House Republicans propose $30M for small businesses, $150M for learning loss grants
The two grant programs were initially announced last week as part of the House GOP legislative agenda, but the exact funding amounts were not shared at that time.
Education
Articles
Left out of referendums, Indiana charter schools push for more funding
Charter schools miss out on about $3,300 per student in local funding because they don’t get the property tax money that traditional districts use to pay for buildings, transportation, and technology.
Ed-tech startup aims to identify student challenges
Invoke Learning offers a cloud-based artificial intelligence system that tracks student behavior from a variety of data sources gathered from the school and other publicly available outlets.
College students recruited as teachers to keep schools open
As the coronavirus sidelines huge numbers of educators, school districts are turning to college students, who are learning online or home for extended winter breaks.
City partners on pilot network connecting students to high-speed internet
If proven successful in the pilot stage, the Marion County Dedicated Network Pilot could be expanded to serve public school students countywide as soon as early 2022.
Lawyer reprimanded, but escapes discipline charges in Park Tudor scandal
Prominent Indianapolis employment law attorney Michael Blickman received a public reprimand from the Indiana Supreme Court related to his handling of a former high school basketball coach’s student sexting scandal.
Education secretary bashes student debt forgiveness, free-college movement
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is taking shots at student debt cancellation and tuition-free college proposals, hallmarks of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda for higher education.
Presidential preferences: Finding an IU leader to please all constituencies will be challenging
Students want a president that’s focused more on their wellbeing. Faculty members want a leader with a background in academia. And members of the business community say they hope IU’s next president sets the university up to better meet the needs of Indiana employers and the jobs of tomorrow.
Former Indiana lieutenant governor donates $2M to Northwestern journalism school
John Mutz made the donation to establish a newly endowed chair at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism that will study and support innovation in local news at the school.
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.
Pandemic puts retailers in college towns to stiff test
The worst part for the hundreds of Hoosier small-business owners whose livelihood is linked to universities is the uncertainty.
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.
State launching new guidelines for schools during pandemic
The color-coded system, expected to go live Wednesday, assigns scores to counties based on three key metrics: the number of new cases per 100,000 residents, positivity percentage and change in percent positivity from the previous week.