by David McGuire We all know that there is an equity problem in schools, and right now the spotlight is on discipline. The education sector is abuzz about the school-to-prison pipeline and the disproportionate suspension rates of black boys compared to other students. To address these concerns, schools are turning to an alternative approach that…
Representative Todd Rokita Wants to Restrict the Free Lunch Program
By Andrew Pillow. According to the Indy-Star, an Indiana congressman would like to make changes to the federal free lunch program. Todd Rokita, R-Indianapolis, has proposed to raise the threshold at which schools qualify for free meals for all students. Currently if a school has at least 40% of the student body receiving free or…
Punitive Discipline does nothing but harm our black boys
by David McGuire I now teach at an alternative middle school, and it should come as no surprise that nearly all of our students are black boys, along with three Latino boys. My students have been pushed out of traditional schools—not for criminal behavior but because of “defiance.” Defiance is a subjective offense that can…
Indianapolis Looking for New Ways to Evaluate Schools
By Andrew Pillow Indianapolis may be implementing a new type of grading system in the near future. The new system will seek to improve on the controversial A-F letter grade system, which critics say is too narrow of a metric to determine school quality. The description of the new effort via Chalkbeat says: Indianapolis Public…
New IU Center Seeks to Increase Ranks in Special Education
By Andrew Pillow Indiana University is the beneficiary of a new $5 million grant with the purpose of creating a new center. The Indiana Center on Teacher Quality seeks to grow the numbers of teachers in special education. The description of the new center via The Indianapolis Star says: The Indiana Center on Teacher Quality…
New Curator
By Andrew Pillow Hello, my name is Andrew Pillow and starting today I’m a curator for INDY / ED. My main role will be to serve as an aggregator of education stories that are relevant to Hoosiers. I’m a Teach for America Alum, and currently still in the classroom as a Technology teacher at KIPP…
We need a new Indiana test that truly helps our children advance
By Cheryl Kirk For years in Indiana, we were told the ISTEP standardized test was the standard and now they say never mind, not really, not so much. We now know that the old ISTEP was not rigorous enough for college and career readiness, but now with a higher bar, so many schools could not…
‘The teachers just took it that we weren’t as bright’
by Shaina Cavazos Teruko Knight-Gavia is an administrative assistant at Indiana Math and Science Academy West (IMSA). Knight-Gavia taught math in Indianapolis Public Schools’ John Marshall Middle School for about 10 years. She also spent time teaching at Sidener Gifted Academy and IMSA-West. Chalkbeat met Knight-Gavia near IMSA. She grew up going to school in IPS…
Students Deserve Administrators Who Know What They’re Doing
by David McGuire As a budding school administrator, I was raring to go. I was so excited about my first job. I’d been teamed up with several other newcomers to lead a struggling Indianapolis school. What I lacked in experience I made up for in passion and dedication. I thought I was ready. We all…
How to keep your black sons from being labeled as “disruptive”
by Cheryl Kirk I’m the mother of three African American children, two of them boys, so discipline is at times an issue. I am a firm believer that discipline begins at home, and most people would say I am a no-nonsense type of parent. Working with the teachers and administrators when it comes to my…