The fear of not getting into college is preventing students from trying alternates to conventional high school. The fear of not getting a 'degree' is preventing them from trying alternatives to conventional college. There's a way to beat both - connect them to their next steps.
What if, in 9th standard itself, students could be admitted to an 8-year course that included both high and school and college? That would liberate them to learn in creative ways without worrying about not getting into college - if they're already in one !!
Likewise, if the college you are in was strongly linked to employment and also offered paths to self-employment and entrepreneurship, then the fear of not getting a 'degree' could be diminished, and let students be freer to learn in diverse and creative ways.
This the core of reimagining education - assessment without filtering, a continuing path of learning, multiple paths to learn, and enabling learning for diverse goals. This is how the educational institution of the future will look. It's needed, what's left is to create it.
