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.
K-12
Articles
Angst over ISTEP continues in Statehouse, school districts
Lawmakers are at odds over a proposal to scrap the ISTEP+ standardized test for an off-the-shelf model. Meanwhile, schools are preparing to take the online portion of the high-stakes test, which has been glitchy in the past.
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.
Education board leadership bill nears final approval
A Republican-backed proposal that would allow the Indiana superintendent of public instruction—currently Democrat Glenda Ritz—to be replaced as leader of the state Board of Education advanced Tuesday toward final negotiations in the Indiana Legislature.
House rejects delaying education board control change
Republicans in the Indiana House on Monday rejected a series of Democratic-sponsored amendments to a contentious bill that would allow the state Board of Education to elect its own chairman.
Report predicts demand for school vouchers will level off
Statewide school voucher programs across the U.S. are starting to see demand level off, but Indiana's relatively new program has yet to discover its capacity, Indiana University researchers say.
Dorsey launches not-for-profit focused on tech jobs
Former ExactTarget CEO Scott Dorsey on Monday launched Nextech, which aims to close the widening gap between technology jobs and qualified candidates for those jobs.
House panel backs bill to let education board decide leader
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is one step closer to losing her position as leader of the State Board of Education.
Senate panel proposes phase-in of school-funding shifts
Indiana Senate budget leaders are proposing that changes to local school funding be phased in so that cuts faced by some urban and rural districts with shrinking enrollments will be easier to manage.
School funding debate back on Indiana Legislature’s agenda
Education issues are coming back to the forefront of the Indiana Legislature as lawmakers are set to renew debates over funding for local school districts and who will head up the State Board of Education.
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.
Orchard School puts big fundraising event on one-year hiatus
The popular Orchard in Bloom Flower Show, one of the largest annual fundraisers on the city's north side, is taking a year off after 25 years, officials at the Orchard School said.
High court: Constitution doesn’t require school bus service
The decision stems from a case involving the Franklin Township school district in Indianapolis, which was sued after it eliminated free bus service for the 2011-2012 school year.
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.
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.
Indiana recommends nearly $134M in testing contracts
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is blasting a state recommendation to award nearly $134 million to six vendors to develop and administer tests for state's students.
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.
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."
Kenley: Slower-than-expected tax revenue warrants caution
Indiana Senate budget chief Luke Kenley said he might be a bit more restrained with spending in his version of the next two-year budget because the state has not been meeting its revenue projections for the current fiscal year.