Indiana poised to become No. 1 state for school vouchers
The pro-voucher Institute for Quality Education reported last week that 32,955 students applied to use vouchers this year, which would be a gain of more than 3,800, or about 13 percent.
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Perceived teacher shortage may be different problem, educators say
In Indiana, as in many other places, the problem isn’t the number of certified teachers, but a mismatch between candidates and available jobs. And the situation isn’t as bad or out of the ordinary as recent media coverage has suggested, educators say.
IPS approves pay raises for teachers, new strategic plan
Jubilant Indianapolis Public School Board members on Thursday night hailed an aggressive strategic plan and $12 million in pay raises for teachers as a potential turning point for the city’s schools.
IPS board gives blessing to house Global Prep charter school
Superintendent Lewis Ferebee got the go-ahead Tuesday night to negotiate a deal with charter school developer Mariama Carson to place the dual-language immersion school she plans to open next year in an IPS building.
Duncan: State pilot preschool program should be open to all
Indiana's new program, open to about 2,300 children in five counties, is blocking children of immigrant families from enrolling if they are not U.S. citizens.
IPS board member resigns to lead Mind Trust venture
Caitlin Hannon, a former Indianapolis Public Schools teacher who joined the school board in an effort to push for change in the district, has stepped down.
Budget woes cost Indianapolis its last Challenger Center
A program designed to inspire school children to learn science that grew out of national mourning following a space shuttle disaster is now gone from Indianapolis, a victim of budget cuts.
Charter Schools USA gets OK for south-side school
Florida-based Charter Schools USA, which operates three Indianapolis schools under contract with the state, earned a cautious go-ahead this week to open a charter school on Indianapolis’ south side next year. But the company didn’t get everything it wanted.
Kenyan private schools inspire $100,000 idea for Indianapolis
An Indianapolis not-for-profit is betting that a school reform plan with roots in Africa can help turn around a troubled Indianapolis public school.
3 Marion County districts OK funding boosts; Brownsburg voters say ‘no’
Wayne Township, Perry Township and Beech Grove schools all passed referendums, but voters in Brownsburg rejected two proposals.
3 Marion County school districts ask voters for extra funding
Wayne Township, Perry Township and Beech Grove school officials say they need tax increases to provide relief from property tax caps the Legislature passed in 2010.
As immigration reshapes Indy, schools struggle to keep up
The Legislature has slashed extra aid to support English language learning programs at the very moment when schools are struggling with explosive growth of children who need them.
House panel saves ISTEP, revives proposals opposed by union
A proposal to replace ISTEP with an off-the-shelf national test was derailed Tuesday as an Indiana House committee sent the idea to a summer committee for further study.
Education roundup: One bill reducing super’s power left
The Senate Education Committee is considering numerous pieces of education-related legislation, including a bill aimed at removing the state superintendent of public instruction as chair of the Indiana State Board of Education.
School chiefs weigh in on proposed new funding formula
Leaders from some of Indiana's poorest school districts said Tuesday they fear proposed funding cuts they're facing, while those from growing districts are worried proposed increases for them won't be enough.
Council approves funding for city preschool program
Indianapolis’ hotly debated preschool program cleared its final hurdle Monday when the City-County Council approved spending $4.2 million to send 1,000 poor children to high-quality preschools later this year.
Pence, legislators open to ditching ISTEP for cheaper alternative
Two bills already have passed the Senate that push the state in the direction of a national test.
More suburban students using state’s voucher program
Voucher use is up significantly in Hamilton County districts, but most children using the program still live in the state’s largest, poorest cities with some of the most troubled public schools.
Senate defeats civics test bill, grapples with ISTEP
Indiana students might be off the hook from a proposal asking they pass a civics test to graduate from high school after a bill to require it was defeated in the state Senate on Tuesday.
Ritz addresses speculation on possible gubernatorial bid
State schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who has been at loggerheads with Gov. Mike Pence for most of his first term, isn’t ruling it out.