Bob Behning: ILEARN is an important snapshot of student learning
While the results are not the ones we had hoped for, the value of Hoosier students and teachers is not defined by test scores, but by the learning being accomplished in the classroom.
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House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta and House Education Chairman Bob Behning face off over Indiana’s student testing program. Other columnists tackle gun control as a health care issue, a black agenda for Indianapolis and how to make 38th Street feel less like a highway.
Phil GiaQuinta: Tests are wrong way to judge schools, students, teachers
This is all too typical of education policies formulated by Republicans in recent years that have resulted in poor pay for teachers, underfunded public schools and millions of dollars thrown at unaccountable programs like virtual charter schools.
Forefront
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz: My ‘black agenda’ for the city of Indianapolis
The city should increase opportunities for more school choice.
Riley Parr: The real political divide is more freedom vs. less
An intended consequence for liberals is that by using government action, they hope to achieve the desired end now.
Randall T. Shepard: DCS official’s resignation reveals much
Gov. Eric Holcomb spoke for us all when he told The Star he was ‘disgusted by what I read.
Michael Leppert: Don’t count on the ostriches to save us
Our federal government has its head buried in the sand.
Jim Shella: Scoops don’t wait for sentimental moments
TV stations used to sit on breaking news until the 6 p.m. newscast for optimum impact. No longer.
Bill Oesterle: 38th Street is not a highway, but it’s treated like one
Streets are about moving people, not just cars. They are about living and commerce.
Tom LoBianco: When to cover words and when to cover action
The rise of digital media … has driven a new culture that is based on driving up clicks and so-called ‘engagement’—and pissing matches fit the bill.
Deborah Daniels: Our country is worse for Dan Coats’ resignation
He continued to provide honest assessments of the threats facing the country.
Jennifer Wagner: Talking to our children on the anniversary of 9/11
How do you boil down something so horrific … for an 11-year-old who doesn’t yet understand international political alliances or diplomatic differences?
Let’s treat gun violence like a public health problem
We are currently entertaining changes in policy that sound good or intuitive but are not necessarily data-driven and evidenced-based.
Marshawn Wolley: Red Line offers hope to residents trying to move up
I find some irony in the naming of the Red Line giving the legacy of redlining in the black community.
Shariq Siddiqui: One way Trump isn’t so bad for Muslim Americans
Politicians, advocacy organizations and other groups opposed to President Trump that have taken on Islamophobia.
Curt Smith: A skeptical but hopeful view of the Red Line
When the system starts charging, and the weather turns cold, will folks walk blocks to the bus and give up the convenience of point-to-point driving?
Pierre Atlas: On guns, the political winds may be shifting
While the Constitution guarantees a right to firearms ownership, no right is absolute, not even the right to bear arms.”
Leah McGrath: Own the culture you want to see in your community
As we look around us, there is a feeling that things are not right. We see it in on TV, online and in the news. We see division widen when we should be working to find common ground. We see too much hatefulness when we should be understanding. We see fear to challenge the status […]
Dana Black: Leaders must look for fixes to problems we agree on
If we don’t get serious about the concerns preventing Indiana from moving forward, we will continue to sit at the bottom and be unattractive to anyone looking to relocate their families or businesses.
Deborah Hearn Smith: What the kids on the block learned this summer
They are a diverse group who see their differences but value one another for who they are.
Una Osili: Look to different perspective to understand violence
We’re confronted once again with the tragic and senseless loss of lives from gun violence in the aftermath of El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Although recent mass shootings in the United States can be linked to multifaceted factors, there is evidence that the El Paso shooting was a calculated political act fueled by anti-immigrant […]
Adrianne Slash: Let’s give the Red Line a chance, despite traffic woes
The entire city of Indianapolis seems to be under construction. I’ve seen the memes, heard the radio commentary, and have experienced delays just like the next person. But as a person who has been calling for investment in our infrastructure, the delays are welcomed. The delays are temporary discomfort for long-term comfort. Construction of the […]
Gary Varvel: Why new laws, gun bans won’t stop mass murders
Jesus blamed evil actions on evil hearts.