INDIANAPOLIS —
Republican Gov. Mike Pence and Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz made headlines last week when they appeared at an “innovation” summit and said they were in agreement that Indiana needed to do more to support vocational education.
It seemed newsworthy at the time, given Pence and Ritz agree on so little when it comes to the dirty details of education reform.
But, with no disrespect to either of them, big whoop.
The real news that day came after Pence and Ritz left the summit and audience members were given this dose of reality: For the $100 million Indiana is already spending on vocational education every year, it’s getting little in return.
Among the speakers who delivered that news was Brian Bosworth, an economic development expert who’s been studying Indiana’s “skills gap.” (The term used to explain why there are so many people out of work while there are so many job openings that go unfilled.)
Bosworth has found, for example, that about 100,000 of Indiana’s 330,000 high school students take a vocational education class every year. But few stay in the pipeline that could give them the training they need: Of that 100,000, only about 10,000 students graduate with both a high school diploma and a concentration — or six credit hours — in a vocational or technical field.
And few high school students — 15 percent at most — who do take vocational education courses in manufacturing or pre-engineering go on to pursue post-secondary training in those high-paying fields.
Worse in some ways is what’s happening on the post-secondary level, Bosworth said. In Indiana’s two-year colleges, only about 10 percent of students enrolled in a technical program of study complete their degree.
Following Bosworth at the podium was Mark Gerstle, vice president and chief administrative officer at Cummins Inc., a global manufacturer of engines, which has its headquarters in Columbus. Gerstle was just as blunt as Bosworth, saying too many Indiana students are coming out of high schools and college ill-prepared to enter the workforce.
Gerstle and Cummins have been working to change that. In schools in and around Columbus, Cummins has invested significant resources, from funding early childhood education to help close the “achievement gap” suffered by too many low-income children, to partnering in innovative school-to-work training programs that propel students toward success.
There are signs that investment is paying off. The number of students in the Columbus schools, for example, who are graduating with a vocational/technical honors degree (which requires real-world work experience) is six times higher than the statewide rate.
Gerstle also warned his audience that the biggest stumbling block to innovation is the inability — or unwillingness — to see what’s clearly not working.
He told a funny story about how too often in education (and government and corporate America, as well) no one wants to admit that they’re riding a dead horse.
Instead, they opt for other strategies: They buy a stronger whip, or change riders, or threaten the horse with termination, or appoint a committee to study the horse, or reclassify the horse as “living impaired,” or do anything except the obvious: Get off the dead horse.
Maureen Hayden covers the Statehouse for the CNHI newspapers in Indiana. She can be reached at maureen.hayden@indianamediagroup.com.
Columns
Related Photos
-
CNHI statehouse reporter Maureen Hayden
Discussion
Maureen Hayden: Indiana getting little in return on vocational education money
- Columns
-
-
Jim Bailey: Just what does it mean to be created equal?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
-
Primus Mootry: Confessions of a weekend golfer
They say if you don’t like the weather around here, just stick around. I was all set to play golf this weekend. Cleaned my clubs. Polished my golf shoes. Got a good night’s sleep, and woke up in Antarctica. No golf.
-
Emmett Dulaney: Micro lending strives for big heights
Every now and then, a topic will come along that you hear a great deal about but don’t really understand what it is. In the world of IT, for example, “cloud computing” could fall into this category since everyone talks about it but the definition of what it actually is changes to fit whoever has something to peddle at the moment. Similarly, around central Indiana the Microloan Program is something that I have heard a great deal about, but have had difficulty fully understanding exactly what it is.
-
Jesse Wilkerson: What is really stopping you?
I wonder how many of us have this internal drive that we have placed on autopilot.
-
Maleah Stringer: Community must work together to fix unchecked animal breeding
It’s only the first of May, and the Animal Protection League is full to the gills with homeless animals.
-
Howard Hewitt: Grenache Blanc makes wonderful seasonal choice
If the same old Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Grigio is getting you down, try something different.
-
Don McAllister: Veteran Brinduse painfully shy hero
Every day starts a new story. This one had us both laughing and in solemn reverence.
-
Bill Stanczykiewicz: Teens learn life and work skills through summer jobs
Summer job opportunities could be increasing for teenagers, but much more than money is at stake for teens hoping to work this summer.
-
Lee Hamilton: How politics has changed
It’s not just the sheer proliferation and aggressiveness of the media that have ratcheted up the intensity of political life. Almost every facet of politics is more complicated and hard-edged.
-
Primus Mootry: Observations on aspects of a fast changing world
I often use this column to share thoughts on a variety of subjects of popular interest. I do so knowing that I am totally responsible for my opinions.
- More Columns Headlines
-
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
