A legislative study committee recommended a series of steps Monday that would whittle away at the authority of teacher unions while attempting to address Indiana's shrinking number of new teachers.
Two top Indiana education officials said Monday that concerns about fewer new teachers entering the profession won't be simple to address.
Some educators are worried that tighter academic requirements for those teaching Indiana high school classes for which students can receive college credit will lead to a drop in such dual-credit offerings.
High school teacher Don Wettrick is honored in part for a class that lets students pursue projects in collaboration with professionals.
Ritz said Thursday she and Dr. Maryann Santos de Barona, dean of Purdue University's College of Education, will co-chair the 49-member commission that includes educators and lawmakers.
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.
Indiana Department of Education numbers indicate the number of first-time teacher licenses issued in Indiana has dropped nearly 20 percent since 2009.
The Indiana Department of Education says the number of first-time teaching licenses issued has dropped about 60 percent since the 2009-10 school year.
School districts across Indiana are having trouble finding people to fill open teaching positions as the number of teacher licenses issued by the state has dropped by nearly 90 percent in recent years.
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.
Indiana teachers would get a $200 tax credit to help pay for classroom supplies under legislation considered Wednesday by the Senate Education Committee.
Indiana needs to improve communication between its education leaders, hire more staff and take other steps to prevent a repeat of the “thorny issues” surrounding the length of this year’s ISTEP+ exam, two consultants hired by the state say.
Indiana legislative leaders said they’re prepared to ram through legislation to make the state’s ISTEP test shorter, but they won’t consider Superintendent Glenda Ritz’s proposal to pause the school grading system for one year.
Hardly any teachers got low ratings despite major changes to toughen up state’s teacher evaluation system in 2011.
The proposed tax credit doesn’t yet have a price tag. But it could essentially reimburse teachers for money they’ve spent on supplies, up to a cap that would be set in the law.
A U.S. Department of Education plan to use student test scores to rate colleges and universities for their teacher training is drawing fire from some Indiana educators.
Teaching isn't making the grade as a career path for many students due to a string of recent trends.
The State of Indiana announced $30 million in grants Thursday to 1,317 schools around Indiana to reward their performance on the state standardized tests and graduation rates.
The special meeting sends signals that the board could back out of the $750,000 program, which apparently was launched in IPS before the board formally approved it last week.
The funds will help providers around Indiana improve curricula, build classrooms, educate parents about the importance of high-quality child care and education, and support professional development for teachers.
