Report Touts Early College Credit

Indiana’s commissioner for higher education says a recent report validates the importance of early college credit for Hoosier students. The 2021 Early College Credit Report shows students who earn college credit while in high school are more likely to enroll in college and succeed when they get there. Commissioner Teresa Lubbers says the state is also continuing efforts to align postsecondary education with the needs of employers throughout Indiana.

In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Lubbers said the report feeds into the state’s goal of having more residents with a quality credential beyond high school by 2025.

“2025 is going to be here before you know it and our big goal of having 60% of Hoosiers having a quality credential beyond high school – a certificate, an industry certification, a two- or four-year degree – is coming up very quickly,” said Lubbers. “And so we are doubling down on all of our efforts to make sure that students understand the importance…because that kind of preparation is really aligned to the needs of the economy and to get a good job.”

Lubbers says one of the key metrics to the commission’s strategic plan is to have every college degree and program embedded with career relevance, which is being designed in conjunction with employers around the state.

“The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet…is really focused on this alignment between early childhood education and lifelong learning and meeting the needs of employers. So I think the siloed kind of thinking we had in the past has been replaced by a commitment to making sure people have an opportunity to have a meaningful career and life.”

In connection with the alignment between higher education and workforce, Lubbers says her traditional State of Higher Education address will be replaced with a joint address involving state workforce leaders.

The State of Education and the Workforce will be presented by Lubbers, along with newly-appointed Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner and Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne.

“We’ll be focused in, in a strategic way, on where are we as state to meet the needs of individuals for personal prosperity and meeting the needs of employers. So it’s the first time we’ve done something like this, but we think that it’s the right time to do it and we’ll focus on the right areas of concern and opportunities for Hoosiers. “

Lubbers adds the pandemic has made “abundantly clear” the disparity between those who have education and those who don’t. She says the state must redouble its efforts to close the achievement gap, which were stalled last year.