BizVoice March/April 2016

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March/April 2016 – BizVoice/Indiana Chamber 21
Bertoline stresses, “We see it as being
successful if students move on from their high
school education and go directly into the
workforce, but have high-value credentials,
are well prepared educationally so they can
grow with the company and maybe go onto a
certificate program, an associate’s degree
later on, or maybe five, 10 years later, they
do want to go on for a bachelor’s degree.
“Of course, we want as many as possible
to come to Purdue and gain a four-year degree.
But it’s open for all levels of academic ability,
and I think that’s one unique aspect of it.”
Breaking down barriers
It all boils down to access.
That’s how Ahmed Young, director of
the Office of Education Innovation for the
city of Indianapolis, describes the Purdue
Polytechnic Indianapolis High School.
“It’s all about access to resources, access
to new experiences, and access to individuals
that are closely aligned and associated with
Purdue University and their Polytechnic
Institute,” he remarks. “I look at this as
groundbreaking and revolutionary for the city
of Indianapolis. With us being the Silicon
Valley of the Midwest, we have to make sure
that the workforce is aligned with our
economy and the types of jobs we want to
bring here – and this is part of that effort.”
Young exudes a twinge of nostalgia
recalling the years he spent as a teacher. His
experiences are part of what makes him
passionate about the high school’s potential to
impact the lives of first-generation, low-income
and under-represented minority students.
“Being able to prepare them (undergraduates)
adequately at the high school level for the
rigors of that postsecondary education is
essential to their success – not only their
educational attainment, but also as it relates
to their financial success,” Young comments.
And there’s something else.
“It also lends itself directly to public
safety,” he shares. “When you have a thriving
educational outlet for students that provides
before, during and afterschool experiences, it
limits their opportunities to get into mischief
and other mayhem.
“There are a lot of great organizations
within Central Indiana that offer mentoring
and offer access to these experiences, but not
to this level and not to this scale. I foresee this
being a great neighborhood school that students
can come to (not only) from throughout the
city but also within that neighborhood, and be
a hub for innovation and great thinking and a
great educational experience for our students.
That’s what it’s all about.”
Huntington seconds that.
“We believe that community engagement
is probably one of the most critical aspects in
our development and long-term success. It will
be important to us to be ‘of the community’
and a part of not only the neighborhood in
which we locate, but Indianapolis as a whole.”
David Harris is founder and chief
executive officer of Indianapolis-based The
Mind Trust, which focuses on incubating new
schools and education non-profits. He served
as the first deputy mayor of charter schools
under former Mayor Bart Peterson.
“A legitimate criticism of charters is that
we haven’t used the freedom to innovate enough,
Foundation Expands CBE Discussion
Is Competency-Based Education (CBE) the future of higher education or simply a
currently popular alternative developed in response to the workforce skills gap?
The long-term answer is still to be determined. The Indiana Chamber Foundation
completed work in 2015 to explore, educate and build awareness of CBE with higher education
leaders in the state. The work was funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education.
“The Chamber Foundation mission is to provide thoughtful research to help policy leaders
and decision-makers make more informed choices to enhance Indiana’s economic future,” notes
executive director Christy Huston. “Taking a deeper look at CBE and its potential for impacting
Indiana students and employers was a perfect fit.”
CBE is traditionally defined as:
• Establishing expectations about the knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes students must have
• Encouraging student and faculty engagement and learning outside the classroom setting
• Relying on reliable assessments that include both objective and performance-based tools
• Not necessarily following traditional academic calendars or the accumulation of credit hours
• Allowing students to progress at their own pace
Public Agenda, a national firm seeking to help organizations with solutions to complex
issues for 40 years, conducted focus groups with leaders from Indiana’s public colleges and
universities. It shared results and additional analysis with the Indiana Commission for Higher
Education and the Indiana Chamber’s Business-Higher Education Forum.
Indiana Vision 2025 : Outstanding Talent
Innovation soars at the Purdue
Polytechnic Institute, which will serve
as a model for learning at the Purdue
Polytechnic Indianapolis High School.
The sky’s the limit (left) during an
exercise involving starting the engines
on the School of Aviation and
Transportation Technology’s large jet
(Purdue University/Rebecca Wilcox).
Students grasp a practical lesson from
their instructor in the electronic systems
lab (Purdue University/Mark Simons).