Montana lawmakers look for workforce shortage solutions in school-based programs

Conrad Superintendent Sharyl Allen said, about two years ago, she received countless letters, phone calls and emails demanding she quit her job.

“We had people calling for my resignation saying how dare I challenge their kids like this.”

Parents and community members were protesting a new educational system Conrad High School implemented in the Fall of 2017. Allen calls it proficiency-based or personalized learning.

“Too many kids have their eyes rolled in the back of their heads because we keep teaching them the same stuff or saying ‘you all need this,’” she said. “But what we’re really trying to say is, ‘what is the student passion that drives our curriculum?’ We think that’s what the future looks like.”