The State Board of Education approved a sweeping new plan for high school graduation pathways this month, but the recent decision has caused some concern for schools, and major questions remain.
The new plan aims to make sure students have more employable skills before they leave high school – through things like an after school job, or service or research projects. But Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association director Christopher Lagoni says there are still important, unanswered questions.
Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann speaks at the event announcing Indiana’s new partnership with Credential Engine. (Jeanie Lindsay/IPB News)
College-bound students often have a sea of information to navigate while making their post-high school plans, but the state has now partnered with a national nonprofit to make that easier.
The state Commission for Higher Education is building a database of information on Indiana’s colleges and universities – including cost, degrees offered, and skills taught in graduate programs. The idea is to make it easier for people to research prospective colleges, and a national group called Credential Engine curates that information online.
Immigration attorney Angela Adams responds to a question during a roundtable discussion on DACA. (Lauren Chapman/IPB News)
Hoosier community groups and businesses have a message for Indiana’s congressional delegation: find a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act or DACA. The program allows minors who came to the country illegally to get an education and receive work permits.
It expires March 6, 2018 and the Trump administration has tasked Congress with finding a permanent replacement. There are several pending bills in Congress, including the DREAM act, which would provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients.
As of Jan. 1, Muncie Community Schools will be designated a “distressed political subdivision.”
All five members of the Distressed Unit Appeals Board voted to keep MCS under state control. But, as many said at a meeting in Indianapolis, it wasn’t because MCS officials didn’t make progress on controlling the district’s multi-million dollar debt.
Muncie Community Schools will come under full state control in January, after a unanimous state board vote today. As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, this lets emergency managers make decisions about both the district’s finances and academics for the next several years. As of January 1, M
Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns explains the proposed computer science education degree simply.
“The melding together of computer science as well as education, in similar ways that we do whether you’re going to be a math teacher or a history teacher,” Mearns says. “We’re pretty confident that we can get students from the starting line to the finish line in four years.”
Ball State University says it is creating a new degree to train more computer science teachers. As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, it’s part of a statewide effort to fill more STEM education positions in Hoosier schools. Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns explains the proposed computer
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Indiana health officials announced Friday the first recorded flu-related death this season. The patient was young than 18-years-old. Flu season runs from October to May, but Indiana has only seen an uptick in cases in recent weeks.
Indiana University biologist Armin Moczek describes the horned dung beetles he studies as resembling small, little coffee beans. They look just like regular beetles with six little legs and a shiny black body, but it’s their third eye that makes them special.
“It turns out that this eye is fully functional. It’s in the wrong place. It’s not a perfect eye, but it’s perfect enough to see,” he says.
That extra eye was a surprise discovery Moczek’s team found after interfering with the insect’s genetic material during its development. So instead of a horn that typically develops in the middle of the head, the beetle has a third eye.
A team of IU biologists says an accidental discovery made while studying dung beetles could have huge implications for the way scientists study the evolutionary beginnings of certain traits. Indiana University biologist Armin Moczek describes the horned dung beetles he studies as resembling small, little coffee beans.
Except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, MCS says it will serve hot “brunch” each day at Southside Middle School. It uses the term “brunch” because serving times are listed from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
MCS officials did not immediately return calls for comment on the program’s cost and how many students the district expects to feed.
Muncie Community Schools will provide free hot meals to children during its winter holiday break. As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the district has begun offering more meals for students outside of school hours because of community need. Except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, MCS
Indiana University Bloomington campus. (Peter Balonon-Rosen)
Major changes to U.S. tax policy being debated in Washington have Indiana University officials concerned, because pieces of the proposed plans would negatively impact thousands of IU workers and their families.
Brown County is developing its “Free Little Libraries” program, offering three new locations for community members to pick up or drop off used books for free.
The Brown County Literacy Coalition is running the program. It started with four small libraries, but has expanded to seven. Coalition president Jonathan Bolte says the group wants to continue to expand.
Bolte says the county first got involved in the Free Little Libraries program about five years ago, and they’ve received overwhelming support.
Brown County is developing its “Free Little Libraries” program, offering three new locations for community members to pick up or drop off used books for free. The Brown County Literacy Coalition is running the program. It started with four small libraries, but has expanded to seven.
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