Purdue leaders announce the proposed merger earlier this year. (Chris Morisse Vizza/WBAA News)
After fewer than six minutes of public discussion Thursday afternoon, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education approved Purdue University’s plan to merge with online educator Kaplan University.
The ICHE is one of a handful of bodies that has to sign off on the merger before it can officially proceed and the educational offerings of the two institutions may become one.
Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers says her body doesn’t have all the facts about how the two schools will coordinate, but says the Commission was more interested in sending a message that approves of an attempt at innovation.
State Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Buck Creek) tries on an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset at Hope Academy in Indianapolis on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. (Eric Weddle/WFYI News)
An Indianapolis charter school will be one of the first in the country to use a virtual reality program to teach science to high school students.
Hope Academy, on the city’s far northeast side, is purchasing the software and curriculum from a tech-startup to supplement its traditional classroom teaching.
The software, designed by Iowa-based VitoryVR, offers middle school and high school coursework based on the NextGen Science Standards. The science curriculum currently offers 24 units, such as the solar system or Newton’s Law of Gravity. In all, there are 120 unique virtual experiences.
Parents and their kids may find it difficult to adapt to a new routine when the school year begins. For students who are homeless, it can be even more challenging.
2017 Kids Count Data says homelessness among students Allen County dropped for the first time since 2006 by about 1,300, but remains a problem. The current total of 16,143 homeless students is a far cry from the 2006 total of just under 5,000.
Fort Wayne Community Schools has taken donations of school supplies and other essentials throughout the calendar year to give those less fortunate an opportunity to start the school year on an even footing.
Parents and their kids may find it difficult to adapt to a new routine when the school year begins. For students who are homeless, it can be even more challenging. 2017 Kids Count Data says homelessness among students Allen County dropped for the first time since 2006 by about 1,300, but remains a problem.
After beginning the school year with busing issues that put Muncie Community Schools into the news again, those at Tuesday night’s school board meeting got to hear more about why transportation changes were made in the first place: the district’s precarious financial situation. Officials want to make MCS’s financial plan available to the public, line for line.
After beginning the school year with busing issues that put Muncie Community Schools into the news again, those at Tuesday night’s school board meeting got to hear more about why transportation changes were made in the first place – the district’s precarious financial situation.
U.S. high schools got a high-tech update this past school year. Not by federal fiat or by state law, but largely at the hand of independent nonprofits, including one founded by twin brothers less than five years ago.
The College Board last fall introduced a new course and exam called AP Computer Science Principles. Eight years in the planning, it was the largest such course launch in history. While the existing AP Computer Science course focuses on the Java programming language, the new course is billed as a creative exploration of real-world problems. It’s designed to appeal to people who might have assumed that computers were not for them.
U.S. high schools got a high-tech update this past school year. Not by federal fiat or by state law, but largely at the hand of independent nonprofits, including one founded by twin brothers less than five years ago. The College Board last fall introduced a new course and exam called AP Computer Science Principles.
On time rates at four-year campuses have improved by about 10 percentage points over five years, while two-year campuses improved by about 6 percentage points. (Source: Indiana Commission For Higher Education)
New data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education shows students are completing college sooner than in years past. But completion rates for minority students are still behind those of their white classmates.
Overall, 1 in 3 Indiana college students graduates on-time.
At four-year campuses, rates have increased about 10 percent in the past five years. Now, 51 percent of students at those institutions graduate on time, according to the 2017 Indiana College Completion Report.
Health insurance giant Anthem is partnering with Easterseals Crossroads to launch a new program to support children with autism and their families. (Photo credit: Rachel Morello/StateImpact Indiana)
Finding the right doctor or medical services for children can be hard. Finding those same services for children with autism can be even more difficult.
“In the autism world there can be long waits for services, there tend to be limited resources and difficulty accessing services that are needed,” says Tracy Gale, director of autism and behavior services at Easterseals Crossroads, the largest disability services organization in Indianapolis. “It can be very overwhelming for families.”
A new partnership hopes to change that. Health insurance giant Anthem is partnering with Easterseals Crossroads to launch a new program to support children with autism and their families.
A Florida group, MGT Consulting, will oversee Gary Community Schools in an attempt to turnaround the district. (Rachel Morello/StateImpact Indiana)
The Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board has named MGT Consulting, of Tallahassee, Florida, as emergency manager of the struggling Gary Community School Corporation in northwest Indiana.
The Gary school system has long struggled with money management, loss of students to charter and other district schools, and even its ability to pay teachers on time. A state law passed earlier this year required the DUAB to appoint a manager for Gary schools.
The firm will be tasked with helping the district manage a $110 million debt and assist the district moving forward. Gary Native Peggy Hinkley, of Scherville, will lead MGT Consulting with that task. She will have near-total control to introduce academic and financial changes, renegotiate teacher contracts and run Gary’s schools.
According to state law, to be eligible for state-funded pre-K, a parent needs to be working or attending school within 30 days of the program’s start. (Peter Balonon-Rosen/Indiana Public Broadcasting)
Indiana lags far behind other states in providing families access to state-funded pre-K programs, according to a new study of Indiana’s pre-K offerings. The analysis finds Indiana, the only state that ties a family’s pre-K eligibility to work and education requirements, limits participation for children who may be most in need.
The report from Early Learning Indiana, a preschool advocacy organization, says the requirement ends up “penalizing” children whose parents may not be able to work due to struggles with “addiction, mental health issues, housing instability, domestic violence and chronic illness.”
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