IPS voters favored Kennedy over Ballard for Indy mayor

Melina Kennedy outpolled Greg Ballard by a hefty margin among Indianapolis Public Schools district voters in the Nov. 8 race for mayor of Indianapolis. Of course, Kennedy, a Democrat, didn’t win. Ballard, the Republican incumbent, was re-elected and will serve another four-year term. He won despite being beaten soundly among voters within the IPS boundaries, [...]

The Mind Trust’s plan to redesign IPS

The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that promotes education reform, released an ambitious proposal Sunday for remaking Indianapolis Public Schools. It certainly has people talking. Here are some initial thoughts: – A key feature of the plan involves killing off the IPS school board and turning control of the district over to the Indianapolis mayor [...]

Indiana’s $320 million mistake is an opportunity

Indiana Democrats were absolutely right to call for an investigation of how the Daniels administration managed to misplace $320 million in tax revenue. As the Indianapolis Star editorialized, without a reliable audit, how do we know that other funding streams are being accounted for properly? Republicans on the State Budget Committee didn’t seem too concerned, [...]

ALEC model bill provided the framework for Indiana voucher measure

Take a look at this legislation that describes how a state will provide “choice scholarships” to help pay tuition for students who transfer from public schools to private schools, including religious schools. Is it the voucher bill that the Indiana legislature passed in 2011? It almost could be – the two are remarkably similar. But [...]

On saving education reform from the reformers (and from abandonment)

“How to Rescue Education Reform,” a guest column in the New York Times written by Rick Hess and Linda Darling-Hammond, should be required reading for anyone who thinks top-down reforms will be the salvation of American schools, and also for those who think schools don’t merit national attention. Writing from opposite sides of the political [...]

Indiana charter school proposals: local issues and national expansions

Most of the initial proposals for new charter schools being considered this month by the new Indiana Charter School Board fall into one of two categories. One the one hand, there are groups of Indiana residents who have decided to create a charter school as an end-run around local school board decisions or practices. On [...]

Indiana Democrats look to score points on education

Kudos to Indiana House Democrats for making education a big part of their agenda for 2012. Not that their proposals are likely to pass – Democrats are a minority in the House and even more so in the Senate. And their ideas cost money, which the Republican majority won’t agree to spend. But sometimes you [...]