At the ninth annual Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) in Washington, D.C., policymakers, business leaders and education advocates from across the political spectrum gathered to address a single question: What is the purpose of education in America?
Discussions ranged from rising college costs and “cognitive surrender” fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) to the broader goal of fostering an educated citizenry. During the panel, “Beyond Achievement: Knowledge, Skills, and Human Flourishing,” Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, zeroed in on the importance of aligning what students learn in school with what the workforce will require in the next five, 10 and 15 years.
EdSurge caught up with Flynn after her session to discuss school-to-workforce connections, career awareness over prescriptive readiness and what it really looks like to prepare students for an uncertain future.
EdSurge: A new Gallup poll shows that while 51% of parents trust K-12 schools to prepare students for new technology, far fewer parents feel confident in schools’ ability to prepare them for the current world of work (27%), critical thinking and problem solving (29%), or effective AI use (34%). Is this a warning sign that our priorities are misaligned?
Maria Flynn: Yes, I do think we are not doing enough to get students ready for an unpredictable future. That gap has existed for a while, but with the rapid acceleration of AI and changing business practices, it’s becoming even more apparent. It’s interesting that parents are picking up on this, and it raises a critical question: How do we address this systemic problem at scale?
Regarding that low confidence in AI preparation, parents are learning at the same pace — or even slower — than students, so educating parents needs to happen in parallel as all of this continues to roll out.
At the same time, that AI finding doesn’t surprise me. My sense, from what I’m hearing anecdotally, is that schools are lagging behind. Systems across K-12 and higher education are scrambling to support teachers, while states and districts are trying to chart the right path forward.
It’s a telling sign that this conversation has moved from a policy debate straight to the kitchen table.
What understanding of AI should every high school graduate possess before entering college or the workforce?
By graduation, every student should have basic AI literacy — much like learning to type used to be a class we all took. Whether that is in the form of a credential or built into the classroom experience over time, employers increasingly expect these foundational skills. Beyond checking a box, the real goal is building fluency so students can apply AI to day-to-day tasks.
Where are you seeing promising models of AI education?
We see a lot of pockets of progress across different sectors, especially in higher education. For example, Ohio State is intentionally embedding AI horizontally across its majors. Miami Dade College is doing groundbreaking work in applied AI education through NSF-funded initiatives. In K-12, groups like InnovateEDU are pioneering creative approaches. There are a lot of good things happening; the priority now is being really clear on the roles of states, districts and communities in putting these practices together.
When we talk about preparing students for the future, where are the biggest misalignments between current school practices and what employers demand?
The skills of the future will continue to evolve quickly, so we shouldn’t be teaching young people about a specific job with a specific employer. The baseline needs to be strong core academics paired with durable, human skills — adaptability, resilience and the capacity to learn and relearn.
Where a misalignment exists is in how early and how broadly we expose students to different career possibilities. Maybe high schools are too focused on college admissions. If we introduce career exploration earlier — embedding it in middle school — students can make far more informed choices by 11th grade.
How can we better equip K-12 schools to help students connect their interests and passions to career pathways?
It comes down to providing better structural tools and resources. For example, expanding summer teacher externships can give educators access to real-world work experiences that then inform classroom learning.
We also need to give school counselors the resources to showcase opportunities beyond the traditional four-year degree. Free exploration tools designed specifically for teenagers — like Brightbound’s GoZig platform, developed in partnership with JFF — help students match their interests to varied pathways, including community college programs and apprenticeships.
Beyond education, how are employers adjusting to these shifts?
There is a lot shifting on the early rungs of the labor market that we need to pay attention to. With headlines of AI altering entry-level roles and recent graduates facing underemployment, we have to start getting ahead of these changes so we’re not eliminating that first rung of the ladder.
Employers are beginning to reevaluate entry-level requirements. Initiatives like Opportunity@Work’s “Tear the Paper Ceiling” campaign have encouraged companies to remove unnecessary degree requirements for jobs that don’t really need them. At the same time, young people are increasingly seeking “earn-and-learn” models like structured apprenticeships, where they don’t have to choose between working and going to school.
Progress has been made. I think it comes down, again, to helping young people understand their options.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.