Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
After years of pledging to “reinvent high school,” the Indiana Department of Education has proposed two high school diplomas: the GPS Diploma and GPS Diploma Plus.
I’ve built my career on attracting and retaining good jobs in Indiana, and I’ve worked with business leaders to help their businesses and the Hoosiers who work for them. I’m concerned, however, that this proposed reinvention of our diplomas will harm both.
Take a look at the changes:
◗ Three years of math will be required, but the only class mandated is Algebra 1.
◗ Science drops from six credits to four, with requirements for biology and physical science, life science or Earth/space science.
◗ Social studies drops from six to five semesters, with no requirement for world history, economics or geography.
◗ No electives required, so there’s no need for foreign language, fine arts or health classes.
◗ Students need up to 2,000 hours of work-based learning experience for the GPS Diploma Plus.
◗ Students need verified work or volunteer experience at an external organization with the GPS Diploma.
These changes will serve some students well, but this isn’t the case for all students. Is sacrificing a well-rounded education for entry-level, workforce training in the best interest of Hoosier businesses and our economy? I’m not convinced.
Under the proposed diplomas, close to 1,600 upperclassmen from the Greater Clark County School District will spend up to half their day in local businesses. My concern is, this proposal shifts the classroom from licensed educators to local employers who already have a wide range of responsibilities. Business managers’ main focus should be running their companies. Many have little experience teaching teenagers.
Some businesses might embrace this opportunity, but in my experience, this isn’t the norm. For more than six years, I’ve worked with the Academies for Greater Clark County to engage businesses in the high school education environment. We’ve achieved a degree of success, and students and businesses have meaningful experiences within the career academy setting. But this is different from sending students into the business workplace.
Imagine you’re a business manager and you’re willing to do your part. First, you explore the state regulations you’ll need to follow for 16-year-olds. You adjust your paperwork and record-keeping requirements, which increases your workload. Next, you acquire multiple approvals from the schools and your insurance company, and all your employees pass additional background checks. You decide to pull a manager from his or her regular rotation to train the students. Then you balance your schedules to prioritize the limited flexibility of these students, altering shift schedules with your regular employees. It’s unclear whether you, the school district or the state is responsible if the student is somehow harmed. While you’re sympathetic to the students who need their graduation requirements, your participation will undoubtedly burden your business.
From an economic development standpoint, I have a hard time believing this is better for all Hoosier students. We need lifelong learners who can solve problems and innovate. The exercise of learning subjects like world history might not serve students directly in employment, but it helps them learn how to think. Academic rigor teaches students how to learn, so they’re prepared for the complex challenges they’ll encounter in whatever career they pursue.
This doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game. We can support the ambitions of those who want to work after high school while increasing Indiana’s plummeting college-going rate.
We need to explore adding a work-based learning diploma as an option for students while preserving the academic-focused option.•
__________
Dant Chesser, a Democrat from Jeffersonville, represents District 71 in the Indiana House.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.