Hoosier brain drain

That thar talkin' picture box done declared Fort Wayne as the plumb dumbest city in these here United States.\nIn the February 2005 issue of Men's Health magazine, the editorial staff, looking for an easy controversy, decided to determine which cities were comprised of geniuses and which of dunces. With the aid of a "scientific analysis" -- so scientific that the necessary criteria could be condensed into one line -- the Men's Health intelligentsia ranked Fort Wayne dead last in "intelligence," forcing the entire city to sit in the corner with dunce caps on their heads. For the record, Indiana's second largest city out-dumbed El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Laredo (all in Texas), Newark, N.J., and Las Vegas, Nev. Indianapolis scored a disheartening C-.\nMen's Health got the media attention that they wanted. Local and national news outlets soon picked up on the story. Instead of wondering how exactly the city had become Dumbsville, reporters hoped someone from Fort Wayne would become confused and start drooling when interviewed. \nThe criteria for Men's Health to label Fort Wayne "dumb" seem to have little correlation with real research. The more scientific criteria include the residents' SAT scores and the number of bachelor's degrees per capital. The more bizarre criteria include the number of nearby universities and the number of Nobel Prize winners born in the area. Then, there's something called "state creativity scores," which is fancy talk for "patents per capita."\nIt's fun to kid about a stupid magazine survey and a supposedly stupid city, but perhaps Men's Health has a point. While the magazine's methods may be shaky, Indiana does have problems keeping the educated in-state. However, the problem is more complex than a one-page blurb in a health magazine.\nThe entire state of Indiana is losing high-paying, high-income and creative jobs. According to a 2003 report done by Carnegie-Mellon University, Indiana is ranked 47th in the so-called "creative class." Only 19.4 percent of Hoosiers over 25 years of age have a bachelor's degree, compared to the national average of 24.4 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Fort Wayne is right on the state average in that respect, but still behind Indianapolis and Bloomington. The state is 14th in turning out students with bachelor's degrees, but only 33rd in retaining them. \nOnce graduated, students from IU, Purdue, IUPUI and Notre Dame can't wait to leave the state. It's no wonder why they're leaving for smarter pastures. In a 2003 economic report done by the Indianapolis Star and the Indiana Business Research Center, a study showed that Indiana's earnings are well below the national level: $4,000 below.\nBut how can the state keep the smart? Lawmakers focus on training high school students, but that may be too late. Instead, Indiana schools should focus their attention on preparing elementary and middle school children. Give them material to help them prepare for the real world. Teach younger students the math and science skills necessary for careers early and make sure they pass these new requirements.\nWhile Indiana schools have "... the nation's easiest diplomas to earn," according to the Star, requiring more high school-level credits to graduate won't be the simple answer. Indiana must foster a culture of learning if it wants to compete with other states. Schools have to train students not for more proficiency exams, but to become solid workers. We must foster an environment of learning instead of slacking.\nIndiana is in tough mental and economic shape. Men's Health didn't need to tell us that. Whether or not Fort Wayne really is a "box of rocks" isn't the point here. Even though we may not want to admit it, Indiana desperately needs to retain smart, creative workers. If we don't, we'll continue to wear the dunce cap.