ISTEP cheating bill dies but idea could be revived, author says
Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, wants Indiana to look more closely for schools with odd state test results that might suggest cheating, but a bill he wrote to create that process is on the shelf —...
View ArticleIPS chooses struggling School 103 as Phalen ‘innovation’ school
A long-struggling Indianapolis Public Schools elementary on the city’s Far Eastside will next year be transformed into a Phalen Leadership Academy under a deal between the district and the charter...
View ArticleFerebee calls Cosby’s concerns ‘myths’ as board approves plan for 2 high schools
The Indianapolis Public School Board tonight approved a $2.1 million contract to create “transformation zones” to try to improve two struggling high schools despite concerns from one board member....
View ArticleState board rules IPS can manage Arlington, share Donnan
Indianapolis Public Schools today gained back a measure of control over two of its former schools that have been run independently after state takeover in 2012. It’s going too far to say that IPS gets...
View ArticleSenate committee guts state takeover bill
Sweeping changes to a bill that intended to overhaul the process of state takeover of failing schools today took away much of its punch. The Senate Education Committee amended and passed House Bill...
View ArticleSurvey: Marion County teachers not satisfied with training
Indianapolis school districts and charter schools spent more than $11 million last year on teacher training, but a new survey suggests that most teachers aren’t satisfied with it. Only 44 percent of...
View ArticleNational dropout expert: ‘Cultural change’ needed to improve graduation rates
Shelbyville once was the poster child for the nation’s high school dropout crisis. When the small Southern Indiana school district was prominently featured in Time Magazine’s 2006 Dropout Nation cover...
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IPS approach to improving schools could go statewide
Indianapolis Public Schools likes to brag these days about Project Restore, a home-grown school improvement plan invented by two of its teachers that has helped turn schools around. But today, the...
View ArticleNew state board members talk Glenda Ritz, testing, state takeover
A major overhaul for the Indiana State Board of Education this week, fueled by a change in state law that prompted five new appointments, means new people bringing new opinions to the debates about key...
View ArticleSchool 93 a step closer to possible takeover despite new law’s timeline changes
A change in state law that could see failing schools taken over by the state two years quicker won’t affect schools that have already earned four or five F grades in a row. It will still take six years...
View ArticleCity reshuffles education staff as Jason Kloth departs
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s office overseeing education programs and charter schools is undergoing a transition. Friday is the last day of work for Deputy Mayor Jason Kloth, who came in 2012 from...
View ArticleWhen schools add teaching time, planning and coordination can suffer
Michelle Gunderson used to look forward to her weekly training sessions about how to work with struggling readers. One morning per week, she and her fellow first-grade teachers at Nettelhorst...
View ArticleOne-time standout Warren Township school now needs an overhaul
Once a star school, Warren Township’s Sunny Heights Elementary spiraled downhill over the past two years, but the district is hoping a grant can help turn it around. Sunny Heights touted an “A” letter...
View ArticleStill-troubled Arlington High School at center of state board debate this week
Arlington High School has had perhaps the bumpiest ride of the five Indiana schools taken over by the state in 2012 for persistently low test scores, and it might be about to return to a starring role...
View ArticleState board OK with IPS promises that Arlington High School is on the mend
Arlington High School has struggled this year, but the Indiana State Board of Education on Wednesday took a less urgent tone about the need for improvements than they did just six months ago. In May...
View ArticleIndiana graduation rates dipped in 2015, but remain mostly flat over five years
The percentage of Indiana students graduating high school in 2015 fell from the year before, but the graduation rate — about one percentage point lower than 2014 across the state and in Marion County —...
View ArticleAhmed Young wants to help push the city’s education efforts in a new direction
There are a few things Ahmed Young wants you to know about him. 1. Unlike his predecessor, Jason Kloth, he doesn’t have the title of deputy mayor for education. Director of the Office of Education...
View ArticleIndianapolis education leaders seek lessons from a school autonomy zone in...
Four years into their school turnaround initiative known as the Innovation Zone, education leaders in Memphis are seeking to move schools from triage to sustainable student growth, while their...
View ArticleIndy achievement gap is wide, but a school known for its gardens is among...
Paramount School of Excellence had been open for two years when school leaders came to a realization: their students were lagging behind the state academically — and were not catching up fast enough....
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