The Indianapolis Urban League hosted a community meeting to discuss the New Indiana Diploma requirements for graduation on June 10 at the Madam Walker Legacy Center.
“The landscape of education in Indianapolis is shifting right beneath our very feet,” Anthony “Tony” Mason, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, said at the event. “We have to make sure that our parents and our students fully understand the new Ivy league requirements and also understand that it’s going to be important about leveraging and taking advantage of the apprenticeship opportunities.”
The event also served as a community breakfast and luncheon that allowed Hoosier parents to ask questions about Indiana’s new graduation requirements that were answered by local educators at the event included Tim Bertsch, associate director of admissions at Purdue University, and Ma’at Lands, founder and principal of the Rooted School Indy, and Bre Brown, assistant principal at Warren Central High School were present at the event.
“I think Indiana has made a distinction to raise their hand and say ‘we acknowledge that college is not the only pathway for students to be successful,’” Brown said. “There are incredible opportunities for students in the employment pathway here, in Indiana, and we need that for our economy.”
Beginning with the class of 2029, Indiana will implement new graduation requirements for high school students.
High school students starting with the class of 2029 will have three potential paths: enrollment, employment, or enlistment and service. In each of these pathways, students can gain credentials and experience related to their desired career path. Each pathway also includes opportunities to earn an Honors Seal or Honors Plus Seal.
Indiana’s current graduation requirements will phase out on Oct. 1, 2028.
Local students also performed original poetry pieces that discussed matters such as the adoption of the New Indiana Diploma and the impact its implementation has had on their education.
The Indianapolis Urban League was founded in the fall of 1965 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan, interracial community-based social service/civil rights organization. The local affiliate is one of over 90 affiliates of the National Urban League.
According to the Indianapolis Urban League, their mission is to empower African-Americans and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic equality and improved quality of living through programs, services, and advocacy in education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health and housing.
For more information about Indianapolis Urban League visit indplsul.org/. For more information about the New Indiana Diploma requirements visit in.gov/doe/files/Final-Diploma-Rule-1.pdf.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
