HB 1423 is poised to pass any day now. It would establish the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation to oversee facilities, transportation, and accountability for all IPS and charter schools. The bill would bring about an unprecedented shift in our public education landscape and marks the culmination of a tumultuous year. Continue reading What Comes Next for IPS and Charter Schools After a Tumultuous Year?
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance finalized its recommendations for transportation, facilities, and school governance during a December 17 vote. Do they spell the dawn of a new day for IPS and charter schools or the deathknell of local democracy? We look at the particulars of the recommendations alongside misconceptions about them and how they might play out during the legislative session. Continue reading The ILEA’s Final Recommendations Are In. Here’s What Comes Next.
The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance is set to vote on its final recommendations for the future of public school governance, transportation, and facilities on December 17. Between now and then, there’ll be two more listening sessions on the 10th and the 15th to allow for final public input. Here’s the two options still on the table in each area. Continue reading The ILEA Finalizes Possible Recommendations Ahead of Key Vote on Future of Indianapolis Education
For months, the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance has been working to craft a series of proposals regarding the future of Indianapolis Public Schools and independent charter schools in Indianapolis. Now, they’ve finally put forward a series of options regarding the future of transportation, facilities, and governance. Here they are. Continue reading The ILEA Holds the Fate of IPS and Indianapolis Charter Schools In Its Hands
Rumors recently swirled about IPS proposing new district boundaries that would limit them to just Center Township. Then IPS made it real by floating the idea during recent community meetings. Is it a good idea? Is it even possible to redraw IPS boundaries in that way? Continue reading Is Shrinking IPS Boundaries a Good Idea? Is It Even Possible?
Rise Indy, Stand for Children, and the Indiana Charter Innovation Center have all lobbied the ILEA with a set of recommendations about the future of education in Indianapolis. Now it’s IPS’ turn, with the board submitting seven recommendations to the ILEA. Continue reading IPS Lays Out Its Vision to the ILEA
Is it possible to provide high-quality, accessible transportation for every public school student across IPS and the charter school sector? A new pilot program that brings together over 50 Indianapolis schools will explore sharing transportation and facility resources to deliver better service to students. We look at what the pilot might do in practice. Continue reading Can Indianapolis Create Accessible School Transportation For All Students?
Will IPS still exist in 20 or 25 years? Is the ILEA an existential threat to the district, or even public education as we know it? And is it possible to create a high-quality, pluralistic education landscape in Indianapolis? We dig into all that and more. Continue reading Is the Demise of IPS Inevitable?
Local advocacy groups are increasingly pressing the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance on how it should conduct its work and what kind of recommendations it should make. These forces reflect the wider debate around the future of education in Indianapolis. Are these competing visions reconcilable? Continue reading Are Competing Visions for Indianapolis’ Education Landscape Reconcilable?
Coverage around the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA) has focused on how the advisory group is exempt from Indiana’s Open Door Law. But the worry around transparency seems not to extend to the inordinate number of executive sessions IPS holds, where discussions about school consolidation remain largely under wraps. Continue reading What’s the Deal With Open Doors? IPS and the ILEA.
