Big decisions can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re just a 13- or 14-year-old.
But at Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), we believe that early exploration is the key to student success. That’s why we’re embracing the opportunity to help eighth graders begin mapping out their high school experience in a way that’s purposeful, empowering and deeply connected to their future.
Thanks to Indiana’s high school graduation requirements updates, students are now encouraged to align their studies with one of three postsecondary goals: enrollment (college), employment or enlistment (military). While this might sound like a lot to ask of a middle schooler, IPS sees this change as a moment to walk alongside students and families, starting earlier, supporting more deeply and creating clear, personalized pathways to opportunity.
This effort is a key component of our Rebuilding Stronger plan, which aims to improve the student experience and outcomes across our district by rethinking how we support students through their most formative academic years, especially middle school. That’s where so many interests, identities and dreams begin to take shape.
We know not every eighth grader has their future mapped out. And that’s okay. The point isn’t to lock students into one path. It’s to give them a chance to explore real-world experiences early, so they can make more informed decisions as they grow. Research and experience both tell us something important: young people often figure out what they don’t want to do before they discover what they DO want to pursue. The power is in the process.
So why start now? Because the benefits are real:
- Work-based learning opportunities help students gain real-world experiences that a school-based classroom can’t replicate. Students who complete work-based learning learn how to interact with people, collaborate, navigate change, use resources, ask for help and think critically.
- Students grow into adults who carry these skills with them wherever they go, whether that’s to a career that was sparked by their work-based learning experience in high school or to a career that today we can only imagine.
- When a student’s school-based coursework is connected to a pathway and a goal, and when it’s problem-based or project-based, students can link their learning to the larger picture. This helps them learn more effectively.
- It’s important for students to see a broad range of careers and to see people they feel connected to as successful in the careers they are interested in. Students who gain early career exposure can see themselves in a career that they will love, and they feel more empowered to set, pursue, and achieve their goals.
- Workforce data from Indiana and around the country show that the jobs our eighth graders are preparing for will increasingly require a credential, certification or degree beyond a basic high school diploma. Students who engage with an enrollment-, employment-, or enlistment-focused plan of study in high school will be on track to access future jobs.
IPS is committed to guiding students and families through these important decisions. We don’t expect every eighth grader to have it all figured out — but we do believe in starting the conversation early. Because what matters most isn’t choosing the “perfect” path. It’s making a choice and stepping forward.
Our district is here to help students make thoughtful, supported choices that keep all doors open. Whether a student earns college credit, an industry credential, completes a pathway or gains work-based experience, they’ll graduate better prepared for whatever comes next.
In the end, this is about more than graduation requirements. It’s about giving every student the chance to discover who they are, what they care about, and how they want to contribute to the world.
And that’s a future worth planning.
Melody Coryell is the Executive Director of Postsecondary Readiness for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). To see the pathways open to our IPS students, visit our website at https://myips.org/blog/district/showcasing-ips-career-guides-for-students-planning.
