education

School Safety Bill Passes Without Armed Personnel Mandate

Brandon Smith — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:55:13 +0000

The Indiana House Monday passed a school safety bill minus a controversial provision that could have required schools to arm teachers and principals.

The school safety bill creates a $10 million grant fund Indiana schools can use to evaluate existing school safety measures, purchase safety equipment or hire school resource officers –law enforcement with extra training for work in the school environment.

Federal cuts won't hurt Head Start right away

Sean Bueter — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:02:49 +0000

The White House has said as many as 1,000 Indiana children will lose access to early education services because of automatic federal spending cuts. But Head Start won’t start cutting slots right away, and program directors have been told to look for money elsewhere.

Legislation offers incentives for future teachers

Brandon Smith — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:00:21 +0000

Indiana’s highest-performing high school and college students could get some of their student loans paid back by the government if they teach in some of the state’s neediest subjects and areas.

Under legislation proposed by Indianapolis Democratic Representative Justin Moed, the state would pay back nine thousand dollars in student loans after a graduate of an Indiana college teaches three years in a Hoosier school.

Lawmakers call for financial literacy standards

Brandon Smith — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:58:59 +0000

State lawmakers are pushing legislation that would create a financial literacy curriculum for the state, encouraging schools to teach skills such as investing, balancing a checkbook, and applying for loans.

Supporters of the legislation say students are graduating high school without basic financial skills.

Greenwood Republican Senator Brent Waltz says that’s not a new problem.

Education officials approve licensing changes

Kyle Stokes — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:43:42 +0000

A state panel has voted to make it easier for non-education majors who earn Bachelor’s degrees to get teaching jobs. That’s one part of a broad package of changes to Indiana’s rules for teacher licensing the State Board of Education approved Wednesday. But opponents fear the new standards sets the bar too low.

The State Board’s final 9-2 vote ends months of debate on the proposal known as “REPA II.” State education officials say the new guidelines give schools more flexibility in the teacher hiring process.

Voucher challenge comes up this week

Sean Bueter — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:28:50 +0000

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the state’s school voucher program Wednesday, but at least one analyst says the challenge is facing an uphill battle.

Earlier this year, Marion Superior Court Judge Michael Keele denied a school voucher challenge that was brought by teachers and parents and backed by the Indiana State Teachers Association. The Supreme Court decided to take the case on appeal directly, rather than allowing the state Court of Appeals to hear it first.

Tony Bennett explains school ratings

Sarah Delia — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:22:23 +0000

State education officials announced Wednesday morning fewer Indiana schools received the state’s highest letter grade rating in 2012. But three out of five schools still received an A or a B. State superintendent Tony Bennett unveiled the letter grades and said the grades are “positive news” overall for Indiana schools.

Bennett, Ritz debate at NIPR

Sean Bueter — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:20:00 +0000

On Friday, October 26, the candidates for Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction debated at the studios of Northeast Indiana Public Radio.

Republican incumbent, Dr. Tony Bennett, and his opponent, Democrat Glenda Ritz, spent an hour answering questions from StateImpact Indiana reporter, Kyle Stokes.

The full debate can be streamed or downloaded as a podcast by clicking here.

StateImpact Indiana: IREAD-3 creates anxiety for dyslexic students

Elle Moxley — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:18:52 +0000

For the second year in a row, Indiana third graders will have to pass a high stakes reading test or risk getting held back.

It’s a lot of pressure for 8 and 9 year olds, but for some struggling readers, the IREAD-3 is an even bigger source of anxiety.

That’s because the root cause of their difficulty is dyslexia, a learning disability. Most students with special needs can qualify for a good cause exemption that allows them to move onto fourth grade even if they don’t pass.

StateImpact Indiana: How Career And Technical Education Is Changing In Indiana

Elle Moxley — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:08:01 +0000

It’s just after 2 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon. The sun is high in the sky, and the construction workers digging the foundation of a storage building at Columbus North High School’s new baseball field are about to call it a day.

But once they’re done, they’ll board a yellow bus and go back to school. That’s because the workers at this construction site are high school students.

Both major party gubernatorial candidates are calling for Indiana high schools to bring back vocational training.