As the principal of an urban high school in the midst of wholesale transformation, I am judged mostly by my annual graduation rates. As misleading as this singular data point may be — often not considered in full or proper context — graduation rates still serve as the proverbial litmus test for whether a high school is fulfilling its promise.

It is not uncommon that in struggling schools, the number of students who graduate within four years can be less than half of the number of students who began in ninth grade. At my school, Benjamin Banneker High School in College Park, Ga., we once had a 41 percent graduation rate. And although that rate has improved by nearly 30 points over a five-year span, rarely do these results tell us about the education these students received — in terms of quality or otherwise. At Banneker, we see the largest percentage of students drop out after ninth grade, mainly because they cannot pass their assigned math course, and because their reading skills are substantially deficient. When large percentages of students fail to graduate, it is worth questioning, I believe, the extent to which ninth graders are actually ready for secondary study.

With student proficiency in math and reading among the strongest predictors for whether a student will successfully complete high school, I am convinced that ninth graders who are lacking critical skills need to take an alternate route. So I propose a “gap year” for high school students.

For schools like mine, the percentage of incoming students who are not prepared for high school is astonishing.

Imagine a freshman class in which more than 60 percent are performing several grade levels behind — especially in the core content areas of math and reading. Unfortunately, that is an urban school reality.

The idea that schools can be overwhelmingly populated by under-prepared students is not new. These schools almost always have a clear strategy in place to interrupt the cycle of low achievement. Usually, they involve relying heavily on schedule manipulation — like double-blocking core content classes to increase the amount of daily exposure to a particular course, and using canned programs as instructional interventions. This isn’t to say that either of these strategies, individually or collectively, are not useful; however, the quick wins they produce (and that we crave as educators) usually do very little to address the full range of academic problems that paralyze many students.

Gap Year, Reimagined

WWhy not create a gap year for high school students? They’re already common practice for many incoming college freshmen. Almost a year ago, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle announced their elder daughter Malia would take a gap year before attending Harvard. There was no shortage of public commentary about her decision to delay college and accept a year-long internship to study film under Hollywood magnate Harry Weinstein. Some scoffed, saying that the president’s daughter was simply benefiting from her family’s privilege and access. Others delighted in the idea — expressing support for Malia and encouraging other young high school graduates to consider a similar path. To give some background: Gap years have historically been described as “intellectual breaks” for students seeking rich cultural experiences that traditional schooling could not accommodate. In fact, the etymology of the term is rooted in the concept of “enrichment sought through other means.”

In an era in which reimagining age-old processes and systems has become the clarion call for reformers of all kinds, perhaps it is time that we rethink gap years as a new strategy to better help underprepared high school students.

Not an intellectual break, but an intensive effort to get them ready to take on the next phase of their education. Imagine an uninterrupted, year-long support program focused on strengthening students’ core academic skills. Yes — the thought alone might send superintendents and other school officials into a frenzy, but a gap year packaged differently might very well be the antidote needed to end low and uninspiring graduation rates — especially for high poverty, perpetually low-performing schools.

How Might it Work?

TThink of a year-long, concentrated intervention program for middle school students who have not met certain baseline standards in reading and math. State boards of education — working in collaboration with local school districts and municipalities — would be required to design universal standards for the program. Additionally, for the already overburdened taxpayer, per-pupil funding would remain intact, thereby enabling schools to maintain mandated services like special education. Although some might bristle at the idea of funding what would amount to a five-year high school experience, in my view, we would be better served by thinking about gap programs as social investments — financial commitments that far outweigh the potential consequences of not doing so.

In design, a gap program would take the form of the commonly known freshman academy — and would include a defined curriculum, a dedicated corps of teachers, a series of objective performance expectations and a clear set of exit criteria. Like specialized programs that currently exist, a gap program could have designated space in a school building and function as an entity unto itself. More importantly, and perhaps most critical to the gap year experience, is that students wouldn’t be penalized for it.

For years, we have seen colleges and universities use a similar strategy. New students who do not meet certain requirements are placed into non-credit courses. While the student’s performance in most instances does not count towards a degree, it also does not affect critical metrics like grade point averages and class rankings — effectively preserving the student’s academic record. After successful completion of a battery of remedial courses, the student is better equipped to learn. A gap program for high school students would function the same way.

An Idea, Not a Silver Bullet

IIt is true that decades of education reform initiatives have created many innovations intended to improve student performance. These ideas, well-intentioned as they are, have produced a relative mixed bag of results. And although some broad-scale national education reforms have been more successful than others, the impact of many are still inconclusive. If we know nothing about education reform, we at least know that there are no silver bullets that will resolve the crises we see in public schools across this country. We also know that smart and daring innovations can create positive results when people have the courage and fortitude to initiate and implement them.

No, a gap year for struggling students is not a foolproof innovation, but it is undoubtedly an idea worth considering.