(Eric Weddle/WFYI Public Media)
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos approved Indiana’s plan to adhere to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act Friday.
Indiana’s 168-page plan details how state officials will comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the No Child Left Behind law in 2015.
As part of the guiding policy, Indiana schools Superintendent Jennifer McCormick pledged to close the student achievement gap in English and mathematics for special education students, students of color and other unique populations by 50 percent by 2023.
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Advance America Founder Eric Miller said the bill is necessary to address a “loophole” in current legislation that allows parental access to instructional materials, but does not specify sexuality health instruction. Miller said this should be explicit.
The new bill would also require every parent to sign and return a permission slip before their child is allowed to take sex ed. “That way the parents, everybody, has buy in. Then everybody wins,” Miller said.
A potential law before the Indiana Senate would require written parental consent for sexual education in schools. Critics say the bill would limit student access to evidence-based programming. Only proponents of the bill – a stream of parents, former educators and an executive of the conservative political advocacy group Advance America – showed up to address the Committee on Education and Career Development Wednesday.
Read more at: sideeffectspublicmedia.org
(Lauren Chapman/IPB News)
A House committee heard testimony on a bill Wednesday that would help the state identify schools facing financial problems, but the bill has already been met with criticism. Both Gary and Muncie Schools were taken over by the state last year after their finances reached crisis levels.
Some key pieces of House Ways and Means Committee Chair Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville)’s legislation have superintendents and teachers concerned. In addition to creating ways for the state to check in on and offer help to schools flagged for financial problems, it would also provide ways for the District Unit Appeals Board (DUAB) to strip some school officials of their power.
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“I think this is far superior to a state takeover along the lines of an emergency manager. This is a community solution to a community challenge.”
Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns supports an amendment to a House-written bill that would give the university the responsibility for Muncie Community Schools and its multi-million dollar deficit.
“If through community engagement and innovative programming, high quality academic program, and extensive support wrap-around services, we can persuade the parents in Muncie and the Muncie area that their best option for public education is to come back to Muncie public schools, that will help to address the financial challenges that the school presently faces.”
UPDATED: An amendment to a bill being considered by Indiana lawmakers could let Ball State University take control of Muncie Community Schools instead of a state-appointed emergency manager. But, as IPR’s Tony Sandleben reports, details of the idea are still emerging, because it wasn’t shared with
Read more at: indianapublicradio.org
Gary Community Schools data taken from the Public Corporation Transfer Report (Credit: Indiana Department of Education)
A new state report shows the number of students who transfer in or out of the school corporation boundary they reside in to attend other districts, charter schools or private schools.
The Public Corporation Transfer Report was created by a 2017 state law. The intent is to offer a better understanding of the mobility of students living within a school corporation’s boundary, according to the Indiana Department of Education who compiled and released it.
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The website of the Indiana Education Savings Authority. (Credit: State of Indiana)
Indiana lawmakers want to study the impact of 529 College Savings Plans on state revenue after a just enacted federal tax change allows the accounts to be spent on tuition at private elementary and high schools.
Legislation in the General Assembly that would have replaced the annual cap on income tax credits for donations to college savings plans with a lifetime limit is being amended to instead shift the issue to a summer study committee.
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(Pixabay)
The Department of Education released 2017 graduation rate data Friday.
The department reports the statewide graduation rate landed around 87 percent — two points lower than in 2016.
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Some school principals offered feedback on the State Board of Education\’s new graduation pathways plan, citing concerns about implementation in schools across the state. (Jeanie Lindsay/IPB News)
School principals are concerned about the state’s plan to change high school graduation pathway requirements. Some say it lacks important details on how schools can bring that plan to life.
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(Pixabay)
The Senate education committee heard testimony on a bill to mandate schools teach computer science. It mandates computer science curriculum in elementary and middle school. It also requires it as an elective in high school, and it earmarks money for teacher training.
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The State Board of Education debated which version of a proposal to release for public comment at its first meeting of the year. (Jeanie Lindsay/IPB News)
Significant changes are in store for the state’s school grading system, but the State Board of Education had trouble finding a starting point at its first meeting of 2018.
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