What Should Be Required for a High School Diploma?

In reading an article concerning Tennessee students receiving a diploma without meeting the state's minimum requirements, I thought about what should really be required for a high school diploma. A study found that 1/3 of students receiving high school diplomas in the study did not meet the minimum requirements. Some were due simply to course code discrepancies or substitutions that should not have been made. However, a third was due to a lack of meeting the two year foreign language requirement. The state left in place the ability for students to request waivers on this requirement. I know that South Carolina's requirements differ from other states, but I wonder what courses should really be required for a high school diploma. Colleges can certainly determine which students have met their course requirements for admissions by reviewing student transcripts, so why make the requirements for a high school diploma the same for every student when some have no intention to go to college but instead seek a career. What classes are necessary to prepare students to succeed at these level and which courses should really be required for a high school diploma?

Read the article:
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/04/11/522770863/should-high-school-students-need-a-foreign-language-to-graduate

References:
Farmer, B. (2017, April 11). Should high school students need a foreign language to graduate? Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/04/11/522770863/should-high-school-students-need-a-foreign-language-to-graduate