Indiana panel takes up schools taken over by state

An Indiana committee that's tracking student progress at several struggling public schools taken over by the state is close to wrapping up its work for the year.

The State Board of Education's Committee on School Turnarounds is scheduled to meet Monday morning in Indianapolis for its fifth and final meeting of the fall.

The panel is tracking eight schools in Evansville, Gary and Indianapolis that the state assumed control of in recent years due to low student test scores and other factors. Those schools include Howe, Manual and Arlington high schools and Donnan Middle School in Indianapolis.

Monday's meeting will include a summary of the panel's findings to date. Committee members will also hear from a national school turnaround consultant who's assessed the eight schools.

The panel will make its recommendations to the full State Board of Education on Dec. 3.