Life Ready Graduate: Redefining Learning at Ephrata
Brian Troop, Superintendent, Ephrata Area School District, and Dan Mahlandt, Executive Director of Instruction and Compliance, Graduation Solutions LLC
Topics
Today’s learners face an uncertain present and a rapidly changing future that demand far different skills and knowledge than were needed in the 20th century. We also know so much more about enabling deep, powerful learning than we ever did before. Our collective future depends on how well young people prepare for the challenges and opportunities of 21st-century life.
The Life Ready Graduate competencies provide clarity, purpose, and direction to Ephrata Area School District’s personalized, tech-embedded instructional model and learning environment.
Ephrata Area School District has been on a journey to rethink what it truly means to prepare students for life beyond high school. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be when clarity, purpose, and human connection guide instructional design.
At the heart of this journey is a framework we call Tools, Targets, and Techniques.
An Instructional Model with a Human Core
This model grew from a need to focus on something clear and actionable for educators while still pointing to a broader vision.
- Tools – maximizing technology to expand opportunities for learning
- Techniques – personalizing instruction to meet students where they are
- Targets – the Life Ready Graduate (LRG) competencies that define what success beyond high school looks like
At the center of it all is the learning environment. For students to thrive, classrooms must be places where risk-taking feels safe and failure is part of the process. When that happens, curiosity and confidence grow together.
Life Ready Graduates: Our North Star
One of the most significant shifts has been the creation of our LRG framework. Rather than measuring success only by test scores, we defined 12 competencies, including skills and dispositions such as collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and self-direction, that we believe every student should carry with them when they leave our schools.
These competencies didn’t come from a top-down directive. They were shaped by input from our students, caregivers, educators, local business leaders, alumni, and community partners. And the impact has been transformative. Teachers are now weaving LRG traits into their instruction, and students receive feedback not just on content, but on the habits and skills that will carry them into the future.
For many of our educators, this has reignited a passion for why they entered the profession: to prepare students not just for tests, but for meaningful lives.
Lessons in Leadership
Our work in Ephrata has offered lessons we believe are valuable to other districts considering a similar path:
- Prioritize relationships. Student growth is accelerated when strong teacher-student connections are present.
- Integrate durable skills. Embedding competencies like collaboration and self-direction ensures students leave with more than academic knowledge.
- Respect context. Innovation requires pacing that honors the community’s readiness for change. Building trust is as important as building new systems.
- Think beyond graduation. Education should create momentum, not just a finish line. Students should leave our schools moving confidently toward their goals.
For us, the future of education lies in balancing clarity, purpose, and humanity. The Life Ready Graduate framework gives us direction. And strong relationships ensure students have the courage to take risks and build the skills needed to succeed. Our responsibility is to send students into the world not only with diplomas, but with the confidence, momentum, and life-ready competencies to thrive in whatever comes next.
Listen
NGLC is grateful for our collaboration and partnership with EDU Café Podcast that brings fresh voices and insights to the blog. Listen to the full episode of the podcast that inspired this article.
Credit for all images: Ephrata Area School District
Brian Troop, Superintendent, Ephrata Area School District, and Dan Mahlandt, Executive Director of Instruction and Compliance, Graduation Solutions LLC
Dr. Brian Troop became the superintendent of the Ephrata Area School District in July 2013. He served the district as assistant superintendent from January 2011 through June 2013. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Millersville University, a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from University of Memphis, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Immaculata University. Additionally, he has earned his National Superintendent Certification from The American Association of School Administrators (AASA). He serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) and is a member of their Innovative Teaching and Learning Committee. At the national level, he serves as the Lead Teacher for the East Coast Cohort of the AASA National Superintendent Certification Academy. Finally, Dr. Troop received the recognition of PASA 2023 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year. Follow Dr. Troop on LinkedIn.
Dan Mahlandt is an education leader and innovator with more than 30 years of experience reimagining how schools engage students. He has led the design of hybrid, online, and competency-based models that expand opportunity while strengthening accountability and trust. His work has helped traditional schools adopt flexible, future-ready approaches that blend technology with human connection. Dan developed and scaled Valor Preparatory Academy in Goodyear, Arizona, as an intentionally hybrid learning environment using an instructional model that clearly identifies the roles of humans and the online tools they use to multiply the impact of their skills and experience. Dan currently serves as the executive director of compliance and education at Graduation Solutions and holds graduate degrees in Creativity & Innovation and Educational Leadership from Drexel University. Follow Dan on LinkedIn.
