competitive government
grants. While it is difficult to determine the
exact yield from these efforts, here’s what we
can report:
 An emergence of numerous initiatives
focused on the challenges encountered by
off-track youth and how they have been
underserved. These efforts have centered
on the complexities of “dropout
factories,” “the opportunity gap,” and
“alternative accountability;”
 Increased numbers of large and mid-size
school systems and charter management
organizations have added
programs/schools specifically designed
for over-age and under-credit youth to
their portfolios; and
 State education agencies, charter school
authorizers, and policy organizations are
grappling with alternative accountability
measures.
Nevertheless, as a whole these initiativeshave
done little to stem the tide or improve the life
outcomes for the majority of young people
most at risk – especially for those who are two
or more years off-track to graduate. Here’s
what we have gleaned from a cursory survey
of alternative high schools in New York State:
 Some seats created especially for over-age
and under-credited youth are designed for
those who achieve a sixth-grade reading
level and/or for those not more than one-
grade level off-track to graduate.
 Some fail to re-engage and improve the
attendance of off-track youth. This data is
particularly troubling, because evidence
suggests that attendance provide a
gateway to closing the achievement gap,
increasing graduation rates, and improving
college and career readiness.
 High school graduation rates remain low
among NYS’ larger districts especially
among African American and Latino
students (see Albany, Buffalo, New York
City, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers).
Still more troubling, youth unemployment and
under-employment rates persist for those 16-
24 across the United States – and particularly
in metropolitan statisticalareas (MSA’s) that
formerly were booming manufacturing hubs.
What all of the aforementioned data tells us is
that the complexity of this problem demands
innovative and comprehensive school design
and systems modifications. These approaches
must be evidence-based and targeted to the
unique academic and nonacademic needs of
over-age and under-credited students. The
design elements recommended below have
been gleaned from the collective experience
of #PathtoOpp’s Project Brain Trust
members, and can be implemented in either
public charter or district alternative high
schools. #PathtoOpp’s Project partners
implementing these design elements maintain
safe and healthy climates and cultures, content
and effective staff, and most importantly –
greater performance gains and improved life
circumstances for their students.
What Key School Design Elements are Most
Effective in Improving Outcomes for Off-
Track Youth?
Our ideal school design for over-age and
under-credited students establishes a
nurturing culture and therapeutic learning
environment for students and staff. It
The Impact: Schools that chronically
underserve severely off-track youth
inadvertently become pipelines to prison
or, at the very least, pathways to a life-time
of under-employment.

3. Increasing Educational Equity through Innovative School Design Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 3
employs age-appropriate and evidence-based
instructional strategies, and prepares young
people to assume productive and contributing
roles within their communities and our ever-
evolving global society.
1. Establish a clear and comprehensive
definition of off-track youth. Use this
definition to both sizeii
the population and
determine the distinct challenges facing
this student population. For our purposes,
these young people are defined as those
who are two or more years off-track with
respect to age and credit accumulation
toward a high school diploma. However,
one “size” does not fit all. For example,
within any given school there may be
considerable numbers of students who are
one year off-track. No matter the over-age
and under-credited status, it is imperative
for schools to cohort or track student
progress based on the semester in which
they age out of K-12 education. By sizing
the population, a school can prioritize
course offerings that match students’
needs.
However, merely sizing the off-track
student population does not sufficiently
depict their academic and nonacademic
challenges. In short, population sizing
does not provide sufficient data to inform
school models, policies, practices and
programs. Therefore, we recommend
additional descriptors to help district and
charter schools and systems better prepare
for and address the needs of their off-
track students. We have identified six
distinct sub-groups within the over-age
and under-credited student population,
including those:
a) Who are one or fewer years off-track
to graduate, experience relatively few
out-of-school challenges, and have
minor basic skill deficits.
b) Who are one or fewer years off-track
to graduate, experience considerable
out-of-school challenges and have
minor basic skill deficits.
c) Who are one or fewer years off-track
to graduate, experience considerable
out-of-school challenges, and have
significant basic skill deficits (may
have/need an IEP).
d) Who are two or more years off-track
to graduate, experience relatively few
out-of-school challenges, and exhibit
minor basic skill deficits.
e) Who are two or more years off-track
to graduate, experience significant out-
of-school challenges, yet have minor
basic skill deficits.
f) Who are two or more years off-track
to graduate, experience considerable
out-of-school challenges, and have
significant basic skill deficits (may
have/need an IEP).
Furthermore, it is important to note that
this student population cannot be
captured simply via typical US or State
Department of Education poverty
indicators (i.e., minority, low income,
English learners, etc.). Therefore, we
recommend that high schools serving off-
track youth also collect and use additional
nonacademic indicators (see #5 below) to
further define their student populations.
We believe an accurate definition of off-
track youth is critical to designing and
implementing the most appropriate and
efficacious programs for these students.
In sum, a clearly and comprehensively
defined student population makes it
possible for schools to better align their
policies, programs and practices to the
unique academic and nonacademic needs
of the students they serve.
The Solution: The following design
elements have demonstrated consistent
success in reengaging, retaining and
successfully preparing off-track youth for
postsecondary education, career and life.

4. Increasing Educational Equity through Innovative School Design Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 4
2. Establish and execute a robust student
assessment system. In order for schools to
successfully serve off-track youth, they
must have a deep understanding not just
of who they are as individuals and the
unique circumstances that impact their
lives in- and outside-of-school, but also of
their competencies and capacity to
accelerate learning. It is, therefore, crucial
for high schools serving off-track youth to
administer baseline and interim
standardized assessments to measure
student performance growth – particularly
in reading and mathematics. Equally
important is the documentation and
monitoring of students’ nonacademic
performance growth.
Whether the collected data is based on
academic or nonacademic measures, it is
imperative that this information is used to
determine school schedules, course and
nonacademic program offerings, student
supports,iii
and postsecondary planning
and transitioning. In sum, schools and
programs serving over-age and under-
credited young people must be designed
so as to provide real-time responses to the
needs of their students – even if these
needs change from semester-to-semester.
3. Implement sound competency-based
instruction. As we mentioned earlier, off-
track students often are under the gun to
graduate before they age out of K-12
education. We recommend, therefore, that
schools consider the use of competency-
based instruction versus seat time. That
said, however, competency-based
instruction must be aligned to the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It
must involve more than blended learning
and credit recovery. Its strategies must
include tailored content and pedagogies
focused on accelerating learning.
Furthermore, it must provide students
with personalized pathways towards
graduation, making it possible for them to
take ownership of their own learning.
Lastly, sound competency-based
instruction must provide the flexibility
and rigor that off-track youth need to
acquire the knowledge and skills necessary
to flourish in a highly technical global
economy.
4. Establish a rigorous Career &
Technical Education (CTE) program.
CTE is not the vocational education
tracks we remember from years past.
Instead, Perkins Grant-eligible CTE
programs involve sequenced coursework
leading to an industry-recognized
certificate. Effective CTE programs
involve instructional planning across the
content areas, and between school staffs
and industry representatives. CTE
programs must integrate career and
technical topics across the curriculum to
provide students with relevant, real-world
learning experiences. CTE programs must
offer content, instruction and exposure to
regional growth industries ensuring
students’ skills match the labor needs of
local employers.
Lastly, CTE programs must provide paid
intern/apprenticeship and/or
employment affording students the
opportunity to apply the knowledge and
skills they have learned to authentic real-
world experiences. In sum, well-developed
CTE programs not only prepare students
for postsecondary education and/or
career, they also provide many off-track
youth with an additional incentive to
reengage in and graduate from high
school.
5. Institute an appropriate staffing plan.
High schools most successful at serving
off-track youth are purposefully designed
to support the unique academic and
nonacademic needs of these students.
Therefore, these schools must develop

5. Increasing Educational Equity through Innovative School Design Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 5
and implement appropriately designed
staffing, selection and development plans.
For example, teachers must be effective at
weaving basic reading skills throughout
their daily practice. At least one English
and mathematics teacher must also carry
special education certifications to ensure
basic skills remediation is incorporated
across the content areas. All instructional
staff must be willing and able to work
together to provide cross-content
instruction. Above all, instructional staff
must possess the competencies and
capacity to acceleratestudent learning.
Student support services staff also must
reflect the needs of the students they
serve. The traditional student services
model comprised of a school social
worker and/or psychologist, special
education coordinator and nurse is
woefully ineffective given the ongoing
emergent conditionsiv
many off-track
youth encounter on a daily basis. Schools
must establish a coordinated team of
instructional and non-instructional staff
who can quickly recognize and respond to
the aforementioned emergent conditions.
For example, a student-responsive staffing
plan might include case managers, student
policy boards, peer counselors, social
workers, mentors, health care
professionals, and transition planning staff
(the latter supports student transitions
into and out of school including
postsecondary education and career).
No matter the staffing plan, to be
effectively proactive and responsive
schools serving off-track youth must
redefine typical job line roles and
responsibilities. For example, a case
manager may co-teach a social studies
class. A teacher may co-facilitate group
counseling. Students may drive curriculum
content and instruction.
Additionally, in order to maintain student
attendance and enrollment, at least one
student services staff person must live in
and/or have ties to the school’s
community. This employee must be
responsible for keeping his/her “ear to
the ground” and driving proactive
strategies to meet student needs (i.e.,
safety, human services referrals, etc.) in-
and outside-of-school.
Furthermore, schools serving off-track
youth must be deliberate about their
hiring and selection processes. School
leaders must determine if a potential new
hire has an appropriately aligned
disposition and skill set necessary to
ensure off-track youth long-term success.
Staff who work with off-track youth
should be willing to engage in creative
problem-solving, help young people
become better advocates for themselves,
and guide students in developing those
habits of mind that are necessary for
academic and personal success. This will
result in accelerated learning, modified
behavior, and improved personal choices.
In sum, schools serving off-track youth
must look, feel and operate differently
from their traditional counterparts. They
must use student and community data to
inform staff selection, and determine
staffing plans, roles and responsibilities.
6. Create a portfolio of strategic partners.
Schools that serve off-track youth must be
strategic about the partnerships they
establish. These partnerships must
enhance learning and provide in- and out-
of-school supports for students and their
families. Partnership organizations must
be diverse and include community-based
and human service agencies, higher
education institutions, local industry and
employers, parents, students, and alumni.
For example, a partnership with a local
university might yield a memorandum of

6. Increasing Educational Equity through Innovative School Design Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 6
understanding (MOU) for dual enrollment
programs. A strategic alliance with a local
hospital might result in physical and
mental health services. Other relationships
might include workforce development
training or emergency and/or affordable
housing.
Schools must make every effort to ensure
that potential partners and services are
aligned with their missions and core
operating values. Similarly, partnership
models are most effective when they are
integrated into school policies, programs
and especially dailypractices. For
example, a human services partner may
support education program development
and participate in classroom instruction.
No matter the arrangement, all
partnerships must be codified into formal,
well-developed agreements that clearly
define each entity’s roles, responsibilities,
performance expectations and
accountability measures that include
timelines and milestones.
7. Institute activities and incentive plans
that reinforce supportive school
climate and culture. This
recommendation is about building strong
and effective relationships within the
school community. Schools serving off-
track youth must spend time throughout
the academic year engaging in activities
that support relationship-building among
and between students and staff. Age-
appropriate traditions, rituals and regularly
scheduled activities play a crucial role in
establishing student buy-in and adherence
to school policies and expectations.
Schools serving off-track youth must
create frequent opportunities to recognize
and reward students who remain on track
per their personalized learning plans.
Students must play a role in developing
and executing the aforementioned
activities. Schools must involve students
in site-based decision-making.
Additionally, schools must establish
comprehensive incentive systems. Schools
must align the aforementioned activities to
incentive strategies to ensure student and
staff buy-in and ownership. This
promotes student engagement, and in
turn, maintains enrollment and facilitates
learning. Examples include opportunities
for students to “earn” an item (i.e., a
special addition to the school uniform)
designating an honor or “membership.”
Similarly, a school might involve students
in creating and driving the agenda for
Morning Meetings and/or Town Hall
sessions. No matter the incentives, the
system must be multi-tiered and age-
appropriate, reinforce positive behavior,
and enable students to set rigorous yet
realistic personal and academic goals.
In sum, culture- and relationship-building
activities provide opportunities for the
school community to celebrate student
success and achievement. These
opportunities play a critical role in
establishing positive school climate and
culture, and empower off-track youth to
stay the course towards graduation.
Concluding Thoughts
We humbly submit these recommendations to
the field. Help us build a movement to
increase public awareness, advocate policy
change, create more high quality seats for, and
establish and support a professional learning
community of practitioners serving off-track
youth.

7. POSITION
PAPER #1
JULY 2015
Pathways to Opportunity Project:
Increasing EducationalEquity through InnovativeSchoolDesign Elements
© PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY | AUTHOREDBY: LESLIE TALBOT & ARETHA MILLER 7
CONTACTS:
For more information regarding the Pathways to Opportunity Project contact:
Leslie Talbot, Founder & Principal
Talbot Consulting
leslie@talbotconsulting.com
Aretha Miller
Aretha Miller, Chief Executive Officer
The Venn Group
roselanemiller@yahoo.com
END NOTES
i We define nonacademic needs as those associated with human services (i.e., housing), and social and
emotional well-being.
ii When we use the term to “size” the over-age and under-credited population, we’re referring to number of
students who are at least two or more years off-track with respect to age and credit accumulation toward
earning a high school diploma.
iii We define student supports as those that are school-based (i.e., provided by the school social work, school
psychologist, nurse and/or guidance counselor), within-school nontraditional supports (i.e., provided by a
case manager, mentor or community-based organization), and out-of-school supports (i.e., provided by
human services providers, physical and mental health care providers, employers, or higher education
institutions).
iv We define emergent conditions as homelessness, pregnancy and/or parenting, harassment, physical and
sexual abuse, gang-related activity, mental health, court-involvement, etc.