State awards $8 million in school-improvement grants
The grants – funded by the federal government – are awarded to schools that demonstrate a need for the money and plan to use the funds to raise achievement levels.
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Articles
Pence urges feds to OK education standards waiver
The waiver allows Indiana to set different state standards for education without having to fully comply with the rules set by the controversial federal law.
IPS says outside audits confirm budget surplus
Two outside financial audits confirmed what Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee declared in March: IPS has been operating with a surplus rather than a deficit.
School catering to juvenile offenders gets approval
The city will be the first in the nation to open a charter school designed for youth passing through the juvenile court system and other troubled students.
Ritz: New ISTEP test coming sooner at federal request
Indiana must establish a new ISTEP test a year earlier than planned if state officials want to maintain their waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Outside group calls for audit of teacher evaluation programs
Stand for Children Indiana said the teacher evaluations conducted last year were inconsistent and that some districts failed to conduct annual evaluations of all certified educators.
Report: School counselors doing less counseling
A new report finds school counselors in Indiana are focusing an increasing amount of time on work that’s not associated with their primary roles as advisers and less time helping kids deal with life issues or college and job preparation.
State education board taps former IPS principal
Former Harshman Middle School Principal Bob Guffin is set to become the board's new executive director.
Indiana gives initial OK to new teacher license
The State Board of Education has given its initial approval to a proposal that would allow college graduates with a B average in any subject to earn a K-12 teaching license in Indiana.
Indiana: Feds delayed No Child Left Behind report
Indiana Department of Education officials said Tuesday that they expected to hear about concerns with the state's No Child Left Behind waiver last fall, but federal monitors delayed releasing the report until last month without explanation.
State education board reviewing federal concerns
Federal monitors found trouble with outreach to low-performing schools and with teacher evaluations. They also raised concerns over the state's decision to exit national Common Core standards.
Voters pass record rate of tax hikes for schools
Indiana residents are having a change of heart as struggling school districts come to them with requests for more money.
U.S. education chief wants Indiana waiver updates
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan asked Indiana officials to provide his staff regular updates on how the state plans to address concerns with its No Child Left Behind waiver ahead of a June 30 deadline.
IndyGo to study transporting some IPS students
IndyGo is updating its past studies on the feasibility of serving IPS high schools. A past study found that IPS spent $1,520 per student a year on transportation, while a city bus pass costs $330.
Some schools switch from online to paper tests
Fort Wayne Community Schools announced it has dropped the online version of the ISTEP following issues with a practice run last week, and Wayne Township schools in Indianapolis is also trading computer testing for traditional paper tests.
State board approves Indiana’s Common Core replacement
One of the first states to adopt Common Core standards became the first state to formally abandon the national benchmarks.
IPS, Mind Trust launch school-turnaround fellowship
Education reform group The Mind Trust will pay selected educators $100,000 to spend a year developing plans and forming teams to improve the poorest performing schools in the IPS district.
Indiana education panel approves new school standards
The approval from the Education Roundtable — co-chaired by Pence and Superintendent for Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and flushed with lawmakers, business leaders and education officials — means the standards passed one of the last hurdles before adoption.
Board member asks for old Indiana school standards
A State Board of Education member formally requested Friday that an education panel abandon a proposed overhaul of Indiana's education standards.
Proposed Indiana school standards get mixed reviews
Debate on the new standards comes as the state races to create before July new, state-written benchmarks for what students should learn in each grade.