Evan Eagleson is a Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action. In this role, he aids the advancement of student-centered legislation in the Great Lakes region.
Indiana is known for its ongoing efforts to improve K-12 education for all students, and 2024 is no exception.
Last year’s progress was outstanding, as state lawmakers expanded educational opportunity, adopted early literacy policies aligned with the science of reading and created first-of-their-kind Career Scholarship Accounts (CSAs) to provide students with dedicated funds to pursue high school internships, apprenticeships and other real-world work experiences.
Building on that work, Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Indiana legislature continued forging ahead in 2024 by strengthening early and adolescent literacy policies, making progress on math policy, creating distraction-free classrooms and taking important steps to redesign the Hoosier high school experience.
Read on to dig deeper into the education policy improvements Indiana made during the 2024 legislative session.
In his 2024 State of the State address, Gov. Holcomb prioritized the need to improve early literacy.
“We must improve policies around third-grade reading to make sure that every child masters this essential skill,” he said.
The legislature answered his call. State leaders not only built upon the state’s existing commitment to early literacy, they also added support and interventions for struggling middle school readers—making Indiana only the second state in the nation to address adolescent literacy issues in statute post-pandemic.
Here’s more about the literacy bills Gov. Holcomb signed into law in 2024:
With these important changes, Indiana educators will be better prepared to teach students how to read with evidence-based methods. Parents will be better informed. Most important, students will be better supported to become confident, capable readers.
Beyond comprehensive early literacy policy, Gov. Holcomb approved several other important education policies in 2024:
Thanks to these education policies, Hoosier students will be able to learn in phone-free and distraction-free environments. Cumbersome restrictions will no longer prevent public charter schools from accessing funding and facilities. And Indiana employers and high school students will enjoy more streamlined work-based learning programs.
The math screening and interventions plan outlined in Rep. Behning’s HB 1243 took quite a legislative journey in 2024, with many thinking it would simply be bumped to 2025.
Bill champion Rep. Behning said in a podcast interview with ExcelinEd in Action that he felt confident the legislature could accomplish early literacy and math legislation in the same year.
Hoosier lawmakers worked diligently and across the aisle to lay the groundwork for improving math proficiency, including screeners and interventions in HB 1243 to identify and support students struggling in math. The bill passed and was signed into law this legislative session.
“I thought it was very enlightening that even my ranking minority member said, ‘I’m really excited that we’re focusing on math,’” Rep. Behning said. “ … I think everybody sees that there’s need to help reinforce educators. It’s not an indictment on educators. It’s really an opportunity to support them and help proficiency along.”
With U.S. students performing dismally in math on the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Nation’s Report Card, we expect to see Indiana lawmakers take action and work toward more comprehensive K-8 math policies in 2025.
Like many other states, the high school experience in Indiana has plateaued for years, out of step with major changes to the state’s workforce and employers’ needs. Indiana has seen a pronounced decline in manufacturing jobs and a rise in opportunities that require stronger social, analytical and technical skills.
A recent Gallup survey reported 32% of Hoosier parents of 12th graders said their child is not prepared for their next step after high school.
To address this challenge, Indiana policymakers introduced a high school redesign proposal that promises to transform each student’s educational journey and improve lifelong success as they transition into college and the workforce.
Indiana’s 2024 high school redesign has three main focus areas:
The Indiana State Board of Education recently heard the high school redesign proposal and will vote on this modernized approach in the coming months.
Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner said in an ExcelinEd in Action podcast interview that this whole redesign comes down to what will best prepare students for what comes after high school—whether that’s college or a career. She said the overhaul can serve as a model for the nation,
“I’d be glad to share our playbook with anyone who is interested, because we want other states to come along this journey with us and move away from ‘nibbling around the edges’ and shift toward transformation of their high schools.”
-Indiana Education Secretary Dr. Katie Jenner
