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From the outset, Grayson High School, located just outside of Atlanta, GA, looks like a typical American high school: big football field, bigger pep rallies. But it also offers a program that enables kids to time travel into their imagined futures and sample dream careers. Grayson Tech has 12 pathway programs that teach everything from culinary arts to music tech. For students, it’s not just vocational training — it’s a path to finding their purpose.

In the third season of Like a Sponge, we explore how high schools need to change, and the ways some educators are rethinking assumptions and remaking their schools to actually work for students. In this episode, we do a deep dive into high school pathway programs to understand how they can help students visualize and sample their futures.

Learn more about pathway programs

• Read: How high school pathway programs help students get on the right track
• Watch: The importance of real-life learning and career pathways
• Read: High school secrets for success: pathways for all students

Thank you to the high school pathway program featured in this podcast

Thank you to Principal Dr. Dana Pugh, teacher Andre DeRamus, students John Kadadu and David Adeleke, and Grayson High School. Music at the end from , the 2021 album by Grayson technical students.

This episode of Like a Sponge was produced by Carol Lloyd and Jessica Yarmosky for Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ, thanks to the generous support of the Barr Foundation. Sound editing and design by Christopher Ferreira. Editorial support from Jessica Kelmon and Charity Ferreira. Special thanks to Andre DeRamus, Dr. Dana Pugh, John Kadadu, David Adeleke, Todd Rose, and .

This season of the podcast is part of our Transforming High School series, a collection of stories, videos, and podcasts exploring the practices that prepare students for success in college and beyond.