Indiana schools got $3B for COVID relief, but information on spending often hard to find
Policymakers say that without clear information from school districts, it is hard for the public to know if the money is benefiting students.
K-12
Articles
Elementary specialization in Indiana cuts teacher effectiveness, study says
By teaching fewer subjects to more students, specialists run the risk of weakened student relationships, reducing teacher effectiveness in reading and math, according to the paper.
Report: Local Black, Hispanic children face ‘chronic lack of access’ to quality education
For students in Marion County, the deficiency begins in preschool and lasts until they’re preparing for college, according to a new report commissioned by the Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation.
How Indiana has cut funding for students in poverty, hurting urban schools
In recent years, Indiana lawmakers have prioritized across-the-board increases for schools over support for disadvantaged students, favoring budget strategies that buoy more affluent districts while higher-poverty schools say they’re left without enough resources to serve disadvantaged students.
Holcomb appoints state’s first education secretary
Katie Jenner, who is an adviser to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, formerly served as a vice president at Ivy Tech Community College.
Ongoing pandemic worsens schools’ substitute teacher woes
The increased difficulty of finding substitutes is forcing districts to more frequently shift their staffing, with teachers who provide instruction in specialized classes instead being drafted to fill in for absent teachers.
Q&A: IPS superintendent talks masks, social distancing and educating kids
IBJ reporter Samm Quinn talked with Superintendent Aleesia Johnson about how returning has gone so far and other impacts COVID-19 has had on the state’s largest public school system.
NASA awards $2.8M to Indiana space program
The grant will support NASA student internships and fellowships, student STEM experiences, faculty STEM projects and public STEM engagement throughout Indiana through 2024.
Charter backers battle to preserve edge on IPS school board
With four seats on the seven-member board up for election, the outcome could easily shift the balance of power in the district.
Indiana’s ed-tech sector grows rapidly with startups, not-for-profits
Here are six companies and one not-for-profit organization from central Indiana that are experimenting in the ed-tech sector.
Q&A: Junior Achievement goes virtual with JobSpark program for eighth-graders
The program traditionally combines in-school lessons from teachers with a two-day event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where more than 10,000 students explore interactive projects and exhibits set up by more than 100 companies and 1,000 volunteers. This year, it’s going online.
Local education technology firm eyes national growth with higher-ed offering
Standard for Success, a Cloverdale-based educational software company, through 2019 has been growing at a strong double-digit clip and earlier this year launched a new service line company officials are confident will help the firm expand further by signing deals with colleges and universities nationwide.
IPS plans staggered in-person return in October after cautious online start
The plan is based on improved coronavirus data in Marion County. The city’s average positivity rate—the percentage of people who test positive for the coronavirus—has hovered near 5% for several weeks, according to state data.
Memory Bank: ‘Masters of Disaster’ chess player takes on Mayor Hudnut in 1983
In 1983, a chess team from IPS School No. 27 took on an elite private school from Manhattan in the National Elementary School Chess Championship—and won.
As kids move from quarantine to school, separation anxiety may follow. Here’s how to help.
With school re-openings—or partial re-openings—just around the corner, many parents are wondering how they can help their children wade back into the world.
Software keeps kids on school buses safe from sickness
Indianapolis-based Synovia Solutions’ latest platform—Bus Guardian—helps with contact tracing and hygiene verification for school buses.
Governor, House speaker say they’re committed to fully funding schools
But the leader of the Indiana Senate doubles down on his statement that he can’t guarantee full funding for schools that don’t offer an in-person option for students.
Parenting: ‘The mom shame is so real’: There’s no way to win in the pandemic
As schools across the country announce their plans for the fall, working parents are forced to choose from an array of bad options: Send your kids back to school, if it’s open, and risk coronavirus exposure—or keep them home with little or no supervision as you try to simultaneously parent, do your job and monitor your child’s online schooling.
KIDS: Pandemic may drive some parents to opt for home-schooling this fall—if they can afford it
The coronavirus pandemic, which shut down most of the nation’s schools in March, has provided parents who might have never considered home-schooling with a test drive of what it’s like to have the kids learning at home.
Indiana releases guidelines for reopening schools in fall
State leaders say Indiana schools can reopen safely in the fall if they screen students and staff, create individual health plans, and maintain social distancing, according to newly released re-entry guidelines.