Chris Henderson: Next in education: Connecting learning to opportunity

States across the country are competing for the same thing: a skilled workforce. Businesses deciding where to expand look at the strength of a state’s workforce pipeline. Do graduates have strong foundational skills? Are they gaining real-world experience in high-demand fields? Are schools preparing them for a changing economy?

Too many students leave high school without a clear path forward. Graduation rates are higher than ever, yet many graduates struggle with foundational reading and math. Meanwhile, employers across industries, from manufacturing to health care to technology, report persistent talent shortages. This disconnect has real consequences for young people who can’t find their footing, for businesses that can’t find workers and for states trying to grow their economies.

Indiana lawmakers have taken meaningful steps to address these gaps. Through new laws passed this year in Indiana, including House Enrolled Act 1266 and Senate Enrolled Act 239, policymakers have focused on strengthening foundational skills and expanding career-connected pathways. For a state whose growth in manufacturing, life sciences and technology depends on skilled workers, these investments are good economic policy as much as good education policy.

These proposals expand opportunities for students to connect learning with real-world experience through career and technical education, employer partnerships and pathways in high-demand fields. Done well, this helps young people see how school translates into opportunity and helps employers build the pipeline they need to grow.

Indiana is already doing this work well. The Fairbanks Foundation’s Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway has established six industry talent associations connecting employers directly to students. The Pathways to Careers and Postsecondary program at the University of Indianapolis-based Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning supports some of the state’s most disengaged students through real-world learning. And Rural Alliance Zone-32 gives high schoolers across Randolph County access to work-based learning and industry certifications, regardless of home district.

These successes have grown under Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, who led the unanimous adoption of flexible diploma requirements and an honors program guaranteeing qualifying graduates’ automatic acceptance to all seven state public universities.

At TNTP — a national education nonprofit working with schools, districts and states nationwide — our goal is ambitious: Prepare 50 million young people for meaningful work and meaningful lives by 2035. Reaching that goal means bridging the gap between education and career by encouraging systems to partner with employers, higher education and state leaders so that what students learn aligns with what the economy demands. That alignment doesn’t happen by accident; it requires deliberate policy, sustained investment and shared commitment.

States that make this connection gain a competitive advantage: attracting businesses, strengthening local economies and helping young people build futures close to home. Indiana’s efforts reflect policy thinking that can move the country forward. Economic security for young people depends on collaboration between education and workforce sectors and on state leaders treating those two systems as one pipeline.

In Indiana, TNTP is partnering with Greenfield Central Junior High School to strengthen math instruction and with Indianapolis Public Schools since 2024 on strategy and leadership coaching to build AI-ready instructional systems. This work will take sustained effort over many years, but Indiana’s progress shows that when leaders focus on strong academics, real-world pathways and clear outcomes, meaningful change is possible. Other states should take note.•

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Henderson is a resident of Indianapolis and vice president of the Midwest/Southeast region at TNTP.