NPR: In Indiana, Raising the Bar Raises Questions about Special Education

By Claire McInerny 

A generation ago, a high school diploma could open doors, especially to well-paying manufacturing jobs. But today, with technology radically reshaping the U.S. economy, many of those doors have closed. The high school diploma is as important as ever — but as a stepping stone to a higher degree, no longer as a destination.

That’s one reason Indiana lawmakers are rewriting their state’s graduation requirements. They want to make the path to a diploma more challenging and the diploma itself more valuable. Changes could include requiring students to take more math credits and a broader range of electives. The requirements would also apply to all students, and that’s raising concern that some kids simply wouldn’t be able to meet them.