In this episode of Swimming Upstream, host and former Idaho State Superintendent Tom Luna sits down with Katie Jenner, Indiana’s Secretary of Education, to discuss the state’s bold initiatives to enhance education outcomes. Now in her fifth year leading the Indiana Department of Education, Katie shares insights into the state’s innovative policies aimed at improving teacher recruitment, modernizing graduation requirements, and driving student success.

Katie highlights Indiana’s groundbreaking Educator Supply and Demand Marketplace, a data-driven approach that connects schools with qualified teachers, addressing shortages in special education, STEM, and English language instruction. She also discusses the state’s transformative high school diploma reforms, designed to provide students with personalized pathways—whether through higher education, workforce training, or military service.

The conversation delves into Indiana’s remarkable gains in literacy, driven by research-based reading strategies, and the lessons the state is applying to improve math proficiency. Katie also shares Indiana’s role as a national leader in STEM education, boasting the country’s largest K-12 robotics competition.

Tune in to hear how Indiana is “keeping its foot on the gas pedal” in education and leading the way with data-driven reforms that ensure students graduate prepared for the opportunities ahead.

Key Moments

04:25 Educator Pipeline & Job Matching

09:05 Stagnant Education Amid Rapid Change

11:15 Indiana's 2024 Education Reform Debate

16:01 Relevance in Education Drives Success

18:07 Workforce vs. Higher Ed Skills

21:32 Adopting Mississippi's Literacy Success

24:44 Swimming Upstream Interview

27:30 Children: 100% Future Focus

Connect with Katie Jenner

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-jenner

Website: https://www.in.gov/