Elle Moxley came to WFIU in 2012 from The Examiner, a community newspaper in suburban Kansas City. She previously worked for KBIA-FM in Columbia, Mo.; The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill.; and the Associated Press in London. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where she studied multimedia journalism and broadcasting.
Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, speaks at a rally at the statehouse in January. After his initial proposal to stop Common Core implementation stalled, Schneider attached 'pause' language to another education bill.
The exact timeline of the “pause” isn’t yet clear, but it sounds like the summer and fall will allow for legislators to study the issue and the public to give feedback. The big unknown is who gets to make the final decision about whether to move forward with Common Core? Is it the state board, where the decision was made to go with Common Core in 2010? If so, the board couldn’t be more strongly supportive of Common Core right now. Or will it be the considerably more skeptical lawmakers who get to decide? That would be a big shift, as education standards have traditionally been wholly a matter for the state board and the Indiana Department of Education.
If the timeline is to have a decision, say, by the end of 2013 and the state board gets to make the call, that would be reassuring to Common Core supporters. If the decision is left up to the 2014 legislature, that would be a win for opponents. We’ll have to see the final language, assuming something passes by the end of the month, to answer that question. Continue Reading →
Opponents of the Common Core, a set of nationally-crafted academic standards, rally at the statehouse.
A slight majority of Hoosiers say Indiana should stick with the Common Core, a set of nationally-crafted academic standards adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.
Common Core is a set of national standards for what students in grades K-12 should know in math and English. Forty-five states have adopted these standards, including Indiana. Some people say Indiana should withdraw from Common Core because they think the Common Core standards aren’t as high as Indiana’s previous standards and they are concerned about the loss of local control of education. Other people say Indiana should continue with Common Core, which teachers are beginning to implement, because the standards are high and that in order to compete with other states’ graduates, Indiana students need to meet the same standards. Which statement reflects your view?
Fifty-four percent of respondents said Indiana should stick with the standards, while 26 percent were in favor of halting Common Core implementation. Another 20 percent said they didn’t know. Continue Reading →
Private school students wait outside the Indiana Supreme Court as justices hear a challenge to the state's voucher law. The state's high court upheld the program in March.
Republican lawmakers pounding out differences between House and Senate versions of a proposal to expand the state’s school voucher system are close to a deal, reports the Indianapolis Star‘s Scott Elliott:
A vote could come today on a revised version of House Bill 1003 that would extend vouchers to income-qualified siblings of those already using vouchers, students in special education and those living within the boundaries of a school rated a D or F by the Indiana Department of Education.
None of those students would have to first attend public school for at least two semesters in order to receive tax-funded vouchers to pay private school tuition, as is now required.
Although the deal leaves out children from military families or who are in foster care — both were included in prior versions — the addition of schools rated D or F would make thousands of Hoosier children newly eligible. The changes would take effect next school year. Continue Reading →
What questions do you have about the Common Core, the nationally-crafted academic standards adopted by Indiana and 44 other states?
StateImpact is answering reader-submitted questions about the Common Core, a new set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do in math and English at each grade level. Indiana is one of 45 states that have fully adopted the Common Core.
If we leave Common Core, are textbook publishers going to be willing to write textbooks and curriculum that align with Indiana’s standards? Or will we get the EXACT same Common Core-based curriculum options that the Common Core states will have, just with a colorful insert in the teacher’s manual that points out how the material kinda/sorta/maybe/if-you-really-stretch aligns with Indiana’s standards?
A Common Core timeout proposal appeared dead on arrival in the House Education Committee earlier this session. But similar language — this time calling for a halt to the new standards pending legislative review — made its way into a separate education proposal that passed the Senate earlier this month. As state lawmakers ponder a Common Core opt out, we take a look at what would happen with textbooks if Indiana withdraws from the new standards. Continue Reading →
The Indiana Department of Education loaned roughly $12.9 million to eight charter schools to help with startup costs, and they still owe $12 million to the state, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Seven whose charters were revoked by Ball State University in January would be absolved of payments, along with another school which did not seek to renew its charter.
“Why did they get their charter revoked?” asked Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville. “If they were (educating students) and it was a good faith effort and they were in good standing at that time, maybe it should be paid for them.” Continue Reading →
Kruse wasn’t the only one questioning the program’s $7 million price tag. Sen. Jean Leising, R-Oldenburg, also wanted to know why the state legislature was considering paying so much for preschool.
Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, speaks at an anti-Common Core rally at the statehouse in January. Schneider wants Indiana to pause and review the new academic standards before implementing them.
The General Assembly could adjourn as late as April 29, but lawmakers say they they hope to wrap up this week.
Voucher expansion— albeit much narrower than originally proposed — still needs to pass conference committee. And it’s hard to say what will happen to a plan to halt Common Core implementation as the legislature winds down the 2013 session.
Here’s what we’re working on this week at StateImpact. Continue Reading →
East Gibson School Corporation Supt. Mike Brewster told the Evansville Courier & Press he didn't realize his contract wasn't online. His and other administrative contracts were posted last week.
It’s hard to say exactly how many for sure because a Courier & Press analysis turned up some contracts in the strangest places.
In one case, the superintendent’s contract was only located through a Google search. It is on the school district’s site, but it wasn’t possible to access from the site. In another case, the information was found under a tab called, “employment opportunities.”
In some cases, superintendent contracts are not posted at all… In all, the Courier & Press found 106 Indiana school superintendents haven’t posted their contracts or they have posted them in a way that requires help to find. Continue Reading →
What questions do you have about the Common Core, the nationally-crafted academic standards adopted by Indiana and 44 other states.
StateImpact is answering reader-submitted questions about the Common Core, a new set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do in math and English at each grade level. Indiana is one of 45 states that have fully adopted the Common Core.
Today, we’re answering a question we received from an audience member at the Common Core panel we hosted earlier this month:
Please explain the dynamics of the current battle in the statehouse over Common Core. What groups are opposed and why?
Indiana signed onto the Common Core in 2010 and is on track to fully implement the new academic standards by the 2014-15 school year. But in schools where teachers are already using the standards, some parents say Common Core homework looks radically different. That’s led to pushback against the new standards.
With such an active discussion over the standards’ future playing out at the statehouse, let’s take a step back and map out who stands for what in the debate over the Common Core. Continue Reading →
Changes to proposed voucher legislation limit expansion to students living in the attendance zones of F schools.
School choice advocates who had hoped for a big boost in the dollar amount of Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program will have to settle for a $400 increase over the next two years.
As voucher legislation left the Senate Thursday, the bill’s author, Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, proposed an amendment lifting the cap from $4,500 to $4,700 next year and $4,900 in 2015. It’s significantly less than the $6,500 originally proposed in a bill that’s undergone many changes as it moved through the statehouse.
At different points, the proposal has included provisions making siblings of participating students eligible for vouchers, increasing access for foster and military families and eliminating the public school requirement for incoming kindergarteners. But then the Senate Education Committee narrowed expansion to any student living in the attendance zone of a F school, a change Indiana Public Broadcasting‘s Brandon Smith reports Behning won’t fight:
Rep. Behning says he doesn’t plan to address the attendance requirement after the Senate altered it.
“I did not change any of the parameters they had in terms of that … they have already voted on what’s in the bill,” he says. “I’m not trying to ask them to revote on that issue.” Continue Reading →
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