Indiana

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Indiana
Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, speaks during a presentation of the proposed state spending plan during an announcement in Indianapolis on Jan. 4, 2023.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner speaks about a proposed state spending plan on Jan. 4, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana tracks students' 3rd grade reading progress and the tools and supports districts are deploying.
Michael Conroy/AP
Reading & Literacy Applying the 'Science of Reading': 3 State Leaders on Putting Policy Into Practice
Officials discussed how their states have attempted a multifaceted approach to reading improvement.
Sarah Schwartz, February 22, 2024
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4 min read
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, left, visits classrooms at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on Jan. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson visits with a student at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in Indianapolis.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From With a Steady Hand, a Superintendent Guides Her District Through Big Changes
When Aleesia Johnson became superintendent of the Indianapolis schools, Indiana’s largest district needed much more than a patch job.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2024
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9 min read
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, pictured at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on Jan. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Aleesia Johnson is the superintendent of the Indianapolis school district where she's leading a major improvement effort.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A How to Manage Big Emotions During Difficult District Transitions
A big-city superintendent discusses how she balances strong public sentiment with staying the course on a major improvement initiative.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2024
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4 min read
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reads "Snowflakes Fall" to daycare children at the Department of Labor on Dec. 20, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. Hochul on Jan. 3, 2024, said she will push for schools to reemphasize phonics in literacy education programs, a potential overhaul that comes as many states revamp curriculums amid low reading scores.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reads "Snowflakes Fall" to day-care children at the Department of Labor on Dec. 20, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. Hochul on Jan. 3, 2024, said she will push for schools to reemphasize phonics in literacy programs. New York is one of several states introducing new reading plans or proposals in 2024.
Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via AP
Reading & Literacy The 'Science of Reading' in 2024: 5 State Initiatives to Watch
These actions join a mounting tide of reading legislation across the country.
Sarah Schwartz, January 25, 2024
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6 min read
People stand on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
People stand on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines to Hear School District's Transgender Restroom Case
The case asked whether federal law protects transgender students on the use of school facilities that correspond to their gender identity.
Mark Walsh, January 16, 2024
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4 min read
Image of a student walking with a backpack on.
Collage via iStock/Getty
Student Achievement What the Research Says Keeping Younger Students Back a Grade Shows Benefits Over Time, Study Finds
New longitudinal research shows reading and math benefits for retaining younger students who need more time.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 13, 2023
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4 min read
Jennifer Mojica works with students in her math class at Holmes Elementary School in Miami on Sept. 1, 2011. In a distressed neighborhood north of Miami's gleaming downtown, a group of enthusiastic but inexperienced instructors from Teach for America is trying to make progress where more veteran teachers have had difficulty: raising students' reading and math scores.
Jennifer Mojica, a Teach For America instructor, works with students in her math class at Holmes Elementary School in Miami on Sept. 1, 2011. The program helps staff low-income schools with young teachers, but it has shrunk along with the general teacher pipeline.
J Pat Carter/AP
Teacher Preparation Once a Big Player, Teach For America Tries to Regain Its Footing
A slimmed-down TFA is investing in tutoring programs and supports to keep members in the classroom.
Madeline Will, August 3, 2023
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11 min read
Conceptual image of a blackboard with chalk drawings of questions marks to look like lightbulbs and a crumpled piece of paper to signify a lightbulb, idea.
Getty
States The Steps Some States Are Taking to Redefine Student Success
"We can’t go back to the way it’s always been done," says the head of the group that represents state education chiefs.
Libby Stanford, August 3, 2023
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7 min read
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington.
AP
Law & Courts 2 Big Supreme Court Cases—But Not the Ones You Think—With Implications for Public Schools
Employees won stronger ground to claim a religious accommodation, as a new case will address when job transfers are covered by federal law.
Mark Walsh, July 7, 2023
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10 min read
A parent and child looking at 2 different schools
DigitalVision/Getty
School Choice & Charters 6 More States Will Soon Let Almost All Students Attend Private School With Public Money
So far this year, 14 states passed laws and lawmakers in 42 states introduced bills to expand private school choice.
Libby Stanford, June 15, 2023
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7 min read
Protesters cheer outside Senate chambers at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state Senators on April 10, 2023, advanced a bill that some worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Protesters cheer at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state lawmakers advanced a bill that some advocates worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Arleigh Rodgers/AP
Equity & Diversity Pronouns for Trans, Nonbinary Students: The States With Laws That Restrict Them in Schools
Under the laws, teachers aren’t required to use trans or nonbinary students’ requested pronouns.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 14, 2023
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7 min read
Image of a computer at a desk with "Job Search" in the search window.
Syuzanna Guseynova/iStock/Getty + EdWeek
Teaching Profession Summer Jobs Have Become an (Unwelcome) Tradition for Many Teachers
Many teachers rely on summer as a time to earn much-needed extra income.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 31, 2023
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4 min read
A crowd gathers at the outside of the Indiana House chamber as the House Education Committee discuss House Bill 1608 at the Statehouse on Feb. 20, 2023, in Indianapolis.
A crowd gathers at the outside of the Indiana House chamber on Feb. 20, 2023, as the House Education Committee discussed the legislation that became a state law that requires teachers to inform parents if their children identify as transgender. Indiana is one of at least nine states that have passed laws targeting transgender students' pronouns.
Darron Cummings/AP
Equity & Diversity Laws on Trans, Nonbinary Student Pronouns Put Teachers in a Bind
Under laws passed in nine states, teachers don't have to use students’ pronouns and names if they don’t align with their assigned sex.
Eesha Pendharkar & Libby Stanford, May 30, 2023
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8 min read
Latasha Johnson teaches reading skills to a kindergarten classroom at Walnut Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C. on May 25, 2022.
Latasha Johnson teaches reading skills to a kindergarten classroom at Walnut Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C. on May 25, 2022.
Kate Medley for Education Week
Reading & Literacy 4 More States Pass 'Science of Reading' Mandates
Four states—and one big city district—have recently mandated changes to how schools teach early reading.
Sarah Schwartz, May 10, 2023
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4 min read
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