Controversy brews over judging charter performance
There is little agreement—but lots of politics and complex statistics—on how to define success and failure in Indiana’s public schools.
K-12
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School voucher proposal approved by House
The GOP-led House voted 56-42 on Wednesday in favor of the bill that would use taxpayer money to help some parents move their children from public schools to private schools.
United Way chapters teaming to improve graduation rates
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard will participate Thursday morning in a national online meeting as part of an education initiative that hopes to attract 1 million volunteers.
Advocates: Indiana can lead U.S. in schools overhaul
Education advocates told hundreds of cheering supporters at a Statehouse rally Wednesday that Indiana could lead the nation in overhauling schools.
Kroger plans $3.8 million school investment
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based grocer announced Wednesday a new three-year, $3.8 million investment that will support library grants, schools and a literacy initiative across Indianapolis.
State GOP pushing expansive voucher program
Indiana's Republican leadership is pushing ahead with a proposal that would be the nation's broadest use of school vouchers, allowing even middle-class families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to private schools.
Butler University to close 102-year-old dance academy
Butler University said Thursday that it plans to close its Jordan Academy of Dance due to economic reasons. The academy, which has more than 200 students, ages 3-17, will shut down May 31.
Indiana schools chief says education changes needed
State-funded vouchers for private schools and a shift of money to charter schools are necessary steps in the effort to improve Indiana's education system, the state schools superintendent said Tuesday.
School district eyes events, students for revenue
Franklin Community Schools officials say they don't want to be in the same situation they were last year, when the state forced the district to eliminate $3 million from its budget.
City to close Fountain Square charter school
The decision to close Fountain Square Academy, announced Friday morning at a press conference, marks the first time Mayor Greg Ballard has chosen to shut down a charter school.
Panel nixes transportation aid for charter schools
An Indiana Senate panel eliminated part of a proposal on Wednesday that would have required traditional public schools to help provide transportation to students attending charter schools.
Committee plans Wednesday vote on charter school bill
An Indiana Senate committee plans to vote Wednesday on a proposal aimed at expanding charter schools after hearing from the public on the bill last week.
Senate panel considers proposal to expand charters
The Senate Education Committee heard hours of testimony about the bill and details of a new study that found Indiana students who transferred to charter schools showed greater learning gains than their peers who stayed in traditional public schools.
Charter-school boosters tout findings of new study
Charter-school advocates are touting a Stanford University study released Wednesday as support for their case to expand charters throughout the state.
Anderson schools to close ‘Wigwam’ basketball venue
The Anderson School Board voted 6-1 Tuesday to shutter the 9,000-seat Wigwam gym complex at the end of current school year as part of a wider budget-cutting plan that includes cutting 65 teachers' jobs.
Transition-to-teaching students find few jobs
An Indiana Department of Education report shows less than 40 percent of those who completed the transition-to-teaching programs in 2008-2009 were working in Indiana schools last year.
Indiana private-school voucher bill faces changes
To win solid support for the bill from his own caucus, House Speaker Brian Bosma said Republicans are considering limiting the number of students who could receive vouchers and may further restrict qualifying income levels.
Dual roles give Bess unusual view into schools
As a Danville school board member and superintendent of Indianapolis Metropolitan High, Scott Bess is straddling the increasingly contentious chasm between traditional public schools and privately operated charters.
GOP-led Indiana House panel OKs new budget proposal
A Republican-controlled Indiana House committee has approved a GOP budget proposal that would keep overall education funding at current levels while making major shifts in the way money is divvied up among individual school districts.
UPDATE: GOP budget includes big shift in school funding
Individual school districts could see major shifts in funding but overall education funding would remain at current levels under a state budget plan presented Thursday by Republicans who control the Indiana House.