Patricia Levesque is the Chief Executive Officer for ExcelinEd.
Famous zoologist Jack Hanna has been quoted saying, “The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.”
This rings true, especially in today’s era of technology that tempts us to stay on the couch or in relative comfort inside our four walls. And it’s particularly true in education, where a wealth of experiences and learning opportunities can be found beyond the four walls of a classroom. States are beginning to realize that they can and should do more to put those experiences within reach of all students.
There’s a richness in what those experiences can be. A student considering a nursing career might participate in a youth apprenticeship program at a local hospital. A student interested in robotics might be paid to help build planes at an advanced manufacturing plant. Opportunities like these tie classroom learning with relevant, real-world experiences.
Yet student opportunities don’t have to be limited to the world of work. Imagine a high school student taking a class in college or learning to code at a summer boot camp. Even better, imagine that these students don’t have to worry about the cost of their experiences. It would allow low-income students to participate just as readily as their more affluent peers.
Indiana lawmakers recently answered that call, enacting first-in-the-nation $5,000 Career Scholarship Accounts for students to spend on work-based learning, apprenticeships and postsecondary acceleration. Customized education accounts will be powerful resources for families, reducing economic barriers and giving more students the freedom to follow and achieve their dreams.
House Speaker Todd Huston and Rep. Chuck Goodrich led the charge to pass House Bill 1002, which was signed into law by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Indiana recognizes that learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. It starts there. Other states can look to the Hoosier state as an example of imagining new opportunities, building new career pathways and helping students see with their own eyes how the “world is the true classroom.”
ExcelinEd’s model policy Expanding Pathways Opportunities provides a vehicle through which states can provide funding for students to experience college and career opportunities for approved learning experiences and exams. States can determine their priorities and eligible experiences, but some examples include coursework, training programs, credential funding, counseling, “bootcamps” and gap funding for items such as transportation. This funding increases access and opportunities for all learners as they navigate their own pathway to a career.
