STYRING: The teachers association lost its way
Nothing in politics is so constant as change. Consider the Indiana State Teachers Association.
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SIDDIQUI: Conflict, ideology devalue education
Recent ISTEP test scores seem to indicate a correlation between academic success and economic prosperity. These test results show that school districts in affluent neighborhoods have better scores than schools in poorer neighborhoods.
BECK: New hope for early childhood education
My son started kindergarten in August. Within a few days, it became apparent that his kindergarten experience is significantly different from that of his parents. Homework every night. Reading that must be logged and initialed. High expectations for reading, math, technology and the arts.
PILLIE: Don’t toss the reforms along with Bennett
In the modern political world, it seems the validity or importance of an idea is treated no more seriously than what brand of butter substitute you buy from the local grocery store. Most recently, Indiana has experienced this phenomenon in education policy.
KRULL: Right to work and promises to be kept
When Indiana Republicans started their push to ram so-called right-to-work legislation through the General Assembly nearly three years ago, they said the measure would rain blessings down on the Hoosier state.
MARCUS: Politicians have little influence over jobs
Governors and mayors normally talk as if they are personally responsible for bringing jobs to their states and communities. This is nonsense.
SHEPARD: Great places draw the young, innovative
Our public dialogue about competing with other states often focuses on development tools, tax policy, infrastructure and the like. These are surely some of the hard-edge elements of any sensible approach to building Indiana’s economic future.
WAGNER: Indiana Dems need branding makeover
I spent a large chunk of the last eight years as the spokeswoman for the Indiana Democratic Party. It was the best of times (big wins in 2006, 2008 and 2012), it was the worst of times (it sure would be nice to forget about 2010 and some stinging losses at the local level).
DANIELS: Why can’t everyone be more like Joe?
My law partner and longtime friend Joe Russell died suddenly at age 63 in July. Such a stunning event unleashes introspection: How could this happen to someone so young? How likely is it that I’ll keel over in the next year? Time to start planning vacations NOW.
ODLE: Indiana needs a new immigration burst
Indiana and Indianapolis have much to be proud of. The state is in a relatively good financial position, to the point of rebated taxes.
BRUNI: Will Republicans look for Bush 44?
Let Rand Paul have his epic filibuster and Ted Cruz his scowling threats to shut down the government. Let Chris Christie thunder to a second term as the governor of New Jersey, his hubris flowering as his ultimate designs on the White House take shape.
SOUDER: Get real about the immigration debate
The only commonly accepted facts about the immigration debate in Washington and at every other political level in America are these:
SADLER: Why Ballard so infuriates Democrats
What is it about our Republican political stars here in Indiana that they are constantly underestimated and under-rated? The reason, of course, is politics.
GARRISON: The makers are getting tired of the takers
They will call it Northern Colorado if they can get the job done. Ten counties in the rich area north of Denver produce almost all the agriculture and most of the gas and oil that comes from the Mountain State. Its residents pay well over half the taxes but garner a fraction of the representation in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
KETZENBERGER: We’re more resourceful than we realize
A realization struck recently as I was sitting in the shade of an umbrella stuck into the white sand that rims Thunder Bay in northeast Michigan, a copy of “The Last Policeman” across my lap.
MADISON: Leaders, pundits and reading books
Which of our leaders ever talks with us about a good book she or he has recently read?
TAFT: Redouble fight against urban poverty
Brookings Institute researchers recently published a book called “Confronting Suburban Poverty in America” that profiles how quickly poverty is migrating from many urban centers to their surrounding suburbs. Metro-area poverty has grown fastest in the suburbs over the past 30 years—experiencing a 64-percent increase versus 29-percent growth in urban centers.
WESTERHAUS-RENFROW: The insidiousness of income segregation
As a child, racial segregation was a fact of my life, whether by law or by custom. In the South, barriers between whites and blacks were rigidly codified by statute before the civil rights victories of the 1950s and 1960s.
BOEHM: More to do to continue Indy’s ascent
Those of us who have seen the progress Indianapolis has made over the last several decades are justifiably proud of what has been accomplished. At the same time, most thoughtful observers agree on the need to address a range of problems—notably crime, fiscal pressures, education, transportation and neighborhood development.
SHELLA: Bennett’s emotions got the best of him
It was a warm, sunny Monday in November when John McCain came to the Indianapolis airport seeking to pull out an Indiana win in the 2008 race for presidency. It was the day before Election Day. Confident Hoosier Republicans were thrilled about the first real campaign rally in this state by that year’s GOP nominee.