CLEVELAND — The Education Revolution Association announced Thursday the second year cohort of its Life Discovery Classroom program.

ERA describes the program as a “first-of-its-kind” high school curriculum with an emphasis on teaching life and success skills to high school students as a core part of K-12 education.

Black River High School in Sullivan is among the 14 schools participating in the second-year cohort. The curriculum is being offered to students as a semester-long elective credit, according to the district’s 2026-2027 course curriculum guide.

In 2025-2026, the Life Discovery Classroom course was created and launched as a new offering across its first year pilot schools. Designed for any high school student, regardless of academic track or post-graduation plans, the curriculum helps students “examine their own strengths and interests, develop real-world communication skills and explore the full range of career and life paths available to them,” according to ERA.

Year one of the Life Discovery Classroom curriculum pilot launched with 10 schools across three states, reaching roughly 600 students. All pilot school curricula, materials, teacher training and school support were provided by the private philanthropy of Fred Ode, ERA’s founder.

On Thursday, ERA announced participating schools and districts for year two of its pilot, expanding to 14 schools across two states, all of which continue to be fully funded by Ode’s philanthropy. ERA said its long-term vision is for policymakers, states and districts to recognize how classrooms can be deliberate about teaching skills like collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and more and integrate them into high school offerings nationwide. 

“American education tests for reading, writing and arithmetic. What we need is a renewed focus on another ‘R’ – reality. We need to teach the test of life in America’s classrooms. Students need to understand what their best-fit career options are and how to pursue them because so often, young people enter the workforce lost,” Ode said.

“In the economy of the future, intellectual versatility – the ability to think critically, adapt to changing circumstances and take on new skills – will matter. As technology evolves exponentially, our children’s skills, and what we teach in classrooms, must evolve with it. That’s why we’re developing new pedagogical resources that don’t exist anywhere else, and that’s why we want to work closely with elected officials and policymakers everywhere to ensure American classrooms innovate pedagogically. This is a first-in-the-nation effort, and we believe it is a game-changer,” the founder said.

Built on three core pillars

“Districts everywhere are setting goals around critical thinking, communication and self-awareness. What’s been missing, however, is a broadly available program that teaches those skills intentionally. That’s exactly what ERA’s Life Discovery Classroom delivers. For generations, these skills have gone largely overlooked and undertaught. But there is an urgent imperative to teach them now as American schools face a critical inflection point,” said Tim O’Shei, executive director of ERA.

“Teaching today’s life skills in classrooms for all students is an incredibly simple idea, and yet represents real innovation for our nation’s schools. In an age of AI, employers are clamoring for students who don’t just know the answers, but know what questions to ask in the first place. That’s what this innovative coursework is all about and it’s why policymakers everywhere should be exploring ways to empower teachers to teach much-needed life and work skills in their classrooms,” O’Shei said.

Built on three core pillars – Self and Career Discovery, Understanding of Others and Maximizing Individual Potential – the curriculum exposes students to a broad spectrum of valuable skills and a personalized learning experience. Those include: 

Self Discovery — Using personality assessment tools throughout the course to become aware of your own strengths, preferences and communication style and utilizing that knowledge to form more effective groups and teams. ERA students set goals and chronicle their growth over the course of the year in an 80-page Self-Scouting Report, integrating reflections from group and individual challenge activities and input from the assessments.

The Life Discovery Interview — Throughout the school year, deep-diving conversations with people from all walks of life, led by students, with reflection on how to apply the lessons and discoveries to their careers — all intended to expose students to different career and life pathways. 

Success Skills — The course is anchored on a series of units that help students develop the skills they need for jobs, careers and life. Those include Creative Problem Solving; Establishing and Achieving Goals; Growth Mindset and Leadership; Self-Management; and Presence and Influence. In addition, students explore a series of challenging life situations in “Life Unscripted,” a series of read-aloud, interactive script stories developed by Hollywood screenwriter Brian Sacca. Students also train in a range of communication skills, supported by a 40-page booklet, The Conversation Handbook, which was developed by ERA and a committee of communications professionals.

The ultimate goal is to enhance classrooms so that by high school graduation, every student:

  • Understands their strengths/weaknesses — and how to leverage and navigate them in adulthood.
  • Identifies their best-fit career options — and knows how to pursue them.
  • Achieves their maximum educational potential — advancing at a pace tailored to their unique aptitudes and abilities.
  • Has a practical understanding of life — prepared with knowledge and insight for any path they choose.
  • Embraces kindness — recognizing and valuing others’ differences.
  • Undergoes a journey of self-discovery — achieving an objective view of themselves while cultivating confidence.

The curriculum offers differentiation by grade level, with leveling guidance provided to teachers for 9th and 10th graders and 11th and 12th graders. Streamlined units, additional teacher support tools and expanded professional development are designed to help educators take a coaching approach to instruction.

The year two pilot districts will include: 

SchoolLocationDistrict
Academy of Mt. St. UrsulaBronx, NYIndependent
Bank Street Liberty LEADSNew York, NYLiberty Partnership Program
Black River High SchoolSullivan, OHBlack River Local School District
Columbia High SchoolColumbia Station, OHColumbia Local School District
Coventry High SchoolCoventry Township, OHCoventry Local School District
East Palestine High SchoolEast Palestine, OHEast Palestine City School District
James A. Garfield High SchoolGarrettsville, OHJames A. Garfield Local School District
Manchester High SchoolManchester, OHManchester Local School District
Medina High SchoolMedina, OHMedina City School District
Mount Mercy AcademyBuffalo, NYIndependent
Mt. St. Mary AcademyBuffalo, NYIndependent
Rootstown High SchoolRootstown, OHRootstown Local School District
Wellington High SchoolWellington, OHWellington Exempted Village School District
Woodridge High SchoolWoodridge, OHWoodridge Local Schools