Four ways Biden’s plan for families would affect schools, children
President Joe Biden proposed a massive package of policies Wednesday designed to reduce child poverty rates and make preschool and higher education more accessible.
Education reform
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Indiana ends takeover, returning 3 schools to IPS
Nearly eight years after Indiana seized three struggling campuses from Indianapolis Public Schools, the State Board of Education voted Wednesday to hand the schools back, bringing to a close a turnaround experiment that sparked enduring change in the state’s largest district.
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2019 Carroll Award winner: Mark Miles’ eclectic career has centered on big events
Ask Miles about his wide-ranging resume, and he compares it to Forrest Gump’s.
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Articles
IPS at fork in road as district searches for next superintendent
Will the school district continue to embrace the changes championed by former leader Lewis Ferebee, or will a new leader slow down some school-reform efforts?
Study of IPS shows new innovation schools might be bright spot
In the first major look at the results for innovation schools in IPS—a new kind of district-charter partnership—there are some positive signs but still some unanswered questions.
Panel backs proposal to move up appointing state schools chief
Indiana’s governor would begin appointing the state schools superintendent in 2021 instead of 2025, under a proposal endorsed Wednesday by the House Education Committee. Voters traditionally have elected the superintendent.
IBJ Podcast: What will The Mind Trust’s big infusion of cash mean for Indy schools?
The Mind Trust CEO Brandon Brown sat down with host Mason King to explain the group’s mission, its cooperation with Indianapolis Public Schools and how the new funding will help it ramp up its work.
$24M in grants to help fuel Mind Trust’s second act
The education-reform group, deep in its execution phase, is seeking to prove its vision is working for kids.
Mind Trust to provide office help to charter schools
A new not-for-profit launched with funding and support from The Mind Trust aims to help focus the time of charter school leaders on the classroom.
Indianapolis Recorder leader leaving newspaper for Mind Trust post
Shannon Williams is stepping down from her longtime position as president and general manager of the Indianapolis Recorder to take a role with education reform group The Mind Trust, she announced Thursday.
Teachers’ frustration extends well beyond pay, but would they walk out?
Teachers say that, beyond compensation issues, they are grappling with inadequate school funding, a lack of respect from some parents and community members, and increased school-safety concerns.
Mind Trust CEO Harris leaving education reform group after years of influencing IPS
Brandon Brown, the senior vice president of the group who previously worked under Mayor Greg Ballard as charter school director, will succeed David Harris as CEO.
House passes bill to overhaul high school diplomas
Currently four different diplomas are offered. The bill would require the state board of education to create the “Indiana Diploma” as the state’s new baseline.
Holcomb: Flailing online schools need ‘immediate attention and action’
The governor called the performance of one of the biggest online schools, Indiana Virtual, “unsatisfactory.” It has received more than $20 million in state funding while graduating about 61 students.
Holcomb’s agenda for 2018 targets workforce issues, education, opioids
Gov. Eric Holcomb said there would be “no more stove-pipe approach,” referring to criticisms by some legislative leaders that the workforce development system is convoluted and divided into isolated silos.
Online school receives millions from state despite poor performance, unconventional spending
Indiana Virtual School has attracted thousands of students but graduated very few. A Chalkbeat Indiana investigation found the school’s founder hired his own company to manage the school, for which it received millions of dollars.
New voucher study offers something for both sides of issue
The study’s finding that students who remain in the program improve over time gives new credence to advocates who said it was unreasonable to judge a program based on only one or two years of data.
Seven lessons from IPS innovation schools
Indianapolis Public Schools sought to disrupt the K-12 education world two years ago by launching "innovation schools," an entirely autonomous group of schools within the district's boundaries. With eight schools up and running, what lessons are emerging?
DeVos expected to reveal school choice plan at local event
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is among several well-known names slated to appear Monday in Indianapolis at the annual summit for the American Federation of Children.
State panel criticizes online charter school but lets it stay open
The State Board of Education punished Hoosier Academy Virtual Charter School, one of the largest online providers in Indiana, by freezing enrollment and reducing the fee for its authorizer, Ball State University.
Lawsuit targets charters approved by private, religious schools
An education advocacy group has sued the state and a controversial charter school, seeking to block funding because the group argues that it is unconstitutional for private religious institutions to approve charter schools, which are funded by tax dollars.
Bill allowing governor to choose state schools chief heads to Holcomb’s desk
The bill adds in requirements that the governor appoint someone who has lived in the state for two years and meets educational qualifications.