Indiana's High School Shake Up

Hi friends, Jessica Baghian here. Welcome back to The Delta.?

If you walk into the average high school in America, chances are good that it looks the same today as it looked when you were 16 — only with more laptops. The high school experience has barely changed in decades, despite the fact that students are now graduating into a world that is changing more rapidly than ever before.?

Indiana is doing something intrepid: bringing high school education into the 21st century. Earlier this year, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner proposed an updated plan for the state’s high school students that will allow them to choose their own pathways without being sorted into “college-bound” vs. “non-college-bound” kids. This is big.?

After a productive dialogue with leading universities in the state, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) now has their endorsement to modernize high school and prepare kids for postsecondary degrees, in-demand careers, and military service. Here’s why that matters:

• This plan could lead to real choices for students statewide. The education field has been talking about redesigning high school for years, but we haven’t seen much change at scale. While some states have added requirements for high school finance credits or CTE courses, Indiana is making significant foundational changes to the high school experience.
• All students will be set up for college and careers. All graduating seniors will meet the requirements for postsecondary education, even if they choose to focus on career readiness or military service. Importantly, higher education leaders in the state have signed off on this plan. Jenner and IDOE deserve a lot of credit for taking feedback from them — as well as parents, teachers, and advocates — before finalizing the plan.

What’s next

If the State Board of Education approves the plan this year, these new diploma requirements will go into effect for the class of 2029, with changes beginning as early as the 2025-2026 school year. We’ll be watching developments in two key areas:

1. How will Indiana leaders ensure that all students experience these new options in schools and that school staff have what they need to support kids? Across the country, education leaders often talk about pathways, but there isn’t sufficient evidence the pathways are being built or that they’re effective at scale. As we’ve said before, a new policy is the beginning, not the end. Success will depend on nailing every step of the implementation process.
2. How will state leaders track data, and what will they measure to ensure these new pathways stay relevant and are working to set kids up for success? That means ensuring that pathways start and stay closely aligned to real demands in the job market and that students who participate in these programs actually end up in well-paying and fulfilling careers in their desired fields.

Let’s Get Muddy

It’s time to shake up high school. What kind of programs or classes do you think should be included in high school? Has your district implemented new options for high school pathways? We want to hear all about it in the comments.

To learn more about our work, visit watershed-advisors.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Forward this newsletter to anyone you know who is looking for change. We’ll see you next week!