Funding challenges loom over education-reform groups
Education reform groups are struggling to raise money locally, even as Indiana is recognized as one of the friendliest in the nation for school reform ideas.
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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.
Extra resources lift performance of impoverished schools
Providence Cristo Rey is one of a handful of Indiana schools with overwhelming numbers of low-income students that is achieving results at least as good as or better than the state average.
Pence touts Indiana charter school expansion
Gov. Mike Pence told a conference of charter school teachers that the state will add 22 new charters over the next three years. That will boost the state's total to 86.
Purdue to launch its own charter school in Indianapolis
Purdue Polytechnic Indianapolis High School will open in 2017 with a curriculum heavy on science and math, college-level courses, internships, and, for its graduates, guaranteed admission to Purdue.
Ballard education deputy leaving to head up workforce initiative
Jason Kloth, who has been Mayor Greg Ballard’s deputy mayor for education since 2012, will step down Friday to lead a workforce development effort being launched by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
Ballard’s charter schools chief to become VP at Mind Trust
Brandon Brown has overseen the opening of 15 charter schools since 2012, raising the mayor’s charter schools portfolio to 35.
IPS, charter schools discuss common enrollment process
Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said he’s had “very preliminary” conversations with city officials about creating a common enrollment process to be shared by IPS and Mayor Greg Ballard’s portfolio of charter schools.
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.
Lawmakers pass bill that will let Ritz stay chair of education board
A bill passed Wednesday gives the State Board of Education more authority to oversee Indiana’s ISTEP program and a new grant program that gives more money to charter schools, while keeping Superintendent Glenda Ritz as chair until the next election.
Bills would allow public/charter partnerships to grow
After seeing a 2014 law fuel unprecedented collaborations between Indianapolis Public Schools and such charter schools as Phalen Leadership Academies, the Legislature decided to extend the same opportunity to school districts statewide.
Indy’s charter students grew scores faster than public peers
Students at charter schools achieved twice as much growth on reading and math tests as similar students at local traditional public schools, according to a new study from Stanford University.
State superintendent requests shift in House budget funds
Indiana's state schools superintendent asked lawmakers Thursday to shift money that a House budget plan allocated for charter schools to public schools instead and also outlined her plan to cut the cost of student testing.
Bill seeks to stop ‘charter shopping’ by failing schools
Rep. Robert Behning, who is sponsoring the measure, said: "We should not be taking bad schools and passing them off to somebody else."
Charter school draws heat over $100 referral reward
Carpe Diem Meridian charter school in Indianapolis offered $100 Marsh grocery gift cards to anyone who referred a student who enrolled — an incentive that some critics say went too far.
Lawmakers debate Pence plan to boost charter funding
The Senate Appropriations Committee heard almost two hours of testimony Thursday from representatives both for and against the governor’s suggested $1,500 per-student grant to the state’s public charter schools.
Bill would create fund for teaching expelled students
A bill introduced in the Indiana General Assembly would divert $10 million or more in state education money into a new fund that would make grants to schools that focus on teaching expelled students.
Pence doesn’t push to expand preschool program
The governor said this will be an "education session" and said his priorities will include changes to the school funding formula and more money for school choice.
Republicans nix separate charter school, voucher funding
Republicans have rejected Democrats' calls to specify in Indiana's state budget how much money is going toward traditional public schools, charter schools and the private school voucher program.
Nearly all Indiana educators rated effective again
Hardly any teachers got low ratings despite major changes to toughen up state’s teacher evaluation system in 2011.