Chalkbeat

Indiana bill would make schools disclose details about sex ed classes

2024-01-31T21:45:32+00:00

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Update: The Indiana legislative session ended on March 8, 2024. Here are the education bills that did and didn’t pass.

Indiana lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill requiring schools to seek school board approval for their sex education materials, as well as publicize information about who teaches the courses and when.

Sex ed is not required in Indiana schools, despite evidence linking such courses to improved behavioral outcomes among teens. Schools are required only to teach lessons about HIV and AIDS, and if they do choose to offer additional sex ed, they must emphasize abstinence.

Still, many schools do offer sex ed, sometimes contracting with outside organizations that offer lessons on consent and healthy relationships alongside reproduction and contraception.

The legislation from two GOP lawmakers marks the latest attempt by the Indiana legislators to shape how schools should approach sex, sexuality, and gender. Last year, they restricted the teaching of human sexuality in the earliest grades. And a state law that took effect last school year requires schools to disclose students’ requests to use different names or pronouns, prompting criticism from the LGBTQ community and mixed reactions from districts.

Supporters of the bill say it’s appropriate for schools to be especially sensitive about sex ed in particular, and that the proposal could defuse political tensions. Critics say it could shut down conversations related to sexuality and run afoul of federal law. Observers pointed out that some of the bill’s provisions are already part of state law.

Under Senate Bill 128, schools would need to seek approval from their school boards before using curriculum materials related to sex ed. They would also have to share details like which grade levels will receive sex ed lessons and when, whether male and female students will be taught together, and whether the class is led by a male or female instructor.

The bill would also require schools to post all this information on their websites.

The bill passed the Senate Education and Career Development Committee on Wednesday on an 8-5 vote, with GOP Sen. Dan Dernulc joining the four Democrats on the committee in voting no.

The bill was authored by Sen. Gary Byrne and Sen. Jeff Raatz, chairman of the Senate education committee.

Byrne said publishing the information would help parents decide whether they want to allow their children to take the lessons. Indiana already allows parents to opt their students out of sex education.

Byrne said the bill targeted sex ed — and not other subjects — because of the sensitive nature of the subject and families’ differing views on when it should be taught.

“I think putting the local school boards in the driver’s seat is an issue that makes good sense,” Byrne said.

The bill received support from the Indiana School Boards Association for strengthening local control and parental engagement. But Terry Spradlin, the association’s executive director, said its provisions requiring school board approval and public posting of curriculum were already part of Indiana law.

Other supporters said the bill could prevent turmoil at school board meetings by making board members aware of what’s being taught.

But critics of the bill, including advocates for gender diversity and sex education, said school boards already have the ability to review and approve curriculum. They also say a state mandate could create an additional burden on teachers and school administrators and ultimately serve as a deterrent to offering sex ed at all.

“This is a bill requiring every school district in the state to now hold hearings on very volatile issues in which a small number of folks can come and take over those meetings, that also allows a small number of school board members to inject their own political beliefs into sex education,” said Chris Daley, executive director of the ACLU of Indiana.

Daley also called the proposal an unfunded mandate.

Emma Vosicky of Gender Nexus, a group that advocates for gender diverse people in Indiana, said the ambiguous language of the bill could create a chilling effect on broader discussions of gender, including on children’s books about LGBTQ families.

Furthermore, the requirement to approve things like the gender of the person teaching a sex ed course leaves districts at risk of violating federal mandates prohibiting sex discrimination, she said.

Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Bloomington Democrat, said that requirement could also be discriminatory toward teachers who identify as a gender other than male or female.

Tammy Carter, CEO of Lifesmart Youth, a nonprofit organization that provides sex ed to 26,000 students in 122 Indiana schools, said the bill’s requirements are redundant, as the organization already meets with school boards and parents and posts its full curriculum material on its own portal.

Additionally, the bill would force her organization to release proprietary information to schools to post online under the bill, Carter said.

Other efforts have sought to expand access to medically accurate sex education, especially in the wake of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban.

Both GOP and Democratic lawmakers have previously authored bills to require schools to provide information about conception and contraception if they choose to teach sex ed. These bills have not been taken up, and similar bills have not been filed this year.

You can track SB 128 on the General Assembly’s website.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Civics education to come to the earliest grades under Indiana proposal

2024-02-12T17:51:41+00:00

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Update: The Indiana legislative session ended on March 8, 2024. Here are the education bills that did and didn’t pass.

In Heather Veatch’s fourth grade class at East Washington Academy in Muncie, students run for office at the beginning of the year.

Despite their nerves, they each give a speech to their peers introducing themselves and their ideas and then vote for president, vice president, senators, and representatives. Veatch’s students bring issues to their elected leaders, who work to address them.

This year, they campaigned for and successfully passed a proposal for a new sensory space, which Veatch then granted.

While those who don’t win the class elections are often disappointed, Veatch tells them that they’re now occupying the most important role of all — citizen.

“Kids at a young age need to know they’re part of a bigger picture,” she said. “They’re not just them alone. But they alone can have a big impact on the bigger picture.”

This is the kind of civics education that Indiana leaders hope to see more of under new bills that would reward students, educators, and schools for engaging the next generation of Hoosier voters.

While Indiana has made progress in civics education through new standards requiring a semester of civics in sixth grade, advocates say there’s still work to be done, especially as the state faces a “concerning” drop in voter participation, according to one report.

House Bill 1137 and Senate Bill 211 would each establish a civics seal to recognize students, teachers, and schools for excellence in civics education — which could look like offering civics-minded lessons and field trips to students.

Students could receive the seal on their diplomas, while schools could earn a certification, similar to existing recognition for STEM education.

The bills also seek to increase access to civics material in the earliest grades as part of the state’s push to provide young students with high-quality reading curriculum. And by introducing basic concepts of citizenship and fairness early, advocates hope to build a foundation for improved civic engagement later in life.

“We don’t want to lose social studies standards in the push for science of reading,” said David Roof, a professor and director of the Center of Economic and Civic Learning at Ball State University. “The focus on literacy and the focus on civics don’t need to compete. They should be intertwined.”

While the civics provisions earned widespread approval, each bill also comes with less popular provisions.

Civics education to improve civic engagement

Civic engagement in Indiana has been persistently low, according to the Indiana Civic Health Index, a report compiled by the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence at Indiana University Northwest.

The center’s 2023 survey found Indiana ranked second to last in voter turnout in the 2022 midterm election, with around 42% of voters voting. While turnout nationally is the highest it’s been since the 1980s, Indiana’s rate has dropped nearly 15 percentage points during that time, the report notes.

Common theories about this drop include the absence of contested elections in the state, according to the report, as well a lack of accessible voting policies common in states with high turnout, like unrestricted absentee voting and same-day voter registration.

A foundation in civics education in K-12 schools will also help address the particularly low voter turnout of young voters, said Roof.

“Improving civic education will improve civic engagement,” said Charles Dunlap, president and CEO of the Indiana Bar Foundation. “It’s a long game.”

The bills would direct the Indiana Department of Education to help provide families and schools with affordable, civics-based reading instruction and materials — with the aim of infusing elementary reading instruction with material about U.S. history and government, Dunlap said.

They would also establish recommendations for a civics seal, which students could earn as an endorsement on their diplomas, Dunlap said. To do this, they might go to school board meetings, or receive certain grades in their government classes.

Many schools in Indiana already offer civics education that could form the basis of a civics seal.

Muncie schools, operated by Ball State University, received a $1.3 million federal grant to revitalize its civics curriculum. Students take field trips to the Indiana Statehouse, and Washington D.C. and participate in classroom-level government exercises. Bills include controversial policies about religion, charters

Both bills have passed their chambers of origin.

And while the civics education proposals received unanimous support from lawmakers and members of the public, each bill includes other proposals that raised concerns.

HB 1137, for example, changes existing Indiana policy to require principals to release students for religious instruction during the school day at their parents’ request. Critics said this proposal could cause disruptions to the school day, and open schools up to legal liability.

SB 211, meanwhile, drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers for its definition of “charter school corporations. Critics argued the change removed a layer of financial transparency from reporting requirements.

Tying less popular provisions to a fairly neutral topic like civics education may help those provisions pass with hesitant lawmakers, said Laura Merrifield Wilson, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis.

Roof, Dunlap, and other advocates for civics emphasized that their support is limited to the civics portions of the bills. It’s not uncommon for lawmakers to consolidate topics, Dunlap noted.

“In moving out of the Committee, perhaps we will see a more focused consideration of the topics on their own,” Roof said.

You can track House Bill 1137 and Senate Bill 211 on the General Assembly’s website.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

How Indianapolis area educators are preparing for a proposal to retain more third graders

2024-02-28T11:00:00+00:00

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This story was co-published with Mirror Indy and WFYI.

Grace Martin, a tutor at Vision Academy charter school in Indianapolis, teaches the alphabet.

‘A’ makes the sound for ‘apple.’ ‘I’ is for words like ‘important’ and ‘ice.’

It’s a lesson she uses with students in kindergarten — but to her surprise, she has to teach it to third graders as well.

“It’s like they … just paused at kindergarten or first grade, and now they’re in third grade,” Martin said. “I’m helping them pick up on basically two years of learning.”

It’s a challenge that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic but grew much worse after schools switched to remote learning for part of 2020. Third grade reading scores remain near the lowest point in a decade, and that means thousands of kids lack essential skills necessary to learn as they grow older, such as phonics and comprehension.

Now Marion County educators are preparing for the likely rollout of Senate Bill 1, which would require districts to hold back more students who fail the state’s elementary school reading exam. That bill emerged as one solution proposed by the Gov. Eric Holcomb administration and state lawmakers after seeing that nearly one in five Indiana students failed the reading test in each of the last three years.

Schools currently have the option to retain students yet few do. In 2023, of the 13,855 third graders who didn’t pass the state’s spring reading exam, according to state data, only about 400 were held back.

Reporters from Chalkbeat Indiana, Mirror Indy, and WFYI contacted educators across Marion County to learn how school administrators and teachers were preparing for the probable changes coming just a year after the state required schools to adopt new reading curriculum.

Some support the legislation and see benefits in giving students another year to learn how to read. Others, though, worry about what would happen next: a wave of overcrowded classrooms beginning with a “bubble” in the third grade.

“Then we’re going to see that bubble go into our middle schools and into our high schools,” Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts said.

Thousands could retake third grade

If enacted, the legislation could have an outsized impact in Marion County.

That’s because lawmakers are looking at how many third graders are passing the state standardized exam known as the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination, or IREAD-3. That test, given to all third graders, assesses whether the students are proficient in reading.

In Marion County’s public school districts, about 2,700 students were allowed to advance into fourth grade even though they failed IREAD, according to state data. That amounted to 28% of the districts’ third graders. Statewide, that promotion rate was about 17%.

To be clear, not all of those students would necessarily be held back under Senate Bill 1.

Under the legislation, kids would be given three opportunities by the end of third grade to pass IREAD. Students who don’t pass would become eligible for literacy-focused summer school and repeat a year of classroom instruction. But some students — including English language learners with less than two years of learning English, students with disabilities, and those who pass the math portion of state exams — would still move on to fourth grade.

It’s difficult to know how many students would be affected by the legislation. An online portal from the state Department of Education does not outline how many Marion County students would be exempt, and the state did not answer questions about how that number could be estimated.

Statewide, though, as many as 7,050 students would be held back in 2026, according to the Legislative Services Agency, which advises lawmakers on policymaking. That could cost the state an additional $57 million as the students age.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, however, says with multiple opportunities for students to take IREAD, retaining the estimated 7,050 students statewide is “a worst-case scenario.”

“This number, we should never hit,” Jenner said. “It would be unacceptable if we do.”

Marion County schools less likely to hold back

State education officials set a goal in 2022 to ensure 95% of Hoosier students pass IREAD by 2027.

Some officials say meeting that goal will require a shift in how schools decide to hold back students.

At two Marion County public school corporations — Indianapolis Public Schools and Lawrence Township — roughly one in three students were sent to fourth grade without passing IREAD. Both districts declined to comment for this story.

At Pike Township, where 29% of third graders advanced to fourth grade without passing IREAD, Superintendent Larry Young noted the likely effect this legislation would have on urban schools during a January school board meeting. He said he’d like lawmakers to also consider students’ potential for growth.

“I would ask that they look at trajectory,” Young said. “We have children that … in the next year or two, not only will they catch up, they will potentially surpass where their age-same peers may potentially be.”

Butts, the Wayne Township superintendent, said there are valid concerns about holding back students. Studies have found that students who were retained dropped out of school and faced negative social-emotional outcomes. Overall, however, research is mixed on whether retention is ultimately beneficial.

“But we also understand the negative impact of children not being able to read at grade level,” he said. “And that gets exponentially more challenging for them as they get into more difficult content.”

That’s what Rachelle Fisher, a fourth grade teacher in Franklin Township, is seeing. An educator for nearly two decades, Fisher said she loves to teach reading, but by fourth grade, it’s about content.

“It is nearly impossible to teach Indiana history and Indiana state science standards to students that are not reading at grade level,” she said.

Educators say retention isn’t the only answer

Some educators support the legislation but question whether it is happening too quickly.

Indiana lawmakers passed legislation last year requiring schools to adopt curricula aligned with the science of reading, an approach to teaching reading that focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. While some districts have already trained staff and introduced this teaching, others are doing so for the first time this school year.

Indianapolis Public Schools, for example, introduced a new reading curriculum this year and while 96% of kindergarten through second grade classrooms were using it as of December, only about half of teachers so far have mastered teaching the new material.

“We are three months into implementation of something that a year from now will be very well organized and articulated,” Brookside Elementary School 54 Principal Jeremy Baugh told IPS Board Commissioners during a Feb. 20 meeting.

Other educators stressed that a one-size-fits-all approach to retention may not be best for students.

Stephanie Cotter, principal at Beech Grove’s Central Elementary, said her colleagues consider more than test scores when making a decision about retention. A school committee evaluates what interventions have been tried in the past, how many questions were missed on reading exams and whether retention is socially appropriate for a student. They also consider a student’s size and birthday, and bring parents into the conversation.

A third-grader works through an exercise Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, during a reading intervention class at Central Elementary School in Beech Grove.

“What’s being proposed is even more constraining compared to what’s out there,” Cotter said. “We all want our students to be able to read. We want to hit that 95% target. We want them to have those early literacy skills, and we have to look at specific children and decide, ‘Is this what’s best for them at this time?’”

Cotter and others say retention alone only goes so far. Schools continue to grapple with attendance challenges as students settle into classroom learning after 2020′s pandemic-driven disruptions. About one in five Hoosier students were considered chronically absent last year, and additional legislation has been introduced this year in response.

Some educators say they hope the state will invest in greater literacy support for students before they reach third grade. That could mean universal preschool or mandatory kindergarten.

Barbara Wellnitz, a tutor with United Way’s ReadUP program, said she supports efforts to start students in school earlier.

“Fully funding pre-K for all children, paying teachers of those children decent wages, and requiring children to attend school by age five would all go a long way toward helping children up their reading skills,” Wellnitz said. “Fewer students would face the possibility of retention in all grades.”

What’s next

Parents of students who would have been held back have spoken out against the bill, saying they are concerned about the weight put on students taking a test.

Rachel Burke, president of the Indiana Parent Teacher Association, told lawmakers that she knew when her daughter was in first grade that she would struggle to pass the IREAD. But what she didn’t know until December of her third grade year was that her child had been having seizures at the rate of dozens per day, and likely missing instruction as a result.

Even after receiving medication, she didn’t have enough time between December and the March testing window to catch up, Burke said. She failed, and had to take summer school and repeat the test, but those results were lost.

Now that she’s at the top of her class, it’s clear that holding her back would not have been the right course, Burke said.

“She’s not unique. There are kids whose parents die who take the test the next day. There are kids whose houses burned down who have to take this test the next day,” Burke said. “Kids are people. They’re not statistics. There has to be some room.”

But at the Statehouse, the bill continues to advance. It passed out of the House on Tuesday and now returns to the Senate before heading to Holcomb’s desk.

That’s good news to Martin, the tutor, who said she agrees with the proposal. She said no parent wants to hear that their child needs to be held back, but it’s about making sure they have “that extra support that they need to set them up for success.”

“Where do you want your kids to be at? Do you want to pass your kid and then he’s gonna continue failing and then he’s gonna graduate and he actually didn’t retain anything?” Martin said. “No, you can’t do that. You got to put the kid first.”

Aleksandra Appleton, Amelia Pak-Harvey, and MJ Slaby from Chalkbeat Indiana contributed to this article. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Contact the bureau at in.tips@chalkbeat.org

Carley Lanich and Emily Hopkins from Mirror Indy contributed to this article. Mirror Indy is a nonprofit news organization covering Indianapolis.

Eric Weddle from WFYI contributed to this article.

Lawrence schools want to find out why educators love their jobs, but why they are leaving

2024-02-20T21:12:21+00:00

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Could more remote work keep teachers from leaving the field?

If a school can’t find a calculus teacher, could it share with another school down the street?

And, most importantly, why are teachers quitting the profession?

These are the kinds of questions that a new project at Lawrence schools hopes to answer in search of solutions to common “pain points” in education that are driving down teacher retention rates.

Fifteen teachers and administrators, representing each of the district’s four middle and high schools, are participating in the Reimagining the Teacher Role Cohort led by Teach Indy, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit. Cohort members are interviewing their colleagues, identifying issues, and finding solutions to pilot at each school next year.

What these will be is still to be determined, said Sara Marshall, executive director of Teach Indy, but could include proposals to give teachers some of the benefits of remote work, or fill vacant positions in creative ways.

The goal is to raise teacher retention rates that dropped in the wake of the pandemic and have yet to recover. Data from the Indiana Department of Education compiled by the Fairbanks Foundation indicates that statewide teacher retention rates dropped from 84% in 2021 to 77% in 2022, before recovering slightly in 2023 to 80%.

In Marion County, that rate dropped from 70% in 2021 to 66% in 2022, also recovering slightly to 68.5% in 2023.

And, in Lawrence schools, teacher retention dropped from a high of 86% in 2021 to around 77% in 2022 and 76% in 2023.

There are a number of reasons why teachers typically leave the profession, Marshall said, including workload, pay, and a lack of respect. Fewer candidates are entering the profession to replace retirees, she added, and some teachers have left to pursue remote positions.

The project allows teachers from the four schools to brainstorm together on how to reverse these trends, but the solutions they’ll put in place might be unique to each building, said Andrew Harsha, the district’s director of secondary learning. The district doesn’t have money committed to the solutions, but may rely on fundraising or grant funding in the future, according to a representative of Teach Indy.

“We are leaning on our teachers to help come up with solutions, leaning into them for innovation and creativity,” Harsha said.

One of the cohort’s possible solutions could be some flexibility in the workweek, giving teachers a four-day teaching schedule, with the fifth day allotted for remote work or professional development, Marshall said.

The fifth day for students might be supervised by substitutes or community organizations, she said. A similar idea was considered at Indianapolis Public Schools in 2022.

Another solution might be to share hard-to-fill positions, like math and science teachers, between schools, Marshall said.

“I think schools are going to have to think creatively,” Marshall said.

The project, which launched in January, began with teacher teams interviewing their colleagues about their experiences — both positive and negative. Their questions seek to find out what teachers like about teaching, as well as whether they’d ever considered leaving the profession, and if they could pinpoint what might alleviate their stress.

One of the common themes so far is that working with students is a source of joy for teachers, said Rachel Anderson, a Lawrence Central High School math teacher who’s part of the project.

“It’s what gives people energy and makes them feel positive. But sometimes that’s the thing making them more tired, too,” Anderson said.

Anderson said her team’s goal is to interview teachers from a wide range of backgrounds — including those who took nontraditional paths to teaching — in order to learn more about what’s important to them.

As a teacher who took an alternate route to licensure through the state’s Transition to Teaching program, Anderson said she values mentorship, which helped her find her footing as she started teaching. But ultimately, any solutions the cohort comes up with will be informed by her colleagues’ thoughts.

“I have some hopes of what I want, but I know that no program that we implement will be successful without that input,” she said. “This is work we’re trying to do with people, not to people.”

The Lawrence project intends to roll out building-level pilot programs next school year. Teach Indy hopes to work with more districts on future projects.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear local educators share their stories of when lessons don’t go to plan

2024-02-14T22:01:49+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Things don’t always go as planned - even when there’s a lesson plan. And now, you can hear directly from educators about the times they adjusted those plans, whether it was in the moment or after another experience changed their perspective.

Join us for the “From Lesson Plan to New Plan” teacher story slam from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, March 1, at Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center, 2990 W. 71st St., Indianapolis.

The event is hosted by Indy Kids Winning and Chalkbeat Indiana, and supported by Teach Indy.

This story slam is a continuation of story slams hosted by Teachers Lounge Indy that were a place for teachers to share their stories, spend time together, and learn from each other. This time, it’s also the night before the Teach Indy Educators Conference.

Come to hear the stories, meet other educators, and try handcrafted vegan wines from Sip & Share Wines.

To attend, register here for a free ticket on Eventbrite: https://ckbe.at/indystoryslam

Also, if you’re an educator and want to tell your story, please let us know here.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s what the Indiana AG said about making changes to the ‘Eyes on Education’ tip line

2024-02-09T22:20:17+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office said Friday it will not remove materials from a website it launched earlier this week publicizing complaints about schools’ materials on race, gender and politics.

The office said it would, however, post responses from school districts challenging the validity of those complaints. But in order to dispute the materials, Rokita’s office told districts they had to prove the materials were not used by or made available in their schools.

Rokita’s “Eyes on Education” portal aims to compile and display complaints about “potentially inappropriate” material in schools that are “real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms across the state,” along with the purported material.

Districts responded by challenging the veracity of the materials labeled as theirs, saying the site’s characterizations of the content were inaccurate or misleading. Some of the posted material dates back to 2018.

The website’s launch triggered the latest confrontation between the state attorney general and schools over how educators handle controversial social and political topics, a fight also taken up by state lawmakers.

A spokesperson for Rokita’s office said the materials on the portal support the premise that there has been “indoctrination” in Indiana’s schools, even if policies have changed. Others, however, say it could have a chilling effect on teachers and schools.

The portal, which launched Tuesday, names 13 school districts and one university, and includes complaints with links to photos, screenshots, or presentation materials.

Rokita’s office said what’s posted are “exact documents provided to our office” and many were “from teachers directly and were easily verified.” A spokesperson said the office will reach out to those who submitted to the portal as well as schools if necessary. However, a vast majority of the districts on the portal previously told Chalkbeat that they were not asked in advance about the portal materials.

Rokita’s office also said it will conduct investigations to see if schools are breaking any state laws by using those materials. A spokesperson added that the portal is a tool for parents to “stop indoctrination more quickly and can ensure bad history doesn’t repeat itself in districts where such policies are claimed to be retired.”

Districts ask for updates to ‘Eyes on Education’

Multiple districts have asked Rokita for updates or changes. Four districts each shared with Chalkbeat the same email response to their concerns from the Rokita’s office that set a high bar to dispute the posted materials.

“Please provide documentation that the contents are not, or were not, provided to a student, communicated to a student or parent, or part of any curriculum, program, or activity made available to the school community by a teacher, school district, or school corporation,” the email from Corrine L. Youngs, policy director and legislative counsel in Rokita’s office, reads.

It also says that if the materials contain something that is outdated, the district needs to provide documentation that it was repealed or no longer used, as well as the new policy.

But the office will not remove materials in the portal, a spokesperson for Rokita’s office said Friday, adding that the complaints from schools indicated that the material had once been taught, even if it had subsequently been removed or updated.

Having the complaints and the districts’ responses on the portal “will actually help teachers and school administrators because it will expose misinformation that can naturally exist amongst the public,” the spokesperson argued.

As of Friday evening, the portal had been updated for two districts. It now labels a “gender policy” from Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation as “retired” in 2023 and says a gender support plan from New Prairie United School Corporation was revised in November 2022.

Power of Rokita’s office may leave schools stranded

The spokesperson for Rokita’s office pointed to the previous outcry over critical race theory in schools and said the portal supported Rokita’s position.

“The types of people complaining now are the same ones who said there was no indoctrination going on in Indiana schools at all,” the spokesperson said. “Now these same types are saying – ‘well, the items on the Portal are no LONGER being taught, or we fired that teacher, or we fired that vendor, or we retired that policy.’ They just proved our point and elevated even further the value of the office in education matters.”

A legal theory, critical race theory has become an umbrella term for discussions of race and identity.

And there’s likely little recourse for schools unhappy with what Rokita’s done, one expert said.

The power of the attorney general’s office has increased over the years. Many attorneys general have gone on to run for higher office, which can incentivize partisan actions, said Michael Wolf, acting director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University.

Wolf added that as elected officials, attorneys general have wide latitude to act and little oversight. A governor does not oversee an elected attorney general’s office, for example (Rokita was elected to his office in 2020). And the Indiana Department of Education, which also has no authority over Rokita, said it is not involved with the portal.

Plus, Wolf said the portal could fall under the scope of the attorney general’s responsibility to advise other government officials, like those at the state education department or local prosecutors, who could then take action.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s AG launched a tip line for controversial classroom material. It’s already raising concerns about accuracy and privacy.

2024-02-06T22:40:27+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

The Indiana Attorney General has unveiled an online portal for complaints about the teaching of race, gender, and political ideology in schools — an aggressive move that raises concerns about privacy and the veracity of the material made public.

The new website, which was announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Todd Rokita, is called “Eyes on Education” and includes complaints dating back to 2018. The website launched with material already posted, but the included school districts and state department of education didn’t know about it.

It lists 13 school districts around Indiana and the Indiana University School of Medicine with links to photos, screenshots, or presentation materials that the office describes as “potentially inappropriate.” In some cases, the portal also includes the addresses, phone numbers, and emails of people identified in the materials. Schools have characterized these materials as incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate.

Molly Williams, a representative for the Indiana Department of Education, said the agency was not made aware of the portal when it was under construction or when it launched.

The portal represents an escalation of a longstanding fight between Rokita and Indiana school districts over how lessons on race and gender are taught in schools. In establishing and promoting the website, Rokita has taken a similar approach to a controversial tip line started by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for parents to report “divisive” teaching at their schools.

There appeared to be problems right off the bat.

A majority of the districts listed on the portal told Chalkbeat that they were not contacted by Rokita’s office and were unaware of the portal until Tuesday. A press release from the AG’s office was sent early Tuesday morning, but not publicly posted on the website until hours later.

Rokita’s office did not respond to Chalkbeat’s questions about how and when submitted complaints are posted publicly; what an investigation and verification by his office into the complaints will entail; whether the office would pursue legal action; and whether the persons identified in the material gave permission for his office to post their contact information online.

After at least one district complained about the portal, Rokita’s office told that district that it would remove inaccurate material.

The ACLU of Indiana said in a Tuesday post on the site formerly known as Twitter that the website is “an effort to intimidate teachers” from discussing issues of racial equity and LGBTQ topics.

“Classroom inclusivity benefits everyone. Classroom censorship does nothing but harm,” the group said.

What the website for ‘potentially inappropriate’ materials shows

The materials posted on the Indiana portal take the form of photos of online quizzes and presentations, flags and lessons in the classroom, and overviews of complaints about districts’ materials.

They cover a range of topics, from copies of school districts’ policies on supporting transgender students, to an email announcing a college presentation for Black students, to a list of sexually sensitive content identified in a school’s required reading.

Most of the materials posted online are undated and many others are from 2020 to 2021, when fury over the teaching of race in K-12 schools peaked in Indiana and nationwide and culminated in a bill that attempted to ban “divisive concepts” from K-12 classrooms.

Metadata for the website indicates the link for the portal, which ends in “education-liberty” was started in 2022.

Rokita, a Republican, has waded into this fight before. In 2021, he released his “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which took aim at social-emotional learning and critical race theory, terms commonly used as shorthand for broader lessons on gender, sexuality, and race. (A former member of Congress, Rokita served on the U.S. House education committee.)

In a press release, Rokita said his office would investigate complaints submitted to the portal.

“Our kids need to focus on fundamental educational building blocks, NOT ideology that divides kids from their parents and normal society,” Rokita said in the release, which describes the website as a transparency portal for parents and educators.

The portal does not include responses from the 13 school districts and one university. It’s not clear how or if Rokita’s office verified that the submissions are from the school districts that are named.

And while names are redacted in some of the materials, the portal makes other names public.

One entry reviewed by Chalkbeat appears to be a screenshot of an online form submitted to Rokita’s office with concerns about a school’s bathroom policy, with the complainant’s name, address, email address, and phone number visible.

Rokita’s office did not say whether this person or others gave permission for their information to be posted publicly.

What school districts listed on Rokita’s portal say

Chalkbeat contacted all 13 districts and one university listed on the portal — all 11 that responded objected to the information on the portal in some way.

Those 11 districts — Brownsburg, Carmel Clay, Center Grove, Clark-Pleasant, Franklin Community, Hamilton Southeastern, New Prairie, Noblesville, Penn-Harris-Madison, Mooresville, and Martinsville — also said they were not notified in advance about the portal or that they would be included. Several districts also stressed that families can bring their concerns and questions to school leaders, and at least two reached out to Rokita’s office to correct the information.

Some of the strongest words came from the superintendent of The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, which said the documents on the portal do not reflect what the district teaches students.

“The posting suggests that the District endorses radical gender identity curriculum, which is reckless and inaccurate. Furthermore, the posting lacks context and clarity,” Superintendent Eric Bowlen said in a statement. “We invite Attorney General Rokita and any of our legislators to visit our schools to observe as our students learn from the standards required by the Indiana Department of Education.”

Carmel Clay Schools spokesperson Emily Bauer said that the district “was not previously notified regarding the website or asked to confirm the validity of submitted screenshots.”

Bauer also said several documents “originated from a now-defunct outside special interest group, and others appear to be online quizzes with no additional context provided.” Bauer added that it is “irresponsible to portray these screenshots as curriculum.”

Clark-Pleasant Schools said a hyperlink to a board policy document about transgender students “is outdated, retired, and no longer exists here at CPCSC!”

“We are disappointed in the release of this incorrect information and the fact that no one from the Attorney General’s office reached out to verify this information,” the district said.

The New Prairie United School Corporation said a plan listed on the portal is not in active use by the district, said Superintendent Paul White.

“The support plan was changed after community meetings in which we received input from parents, the community, and our school attorney,” White said in an email. “Parents are informed in ALL instances when a student comes forward to declare transgender status.”

The portal’s materials listed for Noblesville Schools are all old and not in use, said spokesperson Marnie Cooke. The site listed a screenshot of a presentation that the document claims was on white privilege, featuring a link that does not work.

The portal also listed screenshots of assignment details for an English course detailing the meaning of privilege, and a screenshot of an assignment on dominant and subordinated groups of people that the office labeled “CRT” (which is shorthand for critical race theory).

“For example, one document shows someone who was a volunteer community speaker in 2018. He presented content that was not appropriately vetted by us and we apologized to families at the time,” Cooke said in an email. “Another item is from an employee who is no longer with Noblesville Schools and the third example is also not in use.”

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation said the “minority scholarship” document listed for the district in the portal is from a one-day conference that the district did not sponsor, host, or plan, and was not a district minority scholarship as implied, according to the district.

Another document portraying an email sent to students about a representative from Goshen College available to speak to Black students was not a “Black Only College Fair” as it was labeled on the portal, Penn-Harris-Madison also countered.

And a third document labeled “diversity activities” was used in 2021 with students who were enrolled in a Preparing for College and Careers course and an Ivy Tech course, the district said. The Penn High School teacher obtained the diversity activities from the course framework provided by Ivy Tech faculty and made adaptations using professional judgment.

“After teaching this lesson and receiving parental/guardian feedback, Penn High School made changes to the courses while also maintaining state standards,” the district said. “The diversity activities shared have not been used at Penn High School since 2021.”

Indiana teachers ‘feeling under surveillance’

Analysts say the website could potentially have a chilling effect on classroom lessons and educators.

John Rogers, director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access, said it’s important for teachers to feel comfortable enough to lead their students through historical lessons and discussions about different experiences within a multiracial democracy. But they’re less likely to do so under the threat of being reported to the state.

“It’s very hard to lean into those conversations when you are feeling like you might be attacked, publicly and in bad faith,” Rogers said.

Existing democratic processes allow parents and educators to share concerns with governing bodies that can then make decisions about what should be allowed in schools — building mutual respect and trust, he said.

But the website takes a “name and shame” approach, Rogers said, that ultimately foments conflict for the sake of conflict and heightens a sense of ill-will and mistrust in education.

Christopher Lubienski, director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University, said it’s not clear how the investigations will work and whether they’ll be fair, whether complaints reflect real concerns, and what kind due process is available for individuals accused in the materials, he said.

Posting personal information also creates concerns about doxxing, a term that refers to publishing people’s personally identifiable information without their consent.

Many Republican-led states have adopted measures like the tip line or a parents’ bill of rights, he said, though parents already have the right to view and challenge curriculum, as well as attend school board meetings and run for office.

He said anecdotal evidence suggests the measures have likely negatively impacted teacher recruiting and retention.

“They don’t have the autonomy they expected. They’re feeling under surveillance,” he said. “They’ve likened it to McCarthyism.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Don’t make me use my teacher voice: An Indy teacher shares a poem on talking to students, parents

2023-12-20T12:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

“Sit down. No milling around.”

“Stop touching her, leave him alone.”

Those are some of the things you might hear Harshman Middle School English teacher Nicole Cooper say in her “teacher voice.”

But it’s not just students who might be on the receiving end of the voice.

Cooper will use it with administrators, parents, and everyone in between, as she shared in a poem during the Teachers Lounge Story Slam on Nov. 16, co-hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning. After all, what else would you expect from an English teacher?

Read an excerpt from Cooper’s poem below:

“Clear the halls and get to class. No, baby, I don’t know what we did in class yesterday — that was yesterday. Okay? Did you even check Schoology? I mean, you ask three times a week.

You know what? Don’t make me use my teacher voice.

You all should have your materials. No, I don’t have any pencils for you. Is my name Wal-Mart? Do I look like Target?

You know what? Please, please y’all. Don’t make me use my teacher voice.”

Watch the full video below:

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Minimum teacher salaries reach $50,000 for majority of Marion County districts

2023-12-14T10:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Teachers’ starting salaries for a majority of Marion County’s 11 school districts reached at least $50,000 for this school year, following the latest round of contract negotiations completed last month.

Notably, Indianapolis Public Schools no longer touts the highest starting salary for teachers in Marion County. That designation belongs to the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, which offers a minimum salary of $52,500. After the latest round of talks, an additional five of the 11 Marion County districts now offer a starting teacher salary of at least $50,000, a threshold that leaders hope will keep them competitive in the local labor market.

The salary adjustments come on the heels of increased funding for traditional school districts in the two-year state budget adopted earlier this year. They also reflect ongoing efforts to make teaching a more attractive career, as schools grapple with hiring challenges that intensified during the pandemic.

The average teacher salary in Indiana for the 2022-23 school year, the latest year available, fell about $1,500 short of the $60,000 figure supported by Gov. Eric Holcomb earlier this year. However, most Marion County districts reported average salaries above $60,000, and districts in the county have used different approaches to boost base teacher pay.

“We are absolutely thrilled to realize the $50,000 entry salary benchmark,” said Beech Grove Schools Superintendent Laura Hammack, adding that the figure is a significant milestone.

Wayne Township’s new starting teaching salary, meanwhile, isn’t just the highest in Marion County — it’s one of the highest starting salaries in Indiana.

“There’s a couple of schools of thought that we need to consider,” Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts said about teacher compensation. “One is for brand new teachers coming into the profession. They’re going to look at that starting salary — they don’t necessarily look at the average salary or the top end salary. We want to be competitive.”

Raises vary based on education, experience, other factors

State law dictates that increases to base salary depend on five factors, including years of experience, performance rating, and the academic needs of students. Teachers who received a rating of “needs improvement” or “ineffective” in the prior year are ineligible for a raise.

For example, a highly-rated teacher in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township with six years of experience would be eligible for a $2,000 increase for performance and another $2,000 for experience. The same teacher could earn an additional $2,000 base salary increase if they earn a master’s degree in their content area for a total pay bump of $6,000, according to the contract.

Some districts, including Lawrence Township, also provide additional stipends on top of base pay increases for remaining with the district, earning National Board Certification, and several other factors.

In its new teacher contract, Perry Township schools, for example, offered a $500 stipend for those who worked in the district last year and returned this year.

Superintendent Patrick Spray said Perry Township’s new starting salary of $50,000 represents a significant acceleration over the last five years, and is more in line with the local cost of living.

“I think that the difficulty right now is just the available number of new teachers or teachers entering the field,” Spray said. “So we do have to be responsive to that.”

Districts have also tried to maintain adequate pay raises for mid-career teachers.

For 2023-24, eligible Wayne Township teachers will receive a $3,500 increase to their base pay, and those with four to 16 years of experience will receive an additional $2,000.

Wayne district leaders also want its teacher salaries to be competitive with those in districts outside of Marion County. Hendricks County is where the highest percentage of Wayne teachers live, Butts said.

“So those are also districts that we look at when we’re thinking about our negotiations,” Butts said.

While the state’s average teacher salary still sits below Holcomb’s $60,000 target, eight of Marion County’s 11 districts report an average salary above $60,000 for 2022-23. For full-time teachers in Wayne Township and Speedway schools, the average salary is more than $70,000.

Franklin Township Community Schools, which has Marion County’s lowest starting salary in 2023-24, still had an average salary last school year of $62,873 in 2022-23— higher than five other Marion County districts.

There are 305 bargaining units in the state, including those for school corporations and special education centers that provide services to multiple districts.

But not all public school educators are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. No charter schools in the state had a teacher bargaining unit for the 2022-23 school year. And the state legislature ended collective bargaining for Muncie Community Schools in 2018, when Ball State University took control of the district.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Eric Weddle is the education editor at WFYI. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org.

Don’t use pushpins in the classroom and other lessons from teaching middle school

2023-11-29T21:46:55+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

In her very first year of teaching eighth grade, Kali Burks learned three invaluable lessons.

First, if you tell a student who’s trying to evade work that they’re not leaving the classroom unless they’re bleeding, they may call your bluff.

Second, if you use pushpins in your classroom, that same student may use one to pierce their ears and draw blood.

And third — and most importantly — it’s OK to cut students a little slack before it comes to that.

Burks, a teacher in Wayne schools, shared her “teaching fails” at the “Don’t Make Me Use My Teacher Voice” story slam on Nov. 16. The event was presented by Teachers Lounge Indy, in collaboration with Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning.

Those weren’t the only hard-won lessons from her first year. Below is an excerpt from the “series of unfortunate events” that earned Burks the nickname “Firestarter.”

Here’s an excerpt of her story, lightly edited for clarity and length:

“He [the student] had gone through two Chromebooks, two loaner Chromebooks, and after he was forbidden from using any type of technology in our classroom, he would often try to find something else to destroy.

I did not know this fateful day that in the class period before, he had gotten a brand new phone and wanted to see what was inside of it. So he decided to take the back off it, try to get the battery out. Apparently when you pick at a battery long enough, it will start to smoke.

All of a sudden I hear, ‘Ms. Burks? There’s a fire.’

I turn around and this backpack is billowing smoke. I have never been in a fire situation in my life. So when I saw the smoke, I had no idea what to do. I leapt across my room, jumped over the backpack, ran out of my room looking for the fire alarm.”

Watch the full video below.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear true stories told by local teachers at this storytelling event

2023-10-12T11:30:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

The infamous “teacher voice” — we all know it, and now you can hear directly from local educators about the times they may have needed to use it.

Join us for the “Don’t Make Me Use My Teacher Voice” teacher story slam from 6 to 8 p.m Thursday, Nov. 16, at Ash & Elm Cider Company, 1301 E Washington Street in Indianapolis. The event will be hosted by Teachers Lounge Indy along with Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning.

Teachers Lounge Indy was formed to help early-career teachers build community, said organizer Ronak Shah. The group last hosted a story slam in 2019. Since then, many in the group have moved on and are no longer early in their careers.

However, Shah said a current teacher encouraged him to bring the event back, so he revived it.

To attend, register here for a free ticket on Eventbrite: https://ckbe.at/3FSCr6z.

Also, if you’re an educator and want to tell your story, contact: teachersloungeindy@gmail.com.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

As Indiana’s immigrant population grows, one school offers English lessons to families

2023-11-02T19:56:38+00:00

A book, a pencil, and an English dictionary.

For years, those are the tools Carmen Nolasco used to study English on her own after immigrating to the United States from Mexico.

Occasionally, she said, she offered to teach Spanish in exchange for English lessons.

But she had never formally learned English from a teacher in a classroom until her son’s school invited her to do just that in June.

The program at Enlace Academy — a westside Indianapolis charter school where more than 80% of families speak a language other than English at home — serves students’ parents and family members, teaching them English using the same phonics-focused methods found in the school’s elementary classrooms.

Funded through federal emergency monies and a new $3.3 million state grant, the program is one of only a few in Indiana open to adult English learners at all levels of literacy — including those who don’t have a background in reading and writing in a first language.

The goal for the school is twofold: To help parents learn English, as well as give them the tools to work on literacy skills with their students at home. Parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins are drawn to the classes not just to learn English for themselves, but to connect with their students, teacher Megan Singh said.

Schools can be ideal starting places for engagement programs for immigrant parents, said Katie Brooks, a professor at Butler University’s College of Education, and the best ones will include two-way learning with families as well. While other Indiana schools offered English classes for adults in the past, many of those have been cut back, she added.

A program such as Enlace’s, which is ongoing rather than a one-off event, and involves the school’s teachers, allows for strong relationship-building with families, she said.

“In the cultures we’re serving, collectivism is so important,” Carlota Dall-Holder, Director of Academic Language at the Neighborhood Charter Network, Enlace’s charter operator. “We want to empower families and adults to support this literacy practice, because it’s really going to take a village.”

In the school library on a recent Saturday, alongside a dozen other Enlace family members, Nolasco said the classes have allowed her to better help her third grader with his reading and math, as well as communicate with his teachers and his speech therapist.

For an exercise using an artificial intelligence image generator, Nolasco described her happiness about being in class and learning a new language. The image she chose showed a student cheerfully raising her hand.

“It’s an excellent program for starting a new life,” she said.

Carmen Nolasco works on an assignment during Family English at Enlace Academy.

Teaching parents to teach their children

Family English, as it’s known to participants, is the brainchild of teacher Megan Singh, who came to Enlace in 2022 with a professional background in adult English education. Classes began last fall at the school, which is in its 11th year.

While working with adults is her passion, Singh said working in an elementary classroom put her in the midst of Indiana’s push to improve literacy through the science of reading. She teaches first and second graders throughout the week, and leads their families through similar literacy lessons on Saturday mornings.

Children are welcome and child care is provided, though many choose to stay with their parents. It’s one of the ways the school tries to remove barriers to attending weekly classes, Singh said, though others like work schedules and transportation remain. Between 25 and 40 people attend each week.

“With adult education, it’s not required,” she said. “Adults are choosing to come every week.”

The families that braved the cold and rainy weather on Oct. 28 began class by filling out letter prompts to their teachers in a nod to the school’s recent parent-teacher conferences: What are you doing well in English class? What do you need help with?

Singh and her co-teacher Ally Hall then turned the focus to phonics in a way that would feel familiar to an elementary student. First the class listened to and wrote down letter sounds — noting the differences in English and Spanish — before moving on to syllables, words, and sentences.

They worked on the endings -am and -an, using their fingers to write out words like fan, can, and yam in the air – a teaching strategy called skywriting.

In one exercise, Family English Class students worked in pairs, with one student reading descriptions and another writing and illustrating them.

Some adults can be reluctant to participate in skywriting or other hallmarks of elementary education such as coloring, Singh said. But most come around, especially after the teachers explain the science behind multisensory learning found in methods like Orton-Gillingham.

Singh primarily taught in English, while the students contributed translations in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole to the words that the class was working on. Hall and two classroom assistants also moved throughout the rows, helping students write out the words they heard: Ham, can, man, van.

“Easy,” said Carmen Nolasco’s third grader, Emmanuel, from the back of the library, where he followed along with the assignment. He was ready for sentences.

Teacher Megan Singh leads students through a multisensory exercise on words ending with -an and -am.

School officials hope classes will improve student performance

By teaching their parents, the school hopes to better support students at home, and in turn, improve their academic performance.

Indiana expects 95% of all third grade students to pass the state reading test by 2027. But the statewide rate has stalled at around 82% for the past three years, after dropping 5 percentage points after the pandemic.

Proficiency rates among English learner students statewide dropped 8.5 percentage points from 2021 to 2022, and remained virtually unchanged this year at 64%, prompting alarm from education officials. Around 39% of Enlace students tested proficient in 2023, up one percentage point from the previous year, but down 33 points from before the pandemic.

“We’re not going to get an exemption because our school is 80% multilingual,” said Dall-Holder, the academic language director.

Like all Indiana schools, Enlace must teach reading through methods based in the science of reading under a new state law. But some lessons need to be modified to teach the school’s unique student population, Dall-Holder said.

For example, during a phonics lesson, a teacher might cover the picture of the word on a flashcard in order to help the student focus on sounding out the word, she said. But after the student reads the word, the teacher might reveal the picture to help reinforce the meaning.

“We have to evaluate: If this is what the science of reading is, but language acquisition says this, how do we provide the two so we’re giving students access to both?” she said. “It’s a national problem. It’s not being taken into consideration and it needs to be.”

Immigration creates greater literacy needs

More literacy classes for adults are needed in Indiana as the state sees a growing and changing immigrant population.

Districts like Perry Township have said they expect record numbers of new immigrant students this year, many of whom experienced disruption in their formal education due to political turmoil, natural disasters, or the pandemic. Perry started a program this year focused on helping students with limited English proficiency prepare for the workforce.

Adults, too, need more English language development than before as workforce needs shift from labor to customer service, Singh said.

Though there’s plenty of demand to expand the Saturday English program and open it to the broader community, Enlace officials said they intend to keep it open only to students’ families. One reason is that the school doesn’t have the funding and space to run a whole adult education program, Singh said.

While adult English language classes are available, there’s less support for programs that serve students who aren’t literate in their native language.

The school used federal emergency funding to start the program, and will now turn to a $3.3 million NextGen School Improvement Grant from the Indiana Department of Education to continue and expand it. That expansion would likely be through partnerships with other schools and organizations that could offer their own similar programs.

But funding aside, limiting the program to family members keeps it tightly focused.

“It’s cool to get to know parents and children,” Singh said. “Integrating learning for the student and their family has been very enjoyable.”

As the adult students worked through the listening exercise on the last Saturday of October, Singh demonstrated some of the movements she uses to teach letter sounds to her elementary students.

For V: Teeth over your lips, and then vibrate. For E: Put your thumb and forefinger below the chin to frame the smile that comes with saying the letter. “I” is scratching your nose, like an itch.

“Vowels are difficult in English,” she said to the class.

One student wanted to know: For English speakers too?

“Yes,” she said. “They’re always changing.”

Family English takes place in the Enlace Academy library on Saturdays.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

A career switch led this teacher to helping students build businesses of their own

2023-10-18T11:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Meredith Bryant wanted a change.

It was 2020, and she was working from home due to the pandemic. Bryant had been in marketing for eight years but felt like she was missing her sense of purpose.

So she decided to become a teacher.

For the past three years, she’s worked as a business teacher at Walker Career Center at Warren Central High School. This year, she’s teaching and leading a new program centered on entrepreneurship.

Interest in entrepreneurship was growing among high schoolers at Warren Central, so the school created a new pathway where students can launch their own businesses. Plus, they earn up to 16 college credits — roughly a full semester of classes.

Indiana education leaders are pushing to improve access to postsecondary education as the state’s college-going rate for high school seniors hovered at roughly 53% for the class of 2021, the latest data available, after years of decline. That includes efforts to reduce the cost and time it takes to earn a degree. Dual enrollment programs, where students can earn high school and college credits at the same time, are among those efforts.

For Bryant, leaving marketing for teaching proved to be an exciting decision. Her days now are filled with hands-on activities and helping students apply business lessons as they create their own companies and start to build their futures.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher during 2020, during the pandemic, when I was working in marketing for a local credit union in the investment department. I wanted some way I could be helpful and decided to go back to school, which turned into me doing a transition-to-teaching program.

I needed more of a challenge and something that was going to give a better-served outcome. Now that I’m three years in, I absolutely love what I do and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I just wish I would have done it sooner.

Why start the new entrepreneurship program at Warren Central High School? How will it impact students?

Entrepreneurship used to be an elective, but when students started showing more of interest in the topic, they wanted to try it as its own pathway. This program will help students launch a potential business so they can graduate owning something of their own. I have four seniors who will hopefully be ready to launch their business ideas into the community by May. The other students, juniors, will have me for another year to finalize and work on their budgets, investments, and financial planning.

A “pathway” is essentially an area of expertise, like declaring a major in college. We have over 30-plus pathways that the students can choose from, and entrepreneurship is the most recent one.

As of right now, the classes are all taught by me and students have to pass with a C or better to pass the class. If they pass the Principles of Entrepreneurship, they will move on to the next class, Small Business Operations, and then the capstone.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

Every Wednesday, we do “workshop stations,” where the students go around to different areas of the room and complete an activity.

Recently, we did “Adult Day” where the students learned how to tie a tie, sew on a button, read paychecks, and write professional emails. These are not only fun for the students but for me as well because I get to engage with them on a different level than just a teacher-student relationship.

Overall, my favorite lessons to teach are hands-on activities. I learn better when I see it visually so doing hands-on projects is where I really shine as a teacher.

What’s something happening in the community that affects what goes on inside your classroom?

Job loss has hit some of my students and even their families. It has been hard to keep their motivation when they see their community laying people off.

When circumstances like this happen, there are a lot of resources we can offer students, but I think with having this class, they have come to realize they can break that barrier. They can use this class to change their environment and better their situation.

What has been surprising about the program so far?

The ideas that the students have come up with so far has really shocked me. I’ve had students that have already launched their apparel business, and they’ve started gaining that experience.

This year as part of the new pathway, students are still in the brainstorming phase of the process but have come up with amazing ideas so far.

One student didn’t want to wait around and jumped into his business and is already making sales. He wants to start his own apparel line but, for now, is working with a manufacturer to design and distribute zip-up hoodies. He’s done very well so far.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I was a three-sport athlete and a good student academically. I think having that discipline at an early age has carried over to me as an adult and how I run my classroom.

For example, every week we do a Mindful Monday exercise where students watch a motivational YouTube clip and reflect on it in their journals. After they are done, we talk about it and allow some to share their experiences.

I had a high school teacher do this and being the student I was, it helped pick me up and remind me why I was there, and what I’m working towards. I hope to do the same for my students with these reflection days.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The struggles and challenges that are given to you are put in your way to see how you will react to them. Will you overcome them or let them tear you down? It’s always your choice!

I tell my students every day that their attitude when they walk through the door will determine how class will go.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

A teachers union wanted to bargain over pay. Its president ended up barred from the classroom.

2023-10-16T11:00:00+00:00

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What started as an Indiana district’s proposal to retain teachers has led to allegations of unfair labor practices, public anger at school board members, and officials’ decision to bar the teachers union president from the classroom.

In May, Richmond schools announced one-time bonuses for teachers in an effort to staunch turnover rates of more than 25% in some buildings. All teachers in good standing would receive supplemental payments of $525. The district targeted additional money at mid-career teachers whose compensation hadn’t increased in line with their experience.

But the Richmond Education Association argued that the plan affected compensation, and thus would need to be discussed during the fall bargaining season that began Sept. 15, per Indiana law. It filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the district.

In the months that followed, the union said the district retaliated by disinviting its representatives from a back-to-school event before eventually placing president and longtime educator Kelley McDermott on leave and threatening to cancel her teaching contract. Union representatives also say teachers have been instructed to inform the superintendent if they want to speak to school board members.

The situation in Richmond is unfolding against a long history of the winnowing of teachers’ collective bargaining rights in Indiana, in addition to an ongoing shortage of educators in certain fields and classroom subjects. Over roughly the past decade, the number of people entering the teaching profession has dipped in Indiana, while the number of people leaving it has risen, the state reported last year; enrollment also fell over the same period. And across the nation, more teachers than usual left the profession after the 2021-22 school year, a Chalkbeat analysis showed.

A state law enacted this year and sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Raatz, a Richmond Republican, nixed a requirement for school districts to discuss changes to working conditions with union representatives at monthly meetings. Advocates said the change would reduce red tape — observers say it has hurt teacher morale. (Raatz did not respond to a request for comment.)

Representatives of Richmond schools did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment on the situation. Both the district and the union have said they want to keep classrooms staffed by experienced teachers — but they remain at an impasse on the best way to do so as bargaining officially begins.

What must school districts negotiate with teachers unions?

Lawmakers stripped Indiana teachers of the right to collectively bargain over working conditions like class sizes and schedules under a 2011 law. The topics that teachers can bargain over during the fall bargaining window are salaries, wages, and benefits, including pay increases.

That put Richmond’s compensation plan squarely in the union’s territory, representatives said.

The district’s plan delineated the amount teachers would receive in one-time supplemental pay on top of the $525 bonus based on their current salary, their years of experience, and their education. For example, a teacher with eight years of teaching experience and a bachelor’s degree whose base salary is $44,000 would receive a supplemental payment of $4,750.

But the union said that passing this plan to boost the pay of around 60% of teachers left less district funding to negotiate raises for the remaining teachers when bargaining began in the fall. Moreover, the board approved the plan without talking to the union, representatives said.

“We’re not opposed to fixing this problem,” McDermott said to the board. “What we are opposed to is stripping the association of its collective bargaining rights, which are legally protected.”

Board members argued that Indiana law also gave them the flexibility to offer supplemental pay in order to retain teachers, or to reduce the difference between minimum and average salaries in the district, without input from the Richmond Education Association.

“It has been a problem without a solution for a very long time,” board President Nicole Stults said at the May board meeting. “This does provide us with a solution that addresses the immediate bleed, so to speak, the immediate retention issue that we have.”

District representatives said offering supplemental pay was critical in order to stop losing teachers to neighboring districts. Data indicated that Richmond teachers have to work for 13 years in order to make the starting salary of a neighboring district.

“The consistency that students see is important, those relationships that students build with their teachers is critical to academic success, so the retention of teachers is critical to their academic success,” board member Pete Zaleski said in May.

‘This will lead to educators leaving the profession’

A September board meeting drew a large crowd of union members and supporters outraged over how the district has handled the pay issue and McDermott’s teaching contract.

By keeping McDermott out of the classroom, the district has left her students without a consistent teacher, speakers said — the opposite of its stated goal.

“Look at how many teachers are leaving and how many teaching openings there are each year. Please think this through and return the teacher to her teaching position, where she is needed to teach the youth of Richmond,” one speaker said. “Make this again a place to be proud to teach, not a temporary step along the way.”

McDermott could not be reached for comment. She remains on administrative leave after the district announced it would consider canceling her teaching contract, according to union Vice President Jay Lee.

Lee said that talks with the district have never been so contentious in the past.

The union opted to wait to begin bargaining until after Oct. 2, when schools will tally up how many students they’re educating in the fall semester — an event known as Count Day — in order to understand how much funding would be available.

“This is a Band-Aid,” Lee said of the district’s pay plan.

In a video posted to the district’s YouTube channel after the September board meeting, Richmond board president Stults said neither the district nor the board could comment on the personnel situation regarding McDermott. She said that apart from that issue, “relationships among the board, administration, and teachers are quite positive and stronger than they have been in recent years.”

She cited positive feedback from teachers regarding the supplemental pay, as well as a series of meetings throughout the year between district employees and upper administration.

Finally, she said the district has tried to implement the new law ending monthly discussions between administrators and union members positively, “allowing for a more focused approach to building level issues.”

Jennifer Smith-Margraf, vice president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said it’s not clear why Richmond schools did not do what it did in previous years and wait for the bargaining season to discuss compensation this year.

But the cumulative effect of the unilateral changes to pay and the new law that lets districts avoid discussing working conditions with unions have made the situation worse, she said.

“The two main reasons people leave education are low pay and benefits, and not having their voices heard,” she said. “In the long run, this will lead to educators leaving the profession.”

It’s not clear if lawmakers will make further changes next session — but Smith-Margraf said the union supports the right to bargaining and discussion.

“Places that do both bargaining and discussion are doing a much better job of retaining educators,” Smith-Margraf said. “Where there is a clear indication that my voice doesn’t matter causes people to leave and go other places.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis education students share career goals, doubts, and advice

2023-08-21T11:00:00+00:00

Miles Clements’ life took a turn after his parents divorced and his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

He was a student at Fishers High School at the time. His studies began to suffer and his behavior changed, he said, so much that he was issued a detention once.

Things could have turned out worse, if one teacher hadn’t checked up on him, he recalled. He said they didn’t even talk about school. She just wanted to know what was going on in his life. But it was enough for Clements to start taking his learning seriously again — and make a decision about his future.

Clements said experiencing firsthand the impact that a teacher can have on someone’s life made the difference for him. He’s now a junior at the University of Indianapolis, preparing to become a teacher himself.

“If that teacher could do that for me, I can do that for other students,” Clements said. “I just wanted to be that person that can be there to care for them and give them the education that they need.”

Like school systems across the country, Indianapolis districts have struggled to fill their teaching vacancies, especially after the pandemic. Many experienced teachers are leaving the profession, citing inadequate pay or high stress.

But in Indianapolis, a new generation of aspiring teachers are launching or preparing for careers in the classroom, motivated by the opportunities to shape young people’s lives and undaunted by the challenges. In conversations with Chalkbeat, they talked about their decisions to pursue teaching careers, their experiences so far, and how they believe they can make a difference.

At the University of Indianapolis, Clements said he’s had opportunities since his first semester to gain classroom experience. His interactions with students at Central Elementary School in Beech Grove solidified his decision to pursue education.

Clements said he was immediately drawn to teaching skills like literacy, where students can get creative. He knows that classroom instruction relies on knowledge of material and methods, but he said he’s learned there’s a balance to teaching.

“I’ve even said in the past that you could be Albert Einstein and not know how to teach something,” Clements said. “You could be super, super smart, but not have the social skills or the empathy for the students.”

Alexis Britt discovered how critical those social skills are during a combined English and history class at Decatur Central High School, where she worked with students last semester.

The UIndy senior organized a mural project related to Elie Wiesel’s memoir “Night,” where students had to work in groups to pull quotes and draw imagery from the text.

“It was the best moment in my entire life, because I was like, I love that they love it,” Britt said. “Just seeing those students have all this fun doing it really made me happy.”

The prospective teachers said they feel secure in the choice to pursue teaching, either because of positive relationships with teachers in the past or classroom experiences during college. Even so, there are moments of doubt.

Aracely Guerrero-Alonso, a sophomore at UIndy, hopes to teach elementary schoolers, specifically first and second grade. She said when she tells people that she plans to become a teacher, the reactions aren’t usually positive.

She said she knows what she’s signing up for. Guerrero-Alonso said hearing accounts from teachers via social media, like TikTok and Instagram, about their daily life and any struggles they face has prepared her for the realities of education. Still, she said it’s hard having other people in her life tell her to choose another career.

“I feel alone at times,” Guerrero-Alonso said. “No one really supports what I’m doing. They say not to go into it. But if you tell people not to go into it, we’re not going to have any teachers.”

Despite public skepticism, many people are pursuing degrees in education in Indiana. According to data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, in 2021, over 1,700 of the over 33,000 bachelor’s degrees earned at Indiana’s public institutions were in education.

First-year teacher Bianca Winston, who graduated from Martin University in December 2022 wants students majoring in education to know that more than anything, work-life balance is key to success.

There’s a world beyond the classroom and the job, said Winston, who teaches first grade in Indianapolis. “You have a life outside of that. You create your own peace. Don’t let anybody take your peace away.”

Gregory Golden is heading into his senior year at Butler University, during which he’ll do his student teaching at Center for Inquiry School 84. As graduation nears, he’s aware that teaching can feel like a “thankless job.” Golden urged people considering careers in teaching to step into a classroom for themselves to see if education is really for them.

“I see my friends that are going into business and going into health care and doing all sorts of odds and ends that are going to be, you know, to be frank, making a lot more money,” Golden said.

“We are, as teachers, very much so unsung heroes of the workforce,” he said. “Just know what you’re getting into, because it’s something that you should not take lightly. It impacts people’s lives more than a lot of other careers.”

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact the Indiana bureau at in.tips@chalkbeat.org

Indiana teacher helps her school implement the science of reading ‘one bite at a time’

2023-08-15T19:52:35+00:00

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Indiana is in the midst of an enormous undertaking to improve literacy rates. The approach: Align state standards, curriculum, and teacher training programs with practices rooted in the science of reading, which emphasizes phonics to help students decode words.

Literacy coach Mika Frame has a memorable mantra for accomplishing big goals.

“My current principal always tells me, ‘Eat an elephant one bite at a time,’” she said. “Through this saying, he always encourages me to seek change in our staff by taking small steps, as opposed to expecting my teachers to change all at once or in drastic measures.”

A K-2 literacy coach at Rose Hamilton Elementary School in Centerville, Frame is part of the first cohort of educators that trained in reading science practices as part of the Indiana Literacy Cadre. Now she co-teaches, analyzes student data to see who needs more help, and leads her colleagues through the state’s new requirements.

Frame told Chalkbeat about her work as Indiana looks to bring more literacy coaches like her to its schools.

What drew you to a career in education?

My favorite part of high school was when I was a cadet teacher and worked with elementary students. I still love working with children today. I enjoy the energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity of young learners. Witnessing the progress and achievements of students, seeing them overcome challenges, and helping them reach their potential brings me a deep sense of satisfaction.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day at Rose Hamilton includes working alongside teachers in their classrooms. Co-teaching is my favorite aspect of working with my colleagues. An additional responsibility I have most days involves disaggregating learning data. This data often presents patterns and helps teachers identify subgroups of students who need additional interventions. Each month, I also lead professional learning community meetings and offer new ideas and strategies to our teachers. Finally, coordinating testing is an important part of my position; I help ensure testing protocols are executed with fidelity and testing deadlines are met.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

My favorite lessons to teach are phonics lessons. Phonics plays a vital role in children’s literacy development by providing them with the tools to decode words, read fluently, and comprehend written materials effectively. It sets the stage for their future academic success. Phonics empowers children to read independently and with confidence. When children can decode words accurately, they can read books and other written materials on their own. This opens up a world of knowledge and imagination. I love seeing children’s eyes light up when they start sounding out words.

When did you first learn about the ideas of reading science? How have you been able to apply those recently with fellow educators or students?

I first learned in depth about the science of reading when I was accepted into the Literacy Cadre program. In the Summer of 2022, I attended a weeklong training that dove into the science of reading. I have been able to apply these strategies by leading professional learning community meetings. During this time, I’ve encouraged teachers in the building to present to one another about the science of reading instructional practices they are doing in their classrooms.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I grew up in Modoc, Indiana. My community was rural and consisted of approximately 160 people. I graduated with only 18 students in my class, and that included a few foreign exchange students. It was a close-knit community in which everyone knew each other. This background helps me understand that every single child matters, and no matter the size of the district, helping all students succeed academically and helping them reach their full potential is the ultimate goal in education.

Literacy coach Mika Frame helps her colleagues with the state’s new requirements on the science of reading.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

My current principal always tells me, “Eat an elephant one bite at a time.” Through this saying, he always encourages me to seek change in our staff by taking small steps, as opposed to expecting my teachers to change all at once or in drastic measures. I have used this advice frequently as our school has been going through new initiatives in the last year. Our next step this coming school year is to look into a new phonics program. We are slowly looking into the programs we are using and making small changes, if needed. Again, small steps that lead to changes are important!

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

This past year I read “Shifting the Balance” by Jan Miller Burkins and Kari Yates with my colleagues in the literacy cohort. It really helped me understand the aspects of science of reading. After reading the book, my superintendent was kind enough to buy a set for my teachers, and I led a book study at Rose Hamilton. It was great to meet after school with the teachers and reflect on each chapter, as well as what we do or possibly could do better.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

National group revises grade for Indiana’s largest teacher prep program on reading instruction

2023-08-03T21:52:24+00:00

A group that produced a report on the quality of reading instruction programs at teachers colleges nationwide has revised its score for Ball State University from a failing grade to an A.

The university’s Teachers College, the largest teacher preparation program in Indiana, is one of 45 programs that asked the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) for a revised score after the council issued a report showing that thousands of teachers attended preparation programs that taught poor reading methods.

The report caused a stir in Indiana and other states that have pushed to apply instruction strategies backed by the science of reading in elementary schools in order to improve students’ literacy rates. It gave around 260 of the 710 programs reviewed failing grades.

A spokesperson for the council said that so far, NCTQ has decided to give 24 schools across the country new, higher grades to reflect that they do teach the principles of the science of reading. While most were revised by a single letter grade, nine programs (including Ball State) jumped from F to A grades. Another five are still awaiting review.

The council anticipates that it will publish the new scores by mid-August.

The additional material Ball State submitted to NCTQ included descriptions of its course time, the spokesperson said, which contributed to its higher score. The review gave programs scores for how well they taught the five pillars of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It gauged whether they taught methods that aren’t backed by research.

The council had based its previous grade on incomplete material obtained through a public records request, said Jackie Sydnor, an associate professor and chair of Ball State’s Department of Elementary Education. NCTQ has previously received criticism for using incomplete data in its analysis of teacher training programs.

What NCTQ received was primarily course outlines, which included objectives, grading scales, and university policies, but not calendars, reading materials, and assignments, Sydnor said, all of which better illustrated the principles of the science of reading. The council was also missing syllabi from two elementary education courses, she added.

“We knew that we taught all of these things, but it was disheartening to hear it reported that we weren’t,” Sydnor said.

The council said that it offered schools opportunities to correct their scores before they were public, but it’s not clear if these requests reached the Teachers College.

Two other universities in Indiana also requested new scores from the council.

Anderson University’s score will remain an A, according to a council spokesperson, while Huntington University’s D grade is still under review.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Over 90% of teaching staff directly affected by IPS school closures will stay in the district

2023-07-28T20:59:10+00:00

At least 90% of the teaching staff directly impacted by Indianapolis Public Schools’ sweeping reorganization enacted last year will continue working in the district for the 2023-24 school year, the district said Thursday.

The staffing update from IPS showed that 300 staff affected by the school closures and mergers initiated by Rebuilding Stronger were placed elsewhere in the district. Most of the affected staff who got offers from the district to be placed in jobs for next year earlier than normal accepted those “Advanced Placement” offers, IPS said.

In addition, 109 teachers who were at Francis Parker Montessori School 56 and Paul Miller School 114, both of which closed at the end of the last school year, decided to make the switch to new schools with students. School 56 students are switching to James Russell Lowell Elementary, while School 114 students are now attending Frederick Douglass Elementary School 19.

As part of Rebuilding Stronger — which is the district’s effort to address dropping enrollment and address long-term fiscal challenges — IPS decided to close six schools, in addition to changing grade configurations at other schools and revamping academic offerings to make things like world languages and music more widely available. But these changes involve significant disruptions for staff.

The district decided to offer $10,000 stipends to teachers directly impacted by the changes, as well as $2,000 stipends to teachers indirectly impacted, like those who remain at the schools some of their colleagues must leave.

Sandy Bombick, the director of employment and operations for IPS, said at Thursday’s school board meeting that those bonuses were paid to impacted staff who met eligibility requirements. She also clarified that those retention bonuses were given for staff to remain at their schools through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The district also accelerated its typical timeline for identifying vacancies and working on staff placements, which allowed the district to be competitive with other potential employers.

IPS relied heavily on making sure it communicated well with staff through the process. The district’s strategies for communicating clearly included the formation of a Principal Advisory Board, which offered input on what they believed to be helpful in moving forward. In addition, impacted staff were met in person at their schools, and could share any questions or concerns that they had.

There is also a “Let’s Talk” option in the staff portal where teachers can research issues or submit inquiries.

“I think what’s key here is the cadence of communication, knowing that it was critical to keep open lines of communication through this,” Bombick said during her presentation to the school board.

Bombick also said the district plans to replicate this hiring and placement timeline going into the new school year and continue these communication strategies. She said despite the amount of change IPS is going through, she was “proud” of how the district had handled it.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said professional development has been and will continue to be offered to staff working with new instructional models or in new roles.

Of the more than 190 staff members who received Advanced Placement offers between December 5 and January 4 during the last school year, 114 accepted them. Seventy-seven chose to apply for new positions and go through the interview process all over again.

Roughly a week before the start of the school year on Monday, IPS reported there were 152 teaching vacancies, or a 12% classroom teaching vacancy rate. Bombick said staff leave the district for various reasons throughout the year, and cannot necessarily be linked to Rebuilding Stronger.

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Jade at jthomas@chalkbeat.org.

Township schools in Marion County: Tell us what you want to read about them

2023-07-26T11:00:00+00:00

Roughly 100, 000 students attend township school districts across Marion County, and we want to tell their stories.

What challenges do they face? What successes are they celebrating? How are schools providing for them?

This year, Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI are partnering to expand coverage of the township school districts in Marion County.

As small newsrooms, it can be challenging to cover all of the school districts and charter schools in Marion County. But we know there are important stories going uncovered, and we know you want to read those stories — you’ve told us.

So Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI will be co-publishing coverage of Marion County township school districts, as a way to increase the number and quality of stories we can tell about the students and educators in those districts. We plan to start by focusing on these townships: Lawrence, Perry, Pike, Warren, Washington, and Wayne.

That means we want to know your thoughts on our plans and your story ideas. Let us know what you think in the form below. And if you can’t see the form, click here.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief and covers higher education. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Eric Weddle is editor of the WFYI education desk. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or text at 317-426-7386.

After a slow start, some Indiana schools begin to hire adjunct teachers

2023-07-24T11:00:00+00:00

Indiana lawmakers cleared the way last year for school districts to issue their own permits and hire adjunct teachers for hard-to-fill teaching positions.

After some hesitation, school districts have now begun to turn to adjunct teachers, who aren’t licensed by the state and instead need to have four years of relevant experience and pass a background check before stepping into the classroom.

While the Indiana Department of Education did not provide data on how many adjunct teachers are working in Indiana schools, a statewide job board for teachers recently showed four districts and one charter school seeking adjuncts.

There are 1,720 job listings for teachers statewide, down slightly from around 1,800 before the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Earlier this month, the Perry Township school board approved a proposal to hire an adjunct teacher for the district’s Insurance Careers Pathway – a career and technical education course of study for high schoolers that allows students to enter the insurance field upon graduation.

The first of three classes in the insurance careers pathway was taught by the district’s business teachers, said Jane Pollard, the district’s assistant superintendent for career preparation.

But because Perry doesn’t have anyone on staff with the credentials to teach the next course and only one section will be offered at each high school, “it made sense to consider a licensed industry professional” for the role, Pollard said.

The teacher will be authorized directly by the school board upon hire, and then teach one period at each of Perry’s two high schools, according to the district. Perry does not have any other adjunct teachers.

The neighboring Center Grove school district is also hiring an adjunct teacher for a Chinese language teaching position. But the district already has a candidate in mind — the current Chinese language teacher, who holds a Canadian teaching license and needed additional time to take the state teaching exam, said Stacy Conrad, the district’s executive director of communications.

“The high school is using the adjunct option to give her time to get licensed and still be able to continue to offer Chinese to students,” Conrad said in an email.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

2023 ILEARN scores: See test results from your school

2023-07-12T13:05:44+00:00

ILEARN scores for 2023 were released Wednesday, with Indiana students doing slightly better than last year on their overall scores.

In 2023, about 30.6% of students in grades 3-8 statewide scored proficient or better in both the English and math sections of the ILEARN state test — only a fraction of a percentage point above the 30.2% last year.

By subject, 40.7% of students were proficient in English, and 40.9% were proficient in math. That’s a drop of half a percentage point in English and a 1.5 percentage point increase over last year in math.

See how students at your school did on the ILEARN test using the table below:

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

‘Master teachers’ develop strong English language instruction at Perry Township school

2023-06-30T11:00:00+00:00

When Sun Par arrived at Perry Township’s William Henry Burkhart Elementary from Myanmar as a fourth grader in 2007, she said “it was overwhelming” as a student who didn’t know English.

Even though her first few days at William Henry Burkhart were difficult, Par said as she and her peers “adapted to the culture and our environment” the teachers gave them “a loving welcome.”

Now, she’s back at her old elementary school as a tutor and translator. She attributes her passion for education to her former school and the teachers who worked with her.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Par said. “Growing up, I always tell myself, ‘Maybe I should go back to my former elementary school, so that I could give back what they gave me.’”

When Sun Par, left, arrived in Indianapolis from Myanmar in 2007, she got a warm reception at William Henry Burkhart Elementary School in Perry Township. She now works as a tutor and translator at the school.

Sun Par’s story isn’t an accident. William Henry Burkhart has been committed to improving English language instruction for refugees from Myanmar — which was previously known as Burma — since the first students from the country began arriving in the community nearly two decades ago, said Principal Darlene Hardesty, who used to be Par’s teacher at the school.

By implementing strategies like integrating language instruction into different activities and a support structure for teachers, Perry has tried to achieve this goal.

The school’s hard work has led to recognition. In June, William Henry Burkhart was shortlisted for a World’s Best School prize awarded by T4 Education, which was founded to establish and support a network of teachers and schools and “highlight innovation.” Burkhart is one of just ten schools worldwide that’s up for the group’s Community Collaboration award, which focuses on schools that use “a whole child approach based on equity and inclusivity.”

Hardesty said that welcoming students, regardless of background, into the school community is what Burkhart does best, and its “goal is to help them grow to the next level.”

T4 Education will announce the three finalists in September, and the winners in October. Each winning school will receive $50,000.

Indiana has had a relatively large population from Myanmar for some time. According to the Burmese American Community Institute, there are over 40,000 living in Indiana, almost 27,000 of whom live in Indianapolis. (The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 estimate for the population in Indiana is lower, at about 23,500.) There are over 4,000 students with family roots in Myanmar in Perry Township.

There has been an increase in English language learners in Indiana for several years. In 2005, the number of English learners was over 56,000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2022, that figure was over 77,000, the Indiana Department of Education reported.

In Perry Township, 28.3% of its over 16,000 students were English learners in the 2020-2021 school year.

Hardesty said she realized that she had to change her teaching style as more English learning students arrived beginning in 2005.

“As a fifth grade teacher, I was not used to instructing students who had no reading skills,” she said. “So that was very different. We needed to learn very quickly how to differentiate our instruction.”

Using master teachers to improve English language instruction

In response, Perry adopted the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) in 2007, which has eight parts such as interaction and practice and application. This method targets the needs of English learners by integrating language instruction into each classroom activity.

In addition, Perry Township began a partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching in 2012 for each school, after an initial collaboration with two Perry schools beginning in 2010.

The structure includes the leadership of master teachers who guide professional development and demonstrate classroom strategies. Patrick Mapes, Perry’s superintendent, said that it’s important for teachers to have “this contact point to get better.”

Jenny Taylor has been a master teacher at Homecroft Elementary since 2014. Besides guiding professional development, master teachers analyze data from state assessments. Perry gathers this data by conducting monthly district-wide testing for language arts and math, according to Mapes. Master teachers also organize and oversee field testing in classrooms to better understand the effectiveness of different strategies.

Taylor said the most powerful shift in English language instruction for Perry was consciously thinking about how the four domains of reading, writing, speaking, and listening apply to each aspect of teaching using SIOP. She said with these methods, teachers constantly ask themselves how English learning students might absorb content.

“What reading are they going to struggle with?” she said. “When they’re listening to me talk, am I talking too fast? Do I need to change my vocabulary up to something that they understand?”

By building a strong foundation of development with teachers, Taylor said, she can focus on “the support to teachers that I can give” which ultimately helps students.

Helping a new generation of Burmese students

Par graduated from Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis in May 2022. Shortly after, she reached out to her former school looking for a position. Hardesty said she was a perfect fit.

“There was a moment this school year where she was teaching some first graders,” Hardesty said. “And she had out some of the phonics tiles, the letter tiles, and they were pushing and making words, doing sounds, and I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the moment right here. She’s doing what we taught her to do so long ago.’”

As a tutor and translator, Par works with several small groups of students who are at different levels of English learning. She said it’s wonderful to be able to relate to students.

“I remember within fourth and fifth grade, learning how to write basic things, even like writing my own name,” she said. “Just seeing them, I could feel they try so hard. But at the same time, as a teacher, we can see and push them harder. And that’s what I did, just like my teachers did with me.”

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Jade at jthomas@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana has new requirements for teaching reading. Will teachers be prepared to meet them?

2023-06-21T16:54:47+00:00

Update, Aug. 15: Since this article published, the National Council on Teacher Quality revised Ball State University’s grade from an F to an A. Read more here.

Before Indiana students can learn how to read, their teachers have to learn how to teach reading.

But how that’s done may soon change at teacher preparation programs across the state, as Indiana joins a national push to adopt reading practices shown to improve literacy

By 2025, new teachers will be required to demonstrate their proficiency in the science of reading — a term for a wide body of research that emphasizes phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness in reading instruction. And programs risk losing their right to call themselves “accredited” if their curriculums aren’t based in reading science by 2024.

Helping Indiana colleges make that mandatory transition is a $25 million fund from the Lilly Endowment Inc. earmarked to help incorporate the science of reading into teacher preparation programs. Several programs said they’re already using planning grants from the endowment to make sure their courses adhere to the new standards.

Just how far they have to go is uncertain.

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality — known as NCTQ — found an uneven landscape of reading instruction at Indiana colleges.

Yet at least two of the eight teacher preparation programs at Indiana universities that received failing grades from NCTQ, Indiana University Bloomington and Ball State, dispute the group’s conclusion that they aren’t sufficiently preparing teachers to use the science of reading.

When did Indiana adopt the science of reading?

Though science of reading has become the norm at some schools, a statewide push began last August, with an $85 million donation from the Lilly Endowment to train more teachers and literacy coaches.

A law passed during the most recent legislative session also requires districts, teachers, and teacher prep programs to get on board with science of reading research.

All of these changes are meant to help more Indiana students learn to read: Only around one-third of Hoosier fourth graders were proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress last year, a result that’s similar to the national average.

Karen Betz is the assistant professor of literacy at Marian University, which received top marks for its reading instruction program from the NCTQ this year after aligning its curriculum with the science of reading in 2017.

She said it’s long been clear to psychologists and neuroscientists that reading science helps more children learn to read. But some teacher preparation programs must still figure out how to translate that research into pedagogy.

Furthermore, some teachers have told her they’re familiar with the principles of reading science, but aren’t allowed by their school districts to implement such strategies in their classrooms.

“Institutions are holding onto theories of how kids learn to read instead of putting into practice how kids actually learn to read,” said Betz.

During the so-called “Reading Wars,” detractors cast the science of reading as boring and sterile compared to an emphasis on letting children choose and read books on their own, said Jeanette Mancilla-Martinez of Vanderbilt University, who’s conducting a review of the reading curriculum at Indiana University Bloomington’s teacher preparation program through a Lilly grant.

But learning to read is a cognitively demanding skill that requires explicit instruction, Mancilla-Martinez said, and some children need more support than others.

“The idea that you have books around the house, you don’t need these boring phonics skills, you’ll learn naturally — that may happen for a small percentage of children, but that’s not good enough,” Mancilla-Martinez said.

Do Indiana teachers learn the science of reading?

For its report released last week, NCTQ evaluated whether aspiring teachers learned the five principles championed by reading science, as well as whether the schools’ curriculum included outdated or disproven practices, like the three-cueing model.

Of the 18 programs evaluated in Indiana, just four earned an A or better, and eight earned an F. The report found at least five programs teach disproven practices, and only seven offered instruction on teaching reading to English language learners.

The results are “troubling,” said Justin Ohlemiller of advocacy Stand for Children Indiana, an education advocacy group, especially when combined with the state’s low national reading scores.

“If we’re going to address the literacy crisis in our state, it’s going to take a significant change in approach from those who are responsible for training our educators of the future,” Ohlemiller said in a statement.

On a positive note, 12 programs offered some instruction on teaching reading to struggling readers, like students who have dyslexia, according to the report.

Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College was the only program in Indiana — and one of just 48 in the country — to earn an A+ rating in the report.

Meanwhile, the teacher prep programs at Indiana University Bloomington and Ball State University — one of the largest teacher prep programs in the country — pushed back on their F grades in NCTQ’s report.

Representatives of Ball State’s Teachers College said the report relied on incomplete course materials obtained through public records requests, a complaint that echoes critiques of previous NCTQ reports. The council countered that it provided an opportunity for colleges to provide additional material in January.

“We have always included the components and prepared our candidates in what is now termed the science of reading,” said Jackie Sydnor, associate professor and assistant chair for Ball State’s Department of Elementary Education.

Sydnor pointed to other indicators of the quality of Ball State’s program, such as its accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, as well as students’ higher-than-average pass rates on the state teaching exam.

Still, the college is using a $100,000 planning grant from the Lilly Endowment to conduct an analysis of its reading instruction programs, she said.

Indiana University Bloomington also received a $100,000 grant from Lilly to evaluate its existing programs for science of reading alignment, said Jeff Anderson, associate dean for undergraduate education. He said the school’s faculty believes they are teaching the science of reading, as evidenced by candidates’ performance on licensing exams.

“Our goal as a teacher prep program is to ensure our candidates graduate with the skill and expertise to be effective teachers,” Anderson said. “Clearly, the ability to learn to read is core to being successful in P-12.”

Under new state laws, the Indiana Department of Education is required to conduct a review of accredited teacher preparation programs beginning in 2024. Those who don’t have a curriculum based on the science of reading by then may be put on an improvement plan by the state, or face losing their accredited status.

How do teachers use the science of reading?

Even with a seal of approval from the NCTQ, Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College is looking to do more work with the science of reading. The college has received both a $75,000 planning grant and a $750,000 implementation grant from the Lilly Endowment to align their alternative teacher licensure and graduate programs to reading science.

The college intends to roll out Indiana’s first ever master’s program in reading science in May 2024.

Betz, the literacy professor, said a core part of the Klipsch program is the work that preservice teachers do in schools alongside their professors, who evaluate their lesson plans and step in to demonstrate effective teaching.

Higher education institutions have a responsibility to graduate teachers who are ready, rather than graduating those who will need to backtrack once they’re on the job, she said.

“That’s time lost,” Betz said.

In the same way that learning to read helps a child overcome future academic challenges, learning to teach reading effectively gives a new teacher the tools to shepherd students through their struggles, said Sally Busby, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Evansville’s School of Education. The school received an A rating from the NCTQ.

It’s using a $75,000 planning grant from the Lilly Endowment in part to create a council of literacy coaches from southern Indiana who can provide input on what’s needed in schools.

Of the competing approaches to reading instruction, Busby said teachers can find opportunities for students to enjoy books, while still devoting instructional time to decoding the language of the books they love.

“We were so desperate to make sure kids loved books, and thought the love of books would get them through the struggle of reading,” Busby said. “But you can’t enjoy reading until you can read.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the organization providing grants for science of reading. It is the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

This IPS teacher infuses her English lessons with virtual travel and Shakespearean playlists

2023-05-16T13:50:58+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

Nikia Garland takes her students all over the world.

An English and AP Language and Composition teacher at Arsenal Tech High School, she uses Google Lit Trips to take students virtually to Sweden and Norway while reading “Beowulf.” And during her lessons on George Orwell’s “1984,” Garland tasks her classes with color-coding countries according to the level of government surveillance.

“I strive to teach students how to think critically using real-world examples. I want students to take responsibility for their learning,” she said. “I like to provide intriguing lessons that cause my students to want to know more about what I am teaching.”

That means she adapts Shakespeare to a teenager’s palate by occasionally assigning students to create a playlist of 15 songs, each accompanied by a paragraph that explains how the song connects to “Macbeth’s” plot and themes.

“I layer my teaching, sort of like a blooming onion,” she said.

Always looking to enhance teaching and learning, Garland has applied for a number of grants. One funded a field trip earlier this year to the Candles Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Terre Haute, an experience that paired with “The Book Thief,” a novel set during the Holocaust. Another grant allowed Garland to study oral traditions in Africa with a visit to Kenya and Ghana — an experience that she later reflected on as “returning home to the Motherland.”

Now, she’s one of 50 educators to be selected as a Grosvenor Teaching Fellow, which will bring her to the fjords and Arctic Svalbard of Norway aboard the National Geographic Endurance expedition ship. She’s hoping the trip will inform her curriculum in a way that inspires her students to become environmental stewards.

Garland previously taught ballet at the former Nicholson Performing Arts Academy at School 70, and she studied at the Jordan College Academy of Dance at Butler University. She’s also a proud Broad Ripple High School alumna. (“Rockets for life!” she said.)

She spoke recently with Chalkbeat about her latest fellowship, the value of teaching environmental and community stewardship, and the most memorable class of her 24-year teaching career.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How do you plan to use the experience from the Norway fellowship in your everyday English teachings?

I believe the fellowship will give me more tools to continue building geographic awareness.

I would like to start locally within their own communities. I haven’t yet decided what this will look like, but I have reached out to a few agencies — The Nature Conservancy and Indy Parks — to partner with me on this initiative.

I also want to do something community-based as well, possibly about the impact of gentrification and redlining in their neighborhoods. I want to center whatever I do around them. I want to know what they are curious about and start there.

Why is it important for you to teach your students to become environmental stewards?

The city of Indianapolis is only a small piece in the global puzzle, but everything we do or don’t do to take care of the planet has a deep impact worldwide. Continuing to disregard issues such as global warming and pollution is dangerous to humanity. It reminds me of a book I’ve taught by Octavia Butler, “The Parable of the Sower.” I also teach “The Space Traders,” a short story by Derrick Bell.

I believe we can do small things that, if done consistently, turn into great acts. I hope to inspire them to become more engaged with their immediate communities. Texts such as the ones I mentioned help kids understand why caring for the environment is important. I also want to provide them with the tools and knowledge necessary to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives.

What is one interaction with a student that has changed how you view the profession of teaching?

It would be impossible to name just one student. I have a collective — the Arlington High School class of 2007.

I must begin by saying that most of them did not like me initially. I have always been a strict teacher with high expectations and rigorous content. However, I was able to loop with that particular class of students for three years.

The three years I spent with them allowed me to get to know my students on a deeper level and vice versa. I became invested and grew to truly love them. And the love, loyalty, and respect they showed me was unmatched.

For example, my husband and mother both died in the same year. This was after they had graduated. But so many of them came back to give me flowers and comfort me. So many that my principal had to tell the secretary to waive the no-visitor policy during the day and allow them all in. One of my students from that class had lost contact with me, so she Googled me one day and saw that I was now a breast cancer survivor. She found me on Twitter and sent me $100 so I could buy myself some flowers. I could really go on and on.

There’s an urban saying about such relationships, “locked in.” We are bonded — through celebrations such as weddings, births, and college graduations and even in trials such as death and incarceration. I consider them family, and my life has been infinitely blessed simply because I was allowed to be their teacher. I am the lucky one. They are the loves of my teaching life.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

That’s a tough question because I have so many. But I really enjoy teaching poetry. I love the complexity of some poems, the critical thinking and reading required to comprehend the content, the way it engages students, and the ability to use it as a springboard for longer writing assignments. It also brings out student creativity. We have a lot of rich, provocative discussions and assignments when I teach poetry.

Tell me about your own experience with school as a child and how it affects your work today.

I loved school. I am a product of IPS, K-12, and I had some stellar educators. As a result, it has motivated me to give my students the same kind of education I received. It was rich, diverse, interesting, rigorous, and relevant.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to college students pursuing an education career?

Understand that teaching is both an art and a science, and you cannot have one without the other. Science is the pedagogy. Art is the creativity used to engage students. Be fluent in both.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

How literacy and the ‘science of reading’ get a big lift from bus drivers at an Indiana school

2023-03-27T11:00:00+00:00

Indiana’s 2023 legislative session is under way, and state legislators have introduced more than 100 new education bills and bills impacting schools and students. For the latest Indiana education news, sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free newsletter here.

On a recent Thursday morning at KIPP Indy Unite Elementary in Indianapolis, a bus driver doubling as a tutor held up a flashcard to two elementary school students.

“What is this?” she asked.

The flashcard featured an illustration of a table. The students, a boy and a girl, piped up with answers.

“A door,” the girl said.

“No, that’s a table,” said the boy, earning a nod of approval. The tutor asked the pair another question: What letter does the word “table” start with, and what sound does it make?

The students quickly identified the letter. But taking its sound out of context proved more challenging. The tutor gave the students a few moments to guess before articulating the word herself.

“T-t-table,” she said, emphasizing the phoneme. The students repeated after her, connecting the letter “T’ with its sound.

At KIPP Indy Public Schools in Indianapolis, using bus drivers as tutors was an unusual idea spurred by the pandemic. In October 2022, when struggles with reading among K-3 students prompted the school to find solutions, KIPP started the program. Each morning, students are pulled out of class into the hallway for 10 to 20 minutes to practice literacy skills such as sight words and phonics.

It’s one approach to teaching using the science of reading, a body of research about how children learn to read. While some reading programs teach students to read by guessing a word based on a picture or using context clues, schools in Indiana and across the country are increasingly adopting curriculum that directly teaches the relationship between sounds, letters, and words.

In 2022, national reading and math exams showed only 33% of Indiana fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders were proficient in reading. These scores are similar to nationwide scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which revealed 37% of students performed below NAEP’s basic standard. The results underscore students’ struggles in reading that educators and lawmakers say is partially due to inadequate, outdated methods of teaching.

The consequences of flawed reading instruction go beyond test scores. Third graders who are not proficient in reading are four times more likely to not graduate high school on time or drop out completely, according to the Indiana State Board of Education’s Indiana Student Achievement Report.

Educators and lawmakers alike want to counter such trends. A major financial investment and a series of bills in the Indiana statehouse look to provide science of reading instruction to teachers, and some support mandating the science of reading within the state.

Science of reading emphasis grows in Indiana

Since 2011, Indiana has largely allowed school districts to decide which core reading program to use.

But one teaching method has been the target of significant criticism recently. The “three-cueing model,” which encourages students to make educated guesses at words using context clues, has been largely disproven by cognitive scientists but is still widely used by schools around the country.

Andrea Setmeyer, national chapter coordinator for The Reading League Indiana, said schools have traditionally failed to separate word recognition and reading comprehension.

“We’ve relied on strategies like guessing or looking at the first letter and thinking ‘what would make sense here?’ and those strategies are not what skilled readers do,” Setmeyer said. “What we need to do is look at those as two separate components that we’re building simultaneously.”

Karrianne Polk-Meek, director of the Literacy Center at the Indiana Department of Education, said the science of reading focuses on five key elements: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

“Over time, some curriculum that has been used or different structures that have been used really reinforced some of the elements, but not necessarily all five,” she said.

Several states have already implemented or are looking to implement the science of reading in schools, many of which have shown significant improvements in reading rates.

Nearly a decade ago, Mississippi fourth graders ranked 49th in the nation for reading proficiency. But after the state hired literacy coaches and focused instruction around the science of reading, it was ranked first in the nation for reading gains by 2019.

While the research behind the science of reading has been around for decades, Setmeyer said such knowledge has often been confined to fields like cognitive psychology and linguistics, rather than education, where teachers could benefit from it.

But following encouraging results from states like Mississippi — and American Public Media’s “Sold a Story” podcast, which investigated authors who push disproven teaching methods — the science of reading is gaining traction.

Last August, Indiana announced a $111 million investment in literacy through a partnership with the Lilly Endowment. The investment — the state’s largest-ever commitment to literacy development — supports training educators in science of reading instruction, and incorporating science of reading methods into undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

The Indiana Department of Education also launched a partnership to place reading coaches in 54 schools across the state to support K-2 teachers as they lead instruction rooted in the science of reading. Currently, 43 schools are participating in the pilot program, and more are being recruited for the 2023-24 cohort, Polk-Meek said. (KIPP is not part of the program.)

Indiana mulls changes to teacher prep and licensing

Lawmakers are considering whether to go a step further.

Senate Bill 402, authored by GOP Sen. Aaron Freeman, would prohibit schools from using the three-cueing model and require them to adopt curriculum based on the science of reading. The bill would also require people to pass foundational reading exams to get a teaching license.

Freeman, who has two children under 13, said he was inspired to write the bill after seeing the struggles students like his own faced when it comes to reading.

“These kids are not going to learn by guessing,” he said. “They’re only going to learn if they have phonemic awareness, if they’re able to sound words out, break words down.”

If Freeman’s legislation, which has passed the Senate, becomes law, it would go into effect for the 2024-25 school year.

Other proposed bills also address the science of reading: House Bill 1558 creates a science of reading grant fund, while House Bill 1590 includes teacher preparation and licensing requirements for the approach.

The second bill underscores that putting the science of reading into practice across the state would mean not only a shift in how students learn, but how teachers learn, too.

Kelly Williams, an assistant professor of special education at Indiana University-Bloomington, said she was taught outdated research during her training in the mid-2000s.

“There was kind of this general consensus of, if you expose kids to enough books and find what they’re interested in, you’ll be able to get them reading,” Williams said. “That’s really problematic — we’ve got teachers coming out who are not being trained in what best practices are or what research actually supports.”

Williams said there should be an emphasis on language comprehension, not just knowing what a word is. Reading is not fully natural, she said — students must be taught to read.

KIPP began using the science of reading in 2021 after assessing pandemic-related academic gaps.

Ruth Wells, foundational literacy manager at KIPP, said the science of reading makes education cohesive by tying together how language is developed in the brain and how students learn words and sounds.

“That gives teachers the ability to, one, pinpoint where their students may have gaps, but also a spoken sequence to follow to make sure they are teaching what they know their students need,” Wells said.

To truly comprehend text, Wells said, students must be able to decode words, not just identify which word might fit using only context clues.

Data from KIPP showed 74% of kindergartners have met mid-year goals after being taught using science of reading-based practices — an 8% increase from before the program. Among first graders who received that instruction, 70% met the goals, a 21% increase, and 46% of second graders met them, marking an 11% increase.

Teachers and drivers join forces to teach science of reading

Each summer, teachers at KIPP participate in training where they learn why the science of reading is important. During the training sessions, they can practice portions of their lessons to receive real-time feedback from other educators.

“Our teachers are learning to be experts and we do a lot of development with our teachers, but again, there are different levels to kiddos,” she said. “Our tier–1 instruction can be as strong as anything, but if a kiddo comes to us and needs that extra support, we need to be able to supply it.”

Bus driver Tracie Johnson has been with the tutoring program since its start. In addition to tutoring Monday through Thursday, Johnson gives her students a test each Friday to gauge their growth and identify areas of progress or struggle earlier than formal state tests can provide results.

This also gives teachers more time to teach the actual curriculum rather than worry about testing, which can take hours.

Using data from state literacy tests such as IREAD along with weekly classroom tests, teachers identify students who could benefit from extra review. From there, bus drivers build activities with the help of teachers based on the specific skills each student needs to practice. These activities often include using flashcards, coloring sight words, and trying to beat the clock in fluency races.

Each grade level is given a benchmark per year — 100 sight words for kindergarteners, 200-300 for first graders and 500 for second graders.

“If a student is a kindergartener and he’s still struggling with letter names or letter sounds, our bus drivers would be working with those particular students who didn’t get it the first round and maybe the classroom instruction has moved forward,” Wells said.

At a time when hiring bus drivers and other school staff has been difficult, the tutoring program has also helped the school retain drivers, thanks to the increased connection they feel with students, Wells said. Plus, they clock in for the role, earning more money in addition to what they get for their regular routes.

KIPP’s strategy would not be guaranteed to work for every school for a variety of reasons. Union rules that could affect such instruction differ among districts and states, for example. And participation could depend upon whether drivers receive pay increases.

Eight drivers are currently participating in the KIPP program, with many more undergoing training. There has been over 300 hours of tutoring in the program so far.

Johnson enjoys working with the students, and it’s particularly rewarding when they finally get a word or concept correct, she said. Before the program, many of her students could not even spell basic words like “the,” she said.

Now, those students speak up to offer correct answers to her questions.

The best part of the job, Johnson said, is connecting with her students for longer than a bus ride. When they run to her each morning to give her a hug, she’s reminded of the difference she’s making in their education.

“That’s the highlight of my day,” she said.

Contact Chalkbeat Indiana at in.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Perry Township teacher wins $25,000 Milken Award for leadership and innovative practices

2023-02-08T19:11:43+00:00

Brittany Tinkler showed up to work at Rosa Parks Elementary on Wednesday thinking she would take her second grade students to a regular school assembly.

She ended the school-wide celebration shaking as she clutched a $25,000 check.

The Perry Township teacher is one of 35 educators nationwide to receive the latest round of the prestigious Milken Awards, created by businessman and philanthropist Lowell Milken in 1987 to spotlight the importance of teaching.

The award has provided over $73 million to educators to date in $25,000 amounts, and 67 Indiana teachers have received one so far. In November, Angela Fowler, a fourth grade teacher in Johnson County, also received the prize.

Tinkler, herself a graduate of Perry Township schools, received the honor for showing leadership among her colleagues and students. She dedicated time to train fellow educators on innovative education practices, exposing her students to different careers, and even starting an after-school running club, according to an Indiana Department of Education press release.

“Money aside, to get this award fills my soul,” Tinkler said. “It’s like winning the lottery for my soul.”

Tinkler is a homegrown teacher who graduated from Perry-Meridian High School, where she also met her husband. She has taught in Perry Township for 11 years.

She has brought community organizations to the school — including the local zoo, a radio station, and a fire station — so that students can widen their future career possibilities, the education department said.

She has also embraced project-based learning and shared the practice with fellow educators through presentations, articles, and podcasts, the department said. And her students have shown more growth in English and math, as measured by state exams, than district students on average.

The selection process for the award is secretive and does not accept applications. “You don’t find us, we find you,” said Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Awards.

The Milken Family Foundation, which funds the award, partners with state departments of education to find teachers that best meet certain criteria: Educators must be early- to mid-career, find innovative ways to teach students, and be a leader and role model for students and colleagues, Foley said.

Recipients must also be an “unsung hero,” Foley said.

“We’re looking for people who haven’t sought accolades that are doing this amazing work with these great results, that haven’t sought out awards,” Foley said.

Tinkler could barely stand when Foley announced her name at the assembly — but one of her second graders lent a hand to help her up to accept the award.

“This is still not real,” Tinkler said after the assembly. “Because I just come to work and I’m me. I’m me everywhere I go. So to think that I should get an award for that isn’t anything that ever crosses my mind.”

Tinkler’s academic struggles as a child led her to pursue education, she said.

“When I got into high school after all of this struggling I officially decided I was going to become an educator so that I can help students feel successful and find what it is they’re good at, so I can bring that out of them at a young age,” she said.

She will funnel a large part of her award right back into her classroom to make more “rich learning experiences” for her students, Tinkler said. She also hopes to use the funding to better the lives of her own two children.

But to Tinkler, the award was worth much more than $25,000.

“It’s affirmation that who I am and my why and my story is a great reason to be doing what I’m doing,” she said. “That I’m living out my purpose, and that I’m living it out well.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana hopes tutoring can help struggling students. Here’s what it should look like.

2023-01-04T18:08:06+00:00

When tutor Natalie Koenig answered a recent call, the student on the line was facing a familiar problem: Her algebra homework wasn’t clicking.

She was calling in to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s free tutoring hotline for help from university students like Koenig, who take math and science questions from sixth to 12th grade students every evening.

After Koenig helped her through some simpler algebraic concepts, the middle schooler nailed her first problem — and was eager to do more.

Koenig then told her to pick the hardest question on the page. Working through it, Koenig said, the student’s confidence grew.

“She asked if she could call again to get help from me,” Koenig said. And the student did call Koenig later that week for more help.

Since its start with a handful of phone lines more than 30 years ago, the university’s AskRose tutoring program has expanded into video calls, emails, and chat support. The Lilly Endowment-funded program recently added earlier hours to reach more students after finding that between 20 and 40 students were calling every day before the hotline even opened.

Over the past year, free tutoring programs have grown in Indiana as the state leans on intensive, one-on-one help as a solution to academic declines and drops in test scores following COVID. Nationwide interest in such tutoring efforts has grown as well.

Established tutors say working with trained tutors or teachers can go a long way to help students rebuild academic foundations and foster the skills and self-confidence they need to succeed. Indiana education officials have also touted the early successes of tutoring.

“Slowing down and rebuilding the foundation that fell apart is where we’re finding the most success,” said Teresa Lubovich, owner of Poulsbo Tutoring, which works with students in 10 states. For example, she’s turned mastering the times tables into a competition for her students in order to rebuild a basic skill that’s critical to other math lessons.

But there are challenges ahead for tutoring programs, too. Students report feeling more lost and frustrated than before COVID, meaning tutors must cover more content in their sessions while also creating a safe and supportive environment.

“Tutoring is a lot about the content, but it’s also about the relationship you build with the child,” said Ishmael Brown Jr., a tutor, teacher, and president emeritus of the National Tutoring Association. “They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

Tutoring helps students practice skills

Compared to before the pandemic, more students are calling in to AskRose not knowing where to start on their homework, said Kim Lund, the service’s assistant director for operations and education. This is especially noticeable in math, where new concepts build on past ones that students may have missed during the years of virtual learning.

“What I missed in fourth and fifth grade is impacting sixth grade,” Lund said. “You are finding school districts everywhere are looking for solutions to help kids catch up on what they lost over the years.”

Therefore, it’s important for tutors to engage students by helping them connect the work in front of them to a concept that’s familiar from past classroom lessons, she said.

AskRose tutors, who are all students at the engineering and technology school, have textbooks handy to help them tackle questions, and rely on each other for subject-matter expertise. Around 19 tutors work during the center’s peak hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and they’re paid for their time.

Lund said tutoring is well-suited to reinforcing skills through accurate practice, but that it’s not a replacement for learning the skill for the first time in a classroom setting.

Good tutoring helps students work through their questions without providing the answers instantly — something she said some students have gotten used to while learning on devices.

“They say practice makes perfect, but practice makes permanent,” Lund said. “Perfect practice makes perfect.”

Other hallmarks of a quality tutoring program include consistency, availability, and accountability, said Amanda Case, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Purdue University.

Education leaders have increasingly touted “high-dosage” tutoring, which relies on pairing students with one teacher over the course of several sessions for the best results.

But Case said that high-dosage tutoring ideally takes place more than three times a week. Tutoring should also be accessible to all students who need it, rather than available only to families who can afford it and have a way to attend. And it should come with a method of evaluation, she said.

It’s likely too soon to tell if the new state programs are effective and accessible, she said. They take many different forms, including free virtual tutoring for all students in Indianapolis Public Schools, as well as state grants of $500 to $1,000 for families to choose their own tutoring providers.

“You can give students a ton of ineffective tutoring and it won’t help students do anything,” Case said of the state’s hopes for tutoring. “High-dosage tutoring performed by professionals — it does hold quite a bit of promise.”

More students are feeling lost

Tutors say students need help beyond academics, too.

They’re not only more frustrated than before, said Lund, but facing pressure to return to “normal” after COVID.

Lubovich, owner of Poulsbo Tutoring, said many families also opt for organizational coaching for their students. This covers executive functioning, planning, and meeting deadlines, in addition to content tutoring.

Students may need this kind of help with motivation and organization after several years of receiving passing grades for far less effort, she said. But families may also turn to tutoring to help their struggling students when therapy would be a more appropriate intervention, she said.

Tutoring should ultimately be attuned to the student’s needs and experiences, Lubovich said.

“We say connection before content,” Lubovich said.

A positive experience can start with a tutor’s tone of voice, said Koenig, the AskRose tutor. When she trains other tutors, she encourages them to remain patient and understanding even when a student is struggling to grasp their explanations.

“We want them to know it’s okay to ask for help and that we’re happy to help you,” Koenig said. “I’m honest with them. I tell them, ‘I used to struggle at your age, too.’”

Case, the Purdue professor, said tutoring can help students overcome the effects of negative stereotypes about how groups of students like Black students or female students perform on tests, or in academic subjects like math. Having a tutor who believes in their abilities gives students greater self-confidence, she said.

Beyond academic tutoring, Case said there’s a need for the state to fund more holistic programs for youth that focus on enrichment and mental health. Like tutoring, those programs have typically only been available to families that could afford them.

“We can think about Band-Aid approaches and just think about learning loss, but that’s not what school and youth development are totally for,” Case said. “It’s an opportunity to think about what is the ecosystem we’re creating to surround youth so they’re safe and enriched, and how we’re doing that for all youth.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

New program will pay for Indiana teachers to earn license to teach English language learners

2022-12-05T13:00:00+00:00

A new program wants to help Indiana teachers get licensed to teach the state’s growing population of English language learners.

The Indiana Teacher of English Language Learners (I-TELL) program will pay for tuition and fees for current educators to earn the additional licensure they need to become teachers of record for students who are learning English. It’s a partnership between the Indiana Department of Education and University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning

These teachers, who oversee students’ language development, are critically needed in Indiana, according to state data. A recent Chalkbeat analysis found that one-third of all districts and two-thirds of charter schools don’t have licensed teachers of record for their English learners. That’s despite state and federal staffing guidelines requiring such a teacher at each education agency.

English learner teachers may also travel between schools. But that approach can lead to high caseloads and less individual attention for English learners — a population that has grown 52% in Indiana over the past five years.

“Our COVID-19 academic impact data shows that Indiana’s English learner students experienced substantial academic impacts and have still not returned to pre-pandemic year-over-year academic growth,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner in a statement about I-TELL. “The best way to ensure our students accelerate their learning is to ensure they have quality, well-trained teachers supporting them.

Current teachers can take classes from one of 11 universities throughout Indiana participating in the program. Another pathway through Marian University also allows individuals who hold bachelor’s degrees to earn a Transition to Teaching license with a focus on English as a new language.

The new I-TELL program is funded by $2 million in state emergency federal funding.

Helping teachers afford licensure costs

Carey Dahncke, executive director of the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, said the new program was modeled after an initiative last year to help teachers get their full licensure to teach special education.

Around 650 individuals have signed up for the special education program, Dahncke said, and some have already completed it and started working in schools.

Similarly, Dahncke said the new program aims to add hundreds of new English language teachers to the workforce by removing hurdles like cost without lowering educator quality.

“We recognize that the problem didn’t develop overnight and won’t be solved quickly,” he said.

“We want to facilitate the process so it seems accessible, so you’re not facing financial barriers or a confusing process.”

The financial burden of pursuing additional licensure is a major barrier for teachers who would like to learn how to better support their English learner students, said Laura Hammack, superintendent of Beech Grove Schools.

The district of around 2,800 students has seen a sizable increase in its population of English learners, particularly in the youngest grades, she said. As a result, the number of educators serving that population has grown from one to five — and the district hopes to double that number with the help of the I-TELL program.

Hammock said the district is also looking to alternative pathways that make it easier for paraprofessionals to earn their teaching licenses, which might be difficult for these staffers to obtain otherwise.

These pathways are critical, she said, as the state faces a declining number of students going to college and graduating from traditional teacher preparation programs.

“We’re worried about the decreasing population of individuals to pull from,” Hammack said.

District leans on grow-your-own program

In 2017, Logansport Community Schools had just two educators serving a steadily growing population of English learner students, many of whom were first enrolling as teenagers with limited proficiency in their first languages.

“It was just constantly running around putting out fires,” said Superintendent Michele Starkey, who has worked in the district for 31 years.

But a Purdue University program, funded through a U.S. Department of Education grant, allowed Logansport teachers to earn the license they needed to serve English learners for free. The district picks up any costs the grant doesn’t cover, Starkey said.

As a result, Logansport has around 40 licensed English learner teachers, with 13 more in the process of completing the program. Those who earn the license move up on the district’s pay scale and sign an agreement to stay with Logansport schools for at least five years, Starkey said.

The new assistance program from the state may give teachers more options to earn their licensure, and help the district with its share of the costs, she added.

The district’s grow-your-own efforts have made it more agile in addressing student needs, said Tami McMahan, director of English language learners — especially in the midst of a spike in the enrollment of newcomer students, or students who have never attended U.S. schools before.

This August, the district saw as many newcomer students enroll as it had the entire last school year, Starkey said. Around 46% of the district’s 4,266 students are English learners, and of that population, 69% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch.

English learner teachers meet regularly to discuss how best to serve these students, McMahan said. They analyze test results in depth and provide both formal and informal professional development to their colleagues.

Their expertise has also led to a greater awareness of students’ personal needs — the district started a food pantry and a clothing closet for those who need it.

After learning that some English learner students were working overnight shifts, the district offered a semi-independent study program that would allow them to earn credits, take language development, and access health and support services in fewer school hours a day. That gives them more time to sleep.

“For students, it comes down to their needs being met,” McMahan said. “We can’t do better till we know better.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Study: Teacher licensing exams shrink Indiana’s pool of Black, Hispanic teachers

2022-09-26T20:34:27+00:00

Indiana’s ubiquitous teacher licensing exam could be one reason behind the state’s shortage of teachers — especially Black and Hispanic teachers, according to a new report from Indiana University.

The study found that Black and Hispanic prospective teachers scored up to 52 percentage points lower than their white peers on portions of the test, known as Praxis, further shrinking the pool of nonwhite educators that enter the profession even as the K-12 student population grows more diverse.

The traditional road to becoming a teacher has long held stumbling blocks for candidates of color. But recent staffing shortages have made it critical to recruit more candidates into the teacher pipeline, with states and schools dropping requirements like a license or degree in order to fill open positions.

The solution isn’t necessarily to get rid of Praxis and other tests like it, said Alexander Cuenca, author of the study and an associate professor at Indiana University, but to diversify the expert panels that determine passing scores for prospective educators, as well as offer more support for would-be test-takers.

“We know that more teachers of color in the classroom will improve outcomes for students of color and all students,” he said. “Licensure exams as a barrier to that are an under-examined issue.”

Why score disparities persist

Praxis is divided into three sections — Praxis I, which tests basic skills; Praxis II, which tests teachers’ subject matter expertise; and a pedagogy component that tests classroom knowledge and management.

Due to a law passed in 2019, Indiana teacher candidates are no longer required to take the basic skills portion of the exam. Teachers still take the pedagogy exam and the subject matter test that correlates to the subject they want to teach.

Across all sections of the licensing exam over five years from 2016 to 2021, white candidates scored higher than Black and Hispanic candidates, the study found.

The disparity was especially significant in the content area sections of the exam. In one of the starkest examples, 52% of white candidates passed the mathematics subject area exam in the 2016-17 academic year, but no Black candidates did.

In some cases, the score gaps have gotten worse over time. In the English language arts content area exam, for example, Black candidates outperformed white candidates in 2016-17, with pass rates of 67% and 65%, respectively.

But in 2020-21, Black candidates had a pass rate of 22%, compared to a 65% pass rate for white candidates.

It’s not completely clear what led to that kind of score drop over the years, though Cuenca noted that Indiana switched testing vendors between 2016 and 2021, which can impact teacher prep programs and their students.

Scores tend to be higher overall and less disparate in the pedagogy section of the Praxis than the subject matter test — for the latter, teachers’ different educational backgrounds might contribute to gaps.

But there’s more to the differing scores than prospective teachers’ knowledge, according to the study, which points to how passing scores are determined.

Tests are scored on a scale, with each state setting its passing score. To determine those scores, the state and the testing company assemble panels of subject matter experts from schools and universities to determine which questions a new “just qualified” teacher should answer correctly.

The panelists participate on a voluntary basis, Cuenca said, and there’s little effort to ensure a demographic balance on each panel.

When Indiana undertook this process in 2020, 92% of the certified educators that participated in the panels identified as white, compared to 2% who identified as Black, according to the study.

As it happens, around 92% of Indiana’s 79,000 teachers are white, according to the Indiana Department of Education, compared to 66% of the state’s 1.1 million students. Hiring more underrepresented teachers has long been a policy priority for groups like the NAACP of Indianapolis, which highlighted the issue in its recent Black Academic Excellence plan.

Cuenca said the problem arises when panelists are asked to make subjective decisions about what new teachers should know — a judgment that varies depending on the panelists’ personal experiences.

A more diverse panel would have a richer discussion of this question than more homogenous panels, he said.

An acknowledged issue

Cuenca’s study links modern-day teacher licensing exams to historical exams used to justify paying Black educators less.

Educational Testing Service (ETS), the company behind the Praxis exam, has previously studied the effect of licensure examinations on the Black educator pipeline, according to the study. It reported in 2011 the existence of “very large score gaps between African American and White teacher candidates on selected Praxis I and selected Praxis II tests.”

In a statement, ETS said it is “committed to making our tests fair for all test takers to advance our mission of furthering quality and equity in education for every learner.”

“We work closely with our state clients to ensure that the panels of educators who contribute to the development of the Praxis tests, and the setting of its recommended passing scores, are representative of the test-taking population of the state with respect to race, gender, geography, and school setting,” the statement said. “We also encourage state decision-makers to solicit the diverse perspectives and opinions of all stakeholders when they set the state’s passing scores.”

The IU report said that while the issue has been long-acknowledged, few policy changes have come about as a result.

Cuenca does credit Indiana for removing the basic skills component of the test for would-be educators, alleviating some of the financial burden associated with the tests, especially for candidates who have to retake the tests.

Proposed solutions include scholarships

His report says the most important solution to the issue is to require test vendors to diversify the score-setting panels associated with teacher licensing exams.

The current system creates a “closed loop,” which leads to fewer Black and Hispanic teachers in the classroom and eventually, on future score-setting panels which set the scores for the next generation of teachers.

However, Cuenca said he would strongly caution against getting rid of licensing tests altogether, especially as states deal with teacher shortages by removing other requirements for classroom teaching.

“Tests provide some public trust. There is a value from a public good perspective in having assurance on the knowledge, skills, and competencies of our professionals,” he said. “But we should think about how we can engage in that process better and in a more equitable way.”

Other states allow teacher candidates to demonstrate their subject matter expertise with their GPA from their content area, Cuenca noted.

Recruiting and retention efforts should have an eye toward creating support systems for Black and Hispanic candidates within their teacher prep programs, he said.

And the state could offer scholarships to teacher candidates who need to retake their exams. This would acknowledge that the repeated out-of-pocket financial costs and discouragement could lead them to choose another career path entirely.

“A century after this flawed system of teacher licensure was first implemented, policymakers should consider these recommendations, not only for the sake of individual teacher candidates, but to grow a more representative and effective teacher corps,” the study says.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana districts announce big pay raises for substitutes amid shortage

2022-09-09T14:10:58+00:00

Facing a shrinking pool of substitute teachers, a few school districts in Indiana have announced major pay raises to entice subs with teaching experience back to the classroom.

Last month, Elkhart Community Schools announced a $350 full day rate for teachers who have retired from the district, as well as $300 for all other retired teachers, up from $145 last year.

And Muncie Community Schools announced it will double the daily rate for substitute teachers who have teaching licenses, experience in the classroom, or at least a master’s in education from $105 per day to $210 per day.

They hope to attract qualified teachers at a time when many schools are struggling to cover open staff positions — a complicated problem with roots in the declining number of new teachers in the state.

But the strategy could also pit districts against each other in the race to hire subs, while potentially reducing money available for staff raises.

“You can go through rural areas and on the same highway see three different school districts in 30 minutes. If you’re getting calls on Tuesday night to substitute on Wednesday, it’ll affect your choice of where you’ll go,” said Keith Gambill, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Roots of the substitute shortage

Gambill said that when he started teaching in 1987, there were often more new teaching graduates than open positions. But recent statistics indicate that the labor environment for teachers has changed dramatically.

Indiana Department of Education data from June shows a downward trend in the number of teachers entering the profession over the last decade — from around 6,000 in 2014 to just over 4,000 in 2020 — as well as an uptick in teachers leaving the job.

The same report showed that from 2012 to 2021, the public school teaching force grew by 654 teachers overall.

There are currently over 1,500 open teaching positions on the department’s job bank, plus 35 open substitute positions. But there is no comparable data for past years, making quantifying a shortage difficult, especially since some schools may cancel or merge classes if they can’t find a teacher, Gambill noted.

“With fewer candidates in the profession, everyone who graduates is getting jobs,” Gambill said. And with respect to substitutes, he added, “We’re also relying on retired folks who aren’t prepared to go back into an atmosphere where COVID still exists.”

Some retirees may also be reluctant to return as subs due to their unfamiliarity with classroom technology’s growing footprint in schools, especially during the COVID years, Gambill said.

In Muncie, schools saw the number of substitutes shrink by 10% from last year, and 30% from before COVID, according to the district.

District CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said the declines are partly due to fears of the virus, and partly due to trends in the larger labor market. Overall, the situation left schools to ask instructional aides, library aides, and school counselors to cover for absent teachers.

“We had building principals covering classrooms,” she said.

Targeting raises to former and retired teachers allows Muncie schools to hire the best possible candidates for the classroom, said Kwiatkowski, and thus avoid learning disruptions when a staff teacher is unavailable.

In the week after the raises were approved by the Muncie school board, 13 candidates applied to substitute, citing the raise as a factor in their interest, Kwiatkowski said. The district employs around 350 staff teachers.

“It’s worth their time to give up a day and come back to the classroom,” Kwiatkowski said.

Pay raises for staff teachers?

At an Aug. 9 school board meeting, Elkhart schools’ Counsel and Chief of Staff Doug Thorne said the district’s increased rate was based on the average salary a district teacher had when they retired.

In addition to ensuring a pool of qualified subs, Thorne cast the pay raise as a competitive advantage. “I hope it encourages retired teachers from other districts to determine that Elkhart is the place they should be working at,” Thorne said.

At a time when the district has a critical need for qualified and dependable substitutes, retired teachers are a big part of the solution, said Elkhart Teachers Association President Kerry Mullet.

“The previous rate which retirees were offered was not enough compensation to entice most of these licensed professionals to resume their work in the classroom,” Mullet said. “There has already been an increase in the number of substitutes available. Hopefully this trend will continue.”

But that approach can lead to new concerns. At the Aug. 9 meeting, Elkhart school board member Kellie Mullins raised the issue of whether pay hikes should be prioritized for full-time teachers.

“If we can do all of these other things to get substitutes in, why are we not just paying our teachers more?” Mullins said.

The problems money can’t solve

In response to Mullins’ question, Thorne and Mullet put the onus on the state legislature.

Per state law, districts can only negotiate teacher compensation during a 60-day window that begins on Sept. 15, which often isn’t enough time to develop a proposal, discuss it, and reach a mutual agreement, Mullet said in an interview.

The legislature should consider spending a historic surplus on public education, Mullet said.

But even if it did, Mullet said it would take time to reverse the teacher shortage, which has been exacerbated by legislative changes that stripped teachers of the ability to bargain over working conditions.

And both Mullett and Gambill said cutting back on negative rhetoric directed at teachers and teaching would make the profession more attractive, lead more people to enter teaching, and, in turn, reduce the shortage of substitutes.

“Without an influx of new folks to the profession, a critical shortage of teachers will continue,” Mullet said. “No one wants to be in a profession where there is no guarantee of adequate pay and where there is a lack of respect for the hard work being done.”

This story has been updated to reflect the qualifications needed for Muncie’s new pay rate.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana announces $111 million for phonics-focused reading instruction

2022-08-18T17:31:19+00:00

Indiana will spend $111 million to revamp its method of teaching reading to young students by prioritizing phonics, state leaders announced Thursday.

The lion’s share of the funds will go to training teachers in the “science of reading” — a vast body of research on optimal early literacy techniques.

The fund represents the state’s largest-ever investment in literacy, according to the Indiana Department of Education. It comes just a week after the state announced its most recent reading scores for third graders, which remained mostly unchanged from last year, except for drops among English-language learners. Concerns about the pandemic’s impact on literacy in general motivated the state to act.

“This couldn’t be a more timely response to the last couple of years,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb in a press conference about the fund.

The bulk of the total money — $85 million — comes from the Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation, and will go toward training current and future teachers on phonics-focused literacy instruction.

Another $26 million in federal COVID relief funds for Indiana will support literacy instruction through the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) and the Hunt Institute.

“Although we understand that many factors affect reading achievement, we are compelled by the research showing that Science of Reading strategies can help all students learn to read better and address equity gaps in reading,” said Lilly Chairman and CEO N. Clay Robbins in a statement. “Knowing the important contributions teachers make every day in their classrooms, we want to make sure they are fully supported in this important work to help students learn to read well.”

Money for coaching, teacher prep, and oversight

Up to $60 million from Lilly is for the state education department to increase the number of instructional coaches who specialize in phonics-based literacy in elementary schools.

This school year, 54 elementary schools across the state opted into the instructional coach model, a number that will now grow to around 600 — or 60 percent of elementary schools — by the end of the 2025-26 school year.

This money will also help pay for stipends of up to $1,200 for teachers who participate in professional development focused on the “science of reading.”

Another $25 million from Lilly is earmarked for colleges and universities to incorporate phonics-based reading instruction into their undergraduate elementary teacher preparation programs.

Similar instructional approaches relying on phonics have been rolled out in New York City and states like Colorado, which is in the midst of revamping reading instruction in its at the state’s teacher preparation programs.

In Indiana, no student groups have recovered to their pre-pandemic literacy rates, according to recent state data, which showed just under 82% of all students passed the statewide third grade reading test, the IREAD.

The goal of the new initiative is to have 95% of students pass the IREAD by 2027.

On the other statewide assessment given in grades 3-8 — the ILEARN — around 41% of all students scored proficient or better on the English/language arts section, with wide disparities among student groups.

The new reading initiative will further provide “targeted support for students who need the most help improving their reading skills,” according to the education department, as well as fund an oversight center.

Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said reading instruction currently varies not just from school to school but classroom to classroom, where some teachers may already be using components of phonics instruction, while others aren’t.

Schools nationwide have used other approaches to reading instruction — like “balanced literacy” — which has recently drawn criticism for practices like separating reading and writing, and asking students to look for context clues to understand a word.

Jenner said the shift in reading instruction statewide will continue to be on an opt-in basis for the time being. If there is overwhelming interest in the program, Jenner said the department could earmark more federal funding to expand it to more schools or upper grades, or bring a funding request to the state legislature.

Jenner told an assembly of elementary schoolers and teachers at Eastside Elementary School in Anderson that reading would allow them not only to learn other subjects, but to realize their dreams.

She flipped through her favorite book from school — a book about oceans — to show students an image of the anglerfish, which fascinated her as a child.

Eastside Elementary is one of the schools participating in the state’s instructional coaching pilot this year.

Karen Griner, a literacy instructional coach at Eastside, said coaching helps teachers who may not have had the opportunity to study phonics-based instruction during their teacher preparation programs.

In the earliest grades, it begins with a focus on phonics, and later turns to fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, Griner said.

She said she hopes the investment from the state will expand the practice to more students affected by COVID.

“The last few years have been a struggle,” Griner said. “The masking has been a real delay for some of our students because they haven’t been watching the mouth and the articulation of sounds and words. So we’re hoping now we can really move to that piece and help students learn to articulate.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s teacher shortage has some schools scrambling

2022-07-11T20:55:44+00:00

Matt Shockley needs two math teachers and has zero applicants.

Shockley is principal of Avon High School, located 14 miles west of downtown Indianapolis. Avon students return to school at the end of this month. If Shockley can’t fill those positions, class sizes could increase, or students might be left with a long-term substitute who may not be qualified to teach the subject.

“This is the most challenging hiring climate I have had in my 18 years of being a principal,” Shockley said. “It has been very difficult.”

There are more than 2,300 teaching positions posted on the Indiana Department of Education’s new online job board, as of July 7. Additionally, there are nearly 900 open student support positions, like school counselors, classroom aides and cafeteria employees.

Summer is typically a busy hiring season for schools. And it’s unclear if these vacancies represent a worsening teacher shortage, because the IDOE does not maintain comparable data for prior years, according to Holly Lawson, a spokesperson for the agency. Lawson wrote in an email that IDOE switched from its old job bank to a new platform in March of this year. Lawson wrote that nearly every school corporation in the state – and many charter and nonpublic schools – are using the new job board to post positions in real time, which wasn’t possible with their previous system.

That means “comparing postings on the new supply and demand marketplace to postings on the previous job board is like comparing apples to oranges,” Lawson wrote.

Moving forward, she wrote that the state plans to use this new system to glean insights into the educator pipeline, including the geographic and subject areas with the highest need for teachers.

Coping with a lack of qualified candidates

But principals like Shockley have an urgent need for teachers and support staff. Shockley said he’s hired 24 teachers so far this year — a greater number than previous years due to the loss of employees through retirement, stress of the job or other reasons. He said the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on students and teachers has driven some educators to leave the field.

“I had relatively new teachers that have been in the teaching field for two to three years, and just said, ‘You know what, I can’t do this. It’s just been way too challenging over the last couple of years with the stresses of COVID,’” Shockley said.

Shockley said the combination of retirements and teachers leaving, along with a shallow candidate pool, means districts are competing with one another for the teachers that are already in the field.

“It’s been really about kind of stealing from each other and hiring from each other. That’s what we’ve been doing this season,” Shockley said.

Indiana also lags behind its neighboring states in average teacher salary, according to data from the National Education Association, an education labor union. The average teacher salary for Indiana teachers was about $53,000 during the 2020-21 school year, compared to nearly $71,000 for Illinois teachers, roughly $64,000 for Michigan teachers and $54,000 for Kentucky teachers.

Additionally, Shockley said a growing distrust of teachers and the education system, as evidenced in the proposal of curriculum bills and other legislation that seeks to control what can and cannot be said in the classroom, has caused some to look for careers outside education.

To help cope with the shortage of candidates, Shockley said the district has relied more heavily on emergency permits; those are temporary credentials that allow people who aren’t licensed to teach a certain subject. They’re used when schools can’t find a qualified teacher for the job. Emergency permit holders must have a bachelor’s degree and be working toward a license in that subject area.

Statewide, the use of emergency permits has risen by about 58 percent between 2016 and 2021.

During the 2020-21 school year, nearly a quarter of all emergency permits issued were for mild intervention — a special education teacher position. The state banned the use of emergency permits for special education teachers beginning this summer, because the practice violates federal law. The second highest category for emergency permits during that school year was elementary generalist, followed by mathematics and language arts.

“I’m very concerned about our ability to attract and hire the best and the brightest into the field of education,” Shockley said. “We’re just not finding those candidates right now. And I’m concerned about our ability to continue programs in areas where we may not be able to find qualified individuals to fill those positions.”

A shortage of support staff

Lisa Soto Kile, director of human resources for the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, sees fewer students enrolled in teacher prep programs, and fewer applicants for teaching jobs compared to a decade ago.

Soto Kile said the district, located between South Bend and Elkhart in northern Indiana, has been fortunate; they were able to replace the 65 staff members who retired after the 2020-21 school year and add additional positions to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, they had 55 teachers retire.

Soto Kile said the shortage in her district is more acute for hourly employees, like teachers aides for students with disabilities, food service workers, custodians and bus drivers. In total, she said they have 35 openings across all categories of support staff roles.

She said the shortage has gotten worse in recent years, and the district has put more resources into recruitment.

“You can drive by our schools and in our community, and you can see buses with banners and such. We have signs that are recruiting, and we utilize social media to attract potential employees,” Soto Kile said. “We are working collaboratively with two organizations that assist us in our recruiting efforts.”

Shockley, the principal of Avon High School, said he is also struggling to find enough support staff, including secretaries, instructional assistants, special education teachers aides, study hall aides and other non-certified positions that support the operations of the school.

“If we’re not able to fill those positions, then we’re going to have to find other ways using the people that we have to take care of those just day-to-day operations and needs,” Shockley said. “And that’s just going to be more challenging without people in these very important support roles. If we do not have them, our schools are not going to function very well on a daily basis and be as welcoming to kids and families”

A long-term and immediate problem

Tim McRoberts, associate executive director of the Indiana Association of School Principals, said he’s heard from administrators that the shortages of both support and certified staff are particularly dire in rural areas of the state.

“I think it’s something we need to be very concerned about,” he said.

McRoberts said the narrative around teaching needs to change to make it a more attractive career.

“We’ve got to get creative in what we’re doing to get young people into the field of education,” he said.

That could include recruiting students in high school and offering benefits like free tuition in exchange for several years of teaching service.

McRoberts said the field also needs to look at immediate solutions, like offering financial incentives to get teachers who have left to come back to the field. While there are concerns about the pervasiveness of emergency permits and a new law that allows for adjunct teacher permits, he said administrators need licensing flexibility to staff schools.

“They got to find some people, you know, to get into these classrooms,” McRoberts said. “So it is an immediate concern and problem. [And] it’s a long-term problem that we’ve got to get figured out.”

Contact WFYI education reporter Lee V. Gaines at lgaines@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @LeeVGaines.

‘Women in welding’: This Indiana high school teacher is on a mission to inspire girls to take her shop class

2022-05-18T19:38:14+00:00

One of Kim Rosenbaum’s former welding students called, asking to speak to her class. He was a pipefitter now, and he wanted to report back that everything she had taught him about what it was like to work a job had been spot on.

Rosenbaum, an award-winning teacher at Twin Lakes High School in Monticello, Indiana, had started her career in welding as a single parent who needed to support her family. Before becoming a teacher, she worked for 14 years in machine shops — experiences that she thinks make her a better teacher.

“I could bring that to the weld shop here and express to them what the real world is like,” she said.

Rosenbaum recently spoke to Chalkbeat about how she prepares her students for careers and what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated field.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

One of Kim Rosenbaum’s welding student works on a project for a local church.

How does having a prior career in welding affect the way you teach?

Being in the welding industry was the best thing for me. I am able to share my experience as a welder with my students and the obstacles they might go through.

When I first got here, we gutted the weld shop. I wanted a full production: a CNC plasma cutter, a layout table. All the things that these kids are going to see when they go out into the real world, I wanted them to have here.

What’s it like being a woman in welding?

It was harder when I started school and I had to prove myself. A woman has to work twice as hard and do twice as much work. When I applied for my first welding job, it was a struggle. They weren’t sure if they wanted a female welder there. I convinced them that I can do this.

When I first came here, there was another teacher who said, “Well, you’re not a real teacher.” One student didn’t think that I could teach him anything. So after he graduated, I said, “How did I do? Did I teach you something?” He said, “Yup, you sure did.” He still calls me or stops by the shop every so often.

In the beginning, I didn’t have any female students. Then I’d get one or two. Now I have three. I’m getting more girls, especially because they know I’m a female welding instructor, too.

Tell us about the Women in Welding program.

I started this six years ago. My director asked how we could encourage more girls to pursue non-traditional roles. I suggested a “women in welding” class. I got 10 women: a Spanish teacher, a culinary teacher, an English teacher, and a couple of counselors. I asked them to take my class, but they had to do two things: Promote my class to girls and make a piece of artwork to display. Letting female students see their teachers taking a welding class and what they made might encourage them to take my class.

I have my students teach the class. I’ve had teachers come in and say, “Oh my gosh, this student is a totally different person here than they are with me.” Well, it’s because they’re in their comfort zone. This is where they thrive. Sure, we do some math, and I teach them how to read a rule, but it’s hands-on and they don’t feel dumb. They’re a different kind of smart.

What kinds of conversations do you have with students about how they can use their welding skills in their future careers?

I have guest speakers, like someone from the Ironworkers, come in and talk about a career in welding. We also go on field trips, probably at least four a year. We’re going on a field trip to Terra Drive Systems; they make chassis for John Deere. The one time we went two years ago, they actually let one of my students weld. We bring our welding jackets and hoods so we can watch. They get excited about that. One of my students wants to work there.

Some kids are farmers and want to know how they can use welding to fix farm equipment, or kids are interested in fixing their cars. I have other kids who really want to do this for a living. We just had certification day, where students earned an American Welding Society certification. We had a Certified Welding Inspector come in and check their welds. To see them, the look in their eyes when they pass that test — you did it! It’s a great accomplishment because now all their hard work has paid off.

At a recent advisory meeting, I had employers here, and I want to partner with them so the work-based learning kids in their third year can go on a job and get paid for it during my class. I am going to make this happen!

I have kids who say, “I love your class, that’s the only reason I’m coming to school.” Let me be the reason! Because I want to see you graduate.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I was an average student in school. I did enjoy being on the girls basketball team. I was in band, and I was also on the track team. I guess you would call me a competitive person. I have a good work ethic, and I try to teach my students that this is something that they need to have.

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. It’s about taking pictures of things and then making it your own. Like talking to other instructors on how they do things and then making it my own.

What should middle schoolers learn about history? Indiana debates civics standards

2022-05-12T21:48:12+00:00

What Indiana does and does not teach about government – such as constitutional amendments beyond the Bill of Rights – is back in the spotlight this week as the state moves forward with a new middle school civics course.

In civics across all grade levels, the state standards stop at the Bill of Rights, with no specific requirements for students to learn about subsequent amendments that abolished slavery and established equal protection under the law, as well as Indiana’s own history of legal discrimination.

In that vein, education advocates say the proposed middle school civics standards need more specificity, especially regarding the history of Black Americans and other people of color.

“How do we have time to talk about the Magna Carta and Rome, but we fully miss the contributions of other cultures to Indiana and to the nation?” said Marshawn Wolley, director of policy for the African American Coalition of Indianapolis. “If you’re not talking about slavery and the Civil War and Black men’s contributions to saving the union, you’re missing something.”

The standards are heading for a vote in June after nearly a year in development. But recent statewide debate about how schools should talk about race has sharpened the focus on what they’re missing.

Indiana quashed a bill earlier this year that took aim at classroom discussions of race and the legacy of slavery, amid ongoing national discourse about the teaching of hard history that has led states like Tennessee to pass several laws shaping and restricting curriculum.

While advocates are pushing for Indiana to require students to learn key moments in Black history, the state is reluctant to add specific examples to the new civics standards. State officials prefer to leave some decisions about content — such as that about the history of LGBTQ groups — in the hands of communities.

Whether that could create bias, or uneven learning, is a question that social studies teachers routinely grapple with, said Karrianne Polk-Meek, the department’s director of teaching and learning.

“Managing or thinking about the complexity of the students that they serve and the community they serve is inherently one of those things that teachers have to do every day,” Polk-Meek said.

Charity Flores, chief academic officer for the Indiana Department of Education, said including specific examples in the standards sometimes means those are the only examples that are taught.

For the middle school standards, the commission is considering offering additional resources for teachers that would give examples of how to connect historical events to the standards.

Asked whether those resources would include examples involving Americans of color and LGBTQ groups, Flores also deferred to school districts.

“The standards have always been defined to provide access to quality content for students and really should serve as a minimum threshold for ensuring that access,” Flores said. “There are opportunities where a local corporation may go above and beyond to describe other aspects.”

Creating new standards for middle school

The new middle school civics course is a product of a 2021 law authored by Rep. Tony Cook (R-Cicero), who this year wrote an unsuccessful bill to restrict the teaching of race and racism.

That bill, HB 1134, briefly crossed into civics with a requirement that students learn the importance of the U.S. Constitution compared to other systems of government, as well as about “individual rights, freedoms, and political suffrage.”

Under the middle school civics law, students will take the course in the second semester of their sixth grade year, beginning in 2023-24.

Department of Education staff presented the proposed standards for the course Tuesday to the Civics Commission — a 15-member body created by the law. The commission received 200 written public comments on the standards, according to Polk-Meek. The State Board of Education will vote on them in June.

The standards cover three areas: the foundations and function of government, as well as the role of citizens. Some specify texts that students should examine — such as the Magna Carta — while others ask students to broadly “examine ways that state and national government affects the everyday lives of people.”

On Tuesday, Cook, a former social studies teacher, recommended adding more specificity to the standards, citing examples such as the pivotal Supreme Court rulings Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legalized school segregation; Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion; and Miranda v. Arizona, which upheld Fifth amendment rights.

He said that in his observations, the most successful social studies teachers built their courses around important historical documents and discussed the events that led to their creation.

Cook cited a 2021 analysis from the Fordham Institute, a nonprofit conservative think tank, that gave the state comparatively high marks for the quality of its civics and history courses, but knocked the standards for making no reference to the amendments after the Bill of Rights, and giving “little attention to Indiana’s past legal discrimination.”

The report notes that until high school, Indiana students primarily learn civics from their history classes. While Indiana history is discussed in fourth grade, the standards leave out the legalized discrimination of the early 20th century.

“By skipping the history of government in Indiana, the civics standards largely avoid important lessons about race and segregation, though one lonely history standard does address ‘the Civil Rights movement and school integration in Indiana,’” the report said.

Report stresses importance of specifics

The report recommends broadly that Indiana include more specifics in its standards, while ensuring that the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments – which abolished slavery and established equal protection and voting rights – are covered at least once.

It also recommends additional content on Indiana’s past legal racism and the impact of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

Indiana is not alone in neglecting the amendments that came after the Bill of Rights, according to Fordham Institute researcher Alison Brody. Ideally, states would include all the Reconstruction and voting rights amendments.

Amber Northern of the Fordham Institute said writing standards are a balance between being too specific — and bordering on curriculum — and not being specific enough — and bordering on uselessness.

For the most part, Northern said, Indiana has gotten the balance right, including with the new middle school standards. However, the standards would be stronger if they included specific examples, she said, and made it clear whether the examples were required.

Standard C.6.17, for example, asks students only to “use information from a variety of resources to demonstrate an understanding of local, state, regional leaders, as well as civic issues.”

A more complete standard such as C.6.5, she said, details the essential ideas students are expected to know:

“Identify and explain essential ideas of constitutional government, which include limited government; rule of law; due process of law; separated and shared powers; checks and balances; federalism; popular sovereignty; republicanism; representative government; and individual rights to life, liberty and property; and freedom of conscience and religion.”

Northern said including some examples is better than not including any at all, and that teachers appreciate the additional guidance.

Furthermore, she said there is a risk of inequitable learning outcomes when teachers have free rein to choose all their own examples, or none at all.

“The consequence of not teaching specific examples is that all students are not exposed to the same level of instruction and rigor in classrooms,” Northern said. “There should be an expectation that all students learn a core set of content.”

Department of Education spokesperson Holly Lawson said Indiana’s standards writing process involves input from parents, educators, and others. The current social studies standards were reviewed in 2020.

The state may take another look at its social studies standards by 2024 under a new state law that requires the department to evaluate the standards for value to employers and higher education institutions. It will consider feedback from stakeholders and third-party reviewers such as the Fordham Institute, Lawson said.

Some want Indiana to require Black history

Advocates have long pushed the state to require students to learn key moments in Black history.

In February, as the state inched forward on HB 1134, Sen. Eddie Melton (D-Gary) proposed an amendment that would have required high school history classes to teach an enhanced study of Black history, as they do the Holocaust. The amendment was voted down.

The new middle school standards represent another opportunity to require that history, advocates said.

The proposed standards don’t reference the 1851 Indiana Constitution, which included an article banning Black people from settling in the state, said Mark Russell, director of Advocacy & Family Services Indianapolis Urban League.

They leave out influential Hoosiers such as Sen. Birch Bayh, who authored the 25th and 26th amendments, as well as lessons about the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in state government, said Marshawn Wolley of the AACI, adding that he was concerned the civics commission lacked racial diversity.

Avoiding the lessons is detrimental to all children who are learning about the challenges and responsibilities of citizenship, Wolley said, but especially to Black children, who don’t see their history represented.

“These are clear examples of why you have to talk about all aspects of history,” Wolley said. “So you learn from the past and recognize that even when the country has made mistakes, this is still an amazing country, because we try to perfect the union.”

Correction: May 13, 2022: A previous version of this story misspelled Karrianne Polk-Meek’s name.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Why some Indiana second graders took IREAD early

2022-03-23T20:58:29+00:00

Several hundred Indiana elementary schools tested their second graders on a state reading assessment last week in an effort to gauge their literacy skills after two years of pandemic disruptions.

This was the first year the Indiana Department of Education offered schools the option to test second graders on the IREAD-3 — which is intended for third graders — in order to offer identify and help struggling readers earlier.

Around 400 schools tested about one-quarter of the state’s second grade students, with results expected in mid-April, according to the department.

The voluntary pilot didn’t require legislative approval, unlike a bill proposed in 2015 that would have moved the test to second grade for all students. That proposal died after criticism that second grade was too early to test.

Two major incentives motivated schools to participate. First, students who pass the test in second grade won’t have to take it again in third grade, thereby reducing their testing burden during the year they take the ILEARN for the first time.

The results will also provide more information about students whose schooling has been disrupted by COVID since kindergarten.

“With this particular cohort, we’ve seen the most significant impact in terms of reading,” said Troy Knoderer, chief academic officer for Lawrence Township schools. “We need to give them all the support we can.”

In 2021, 81.2% of Indiana third graders passed the IREAD-3. Students who don’t pass in third grade must retake the test and may be held back.

The multiple choice test consists of three segments and takes approximately two hours to complete. The Department of Education recommends that schools spread this time out over at least two days.

Administering the test this year to all students in second and third grade cost $380,000.

All of Lawrence Township’s elementary schools tested their second grade students last week.

The Indianapolis district opted in after overwhelming support from elementary school principals, said Tierney Anderson, director of elementary education. Second graders and their teachers then worked on IREAD topics on a weekly basis.

“It’s making sure we are able to implement interventions on day one of their third grade year… so they do pass in third grade,” Anderson said.

She said parents supported the decision after the district explained it as something that could only help students, not hinder them.

Knoderer said he hopes the results will lead more families to participate in the district’s summer tutoring program.

During the week of the test, students took walks around the school to get their energy out, Knoderer said.

“It’s as low stress as possible, no stakes,” Knoderer said. “We’re trying to do this in a way that’s developmentally appropriate.”

While the IREAD is the first state test for young students, most have already taken diagnostic exams like i-Ready throughout the year.

At Gary schools, students take those exams three times a year, said Esther Goode, the district’s director of elementary curriculum. Through those tests, schools have seen evidence of a “COVID slide.”

“Students are, on average, anywhere from two to maybe three years behind and we’re needing to make up the loss,” she said.

Goode said the district plans to use second graders’ test scores to offer differentiated instruction in small groups next year, allowing teachers to focus on specific skills. Schools told parents that taking the test early will give them insight into what specific skills to work on with their children, she said.

The district is also offering a K-12 summer school, and will invite second graders to work on literacy skills based on their IREAD results, said Chief Academic Officer Kimberley Bradley.

Bradley said the pandemic had an outsize impact on Gary students, 99% of whom come from low-income families, and may have experienced upheavals at home.

But the district has also seen academic gains since the fall, Bradley said, as schools navigate a mostly normal school year.

“We’re seeing the impact of the students now in classrooms with their teachers,” she said. “They’re beginning to catch up.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As COVID protocols end, young students and new teachers adjust

2022-03-21T16:08:48+00:00

The last lesson that Alexis Kashman taught before COVID closed her classroom was fractions, with her students making diagrams out of tape on the floor.

A recent college graduate, she had started her teaching career at Chapel Glen Elementary School in Wayne Township just three months earlier, and found herself going back to her textbooks to translate the fraction lesson for remote learning.

“We were taught the most important thing is to gather your kids at the carpet and read to them,” she said. “And then as soon as I started, the pandemic hit and everything I had learned up until that point, we had to throw it out the window.”

After two years of disrupted lessons, Kashman has come full circle as Indiana schools return to a pre-pandemic state, with no masking, distancing, quarantining, or — teachers hope — major upheavals midway through the year.

For veteran teachers and older students, this is a return to normalcy. But for some young students and new teachers like Kashman, this is among the first times they’ve experienced in-person learning without restrictions or interruptions. And schools like Chapel Glen are tasked with helping both groups adjust.

The solutions range from a mentorship program for new teachers, to incorporating new and old-school learning strategies, to practicing patience and experimenting with new ideas.

“We all have learned that we really can do hard things,” said Principal Shatara Smith. “When we think outside the box, and we come together and problem solve, it’s not as bad as you think.”

Schools like Chapel Glen Elementary have adopted new programs and strategies to help teachers and students adjust to in-person learning.

Learning classroom expectations

Like schools across the country, Chapel Glen closed and reopened several times over two years as it weathered COVID cases and shifting health guidelines.

During building closures, the Indianapolis district offered an online program where teachers taught alone from their classrooms while students followed along at home.

Alexandra Offutt, who started at Chapel Glen teaching virtual students, described her first few months as a little lonely.

When teachers and students were able to return to their classrooms, they found changes. Gone were the staples of elementary education, like circle time and morning high-fives, replaced by spaced-out desks and elbow bumps.

Offutt’s students had to remain in pods, spending their day doing activities with the same four or five peers in order to aid in contact tracing. Masking and distancing made critical early literacy lessons a challenge, especially for students who were learning English as a second language.

“For kindergarten, it’s hard because you’re learning how to form your mouth when you’re learning these letters,” Offutt said.

“We’d have to be like, alright, back up and pull your mask down and tell me what you’re saying,” Kashman said.

Alexandra Offutt started out teaching students virtually at Chapel Glen, and found that masking and social distancing created challenges with early literacy lessons.

Simultaneously, students also had to learn stamina, focus, and interpersonal skills that had fallen by the wayside during at-home learning. And once the school went mask-optional, Offutt also had to teach students to respect their friends’ choices to wear a mask or not.

“How you speak at home is not necessarily how you can speak at school,” Offutt said. “And you can’t just bump and push and grab something, because you’re going to hurt another kid if you do that.”

Now, with restrictions lifted, Offutt’s kindergartners took advantage of their freedom to move around the room with their friends on Thursday, while dancing to a St. Patrick’s Day song.

Then Offutt gathered them on the rug to sound out words. On “cove,” some students made the leap to a more familiar word.

“No, not COVID,” Offutt said.

“Ewww,” the students said.

Teachers learn from each other

Chapel Glen’s newest teachers are also learning the ropes.

The school’s mentorship program, dubbed the New Teacher Academy, matched new teachers to veteran ones in an effort to ease them into the school and the expectations of teaching in-person, said Smith, the principal.

“Many of our new teachers not only started remotely, but had their student teaching practicum remotely,” Smith said. “Looking at classroom management, procedures, a lot of the necessary foundational things that are needed for starting, we thought, ‘How can we help address some of these areas of concern?’”

But mentees noted the pandemic has also led to a two-way street with mentors, whom they may not have met otherwise.

“I’m helping a veteran teacher create an assignment online, but the veteran teacher is helping me figure out what’s going to work for one of my specific learners,” Kashman said.

Chapel Glen has a mentorship program called the New Teacher Academy, which pairs early career teachers like Kashman with veteran educators.

The way forward likely combines the experiences of both new and veteran teachers, as they all work to address the skills that lapsed during the pandemic.

Teachers of all types are grappling with helping fourth graders who may read at a first-grade level, said Megan Graybosch, a reading interventionist and mentor.

“There’s probably some hesitancy to want to pick up a book that they know they can be successful with,” Graybosch said. “Those books may not look like what their peers are reading.”

Graybosch said she helps new teachers consider how to incorporate “old-school” activities into 21st-century classrooms.

Time-tested strategies like small group reading and rotating centers can supplement the online curriculum and personalized lesson plans that have come to define pandemic learning, she said.

There are other pandemic-inspired changes that the school would like to keep as it steadily returns to normal.

Virtual parent-teacher conferences and drive-thru awards ceremonies are here to stay by popular demand, Smith said.

All Chapel Glen students now have a tablet or laptop, and spend some time each week refreshing the skills they had to learn during virtual schooling.

“I joked that they have trouble holding a pencil, but man, they can cut and paste, they can upload documents,” Smith said. “The skills that we may have introduced them to probably a little later, they were introduced to and did really well.”

Preparing for the future of the pandemic

Chapel Glen students watch a movie during indoor recess. Their principal, Shatara Smith, feels like her staff is more prepared to deal with unforeseen challenges after two years of a pandemic.

As Kashman prepared to send her first graders to recess on Thursday, an unexpected announcement came over the school’s public address system: Recess would be held indoors due to lingering smoke from a nearby fire.

Kashman pivoted, offering Play-Doh, coloring pages, and time to watch “The Secret Life of Pets,” conscious that her students would be spending their whole day indoors.

“They’ll get antsy by the end of the day,” she said.

Her students said they didn’t mind staying inside.

“Because you get sweaty outside, and I don’t want to get sweaty,” one student, Aaliyah, said.

It’s difficult to predict how COVID will affect schools in the future, but it will likely involve a series of adjustments.

Principal Smith said Chapel Glen has plans in place for future school closures, whether due to COVID, snowstorms, or other unforeseen circumstances. After two years, her staff feels more prepared to weather uncertainty, she said.

With case counts low, and pandemic protocols over, teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year, said Graybosch, the reading interventionist.

“I’m no virologist,” she said, to laughs from her peers. “But I think next year is looking pretty good.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As cases remain low and schools relax their COVID protocols, many teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year.

‘Nearing a collapse,’ Indiana needs more special educators

2022-03-03T22:42:53+00:00

When her colleague resigned unexpectedly over Christmas break, special education teacher Lisa Whitlow-Hill took 20 more students under her wing.

In addition to coordinating a college and career program for young adults with disabilities, Whitlow-Hill now had to identify goals and create service plans for preschoolers to eighth graders, too.

As schools throughout the state struggle to fill special education jobs, their task will likely grow ahead of a July expiration date for about 1,200 emergency teaching permits.

“Education is so important, but we’re struggling,” Whitlow-Hill said. “We’ve lost so many people.”

Indiana doesn’t keep track of how many special education teachers its schools lack or will need. But many districts face vacancies, which squeeze their budgets and leave them vulnerable to lawsuits for failing to provide services guaranteed by federal law.

To help fill the gap, the state and school districts have earmarked millions in federal dollars to train more special education teachers. One pathway will offer a bridge for teachers whose emergency permits are expiring, while another focuses on working paraprofessionals.

But the programs will take one to four years to yield classroom-ready teachers, leaving concerns that at the moment, schools simply can’t find enough people to hire.

What’s driving special education shortages

The number of working special education teachers in Indiana declined around 4% from 2014 to 2021, while the number of students in special education grew 12%, according to the Indiana Department of Education.

A state job bank lists over 150 open special education teaching positions, but more openings likely exist. Not all schools list vacancies in the bank, department spokesperson Holly Lawson said.

At the same time, fewer students enter and stay in traditional teaching programs, while the educator workforce is aging, said Carey Dahncke, who leads a University of Indianapolis education center. Only about 16% of undergraduate education majors go on to earn their teaching licenses, according to one study. And candidates who want to teach special education must also obtain an addition to their teaching license.

Previously, schools could fill vacancies with substitutes, said Angie Balsley, president of the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education.

But finding substitutes has been more challenging during the pandemic, as schools need to fill in for educators out because of COVID, Balsley said. She said the general demand for workers, low wages, and a negative public perception of teaching also discourage people from pursuing a career in education.

“We’re nearing a collapse on the current trajectory because of personnel shortages,” Balsley said.

What the shortage means

Balsley, who also serves as executive director of Earlywood, a special education services co-op in Franklin, said four of its 85 certified staff members resigned in December alone, placing a heavy burden on those who remain.

For students who qualify for special education, services are a right, she said.

“In a classroom, unlike a fast food chain, we don’t get to just close for the day,” Balsley said.

That’s what left teacher Whitlow-Hill to take over the documentation duties for special education at a small private school, while a paraprofessional leads the classroom under Whitlow-Hill’s direction.

COVID considerations like exposures, masking rules, and contact tracing weigh heavily on educators’ minds, Whitlow-Hill said. But those worries may be even more acute for special education aides who risk exposure to COVID in the classroom and may not receive a paycheck if they have to quarantine, she added.

This in turn makes it harder to hire aides.

“You’re kind of taking on hazardous circumstances,” she said. “It’s a different level of stress.”

Pandemic restrictions and risks also have eaten into the ranks of the cadre of specialists — speech and occupational therapists, as well as psychologists — vital to special education. They face heightened risks traveling from school to school and being in close contact with multiple students.

After Earlywood lost one of its school psychologists in a tragic accident, Ashley Landrum stepped in to cover two districts with the help of an intern, which leaves her responsible for dozens of special education evaluations and a growing number of behavior assessments of children struggling with the stresses of the pandemic.

Because federal rules set a strict timetable for evaluations, Landrum said she’s working longer days to get them done. She said schools struggle to hire contractors to do that work, because they’re in short supply, too.

“Timelines haven’t changed. Deadlines haven’t changed,” she said. “Two years into the pandemic, none of our expectations have changed.”

State tries to fill gaps

With about 1,200 educators set to lose emergency permits after this school year, the state will grant provisional teacher status to those who are seeking full licensure.

Those permits will allow them to remain in the classroom for three years while working toward their license, said Lawson of the state Department of Education. The state is underwriting the tuition and fees for their studies by tapping about $4 million in federal relief funds through 2024.

“We’re seeing strong engagement so far,” Lawson said. “This is a really great program that covers costs and streamlines the process.”

About 170 teacher candidates have enrolled in the state’s alternative permit program, known by its acronym I-SEAL.

Most will earn a special education certification in one to two years, depending on whether they have completed prior coursework, said Dahncke, executive director of the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, which coordinates the programs.

“The idea is to try to inject 300 new special education teachers in the field,” he said. “But we’re only scratching the surface.”

Among the I-SEAL candidates is Drue Yates, a special education resource teacher working on an emergency permit at Greater Clark County Schools.

After graduating with an education degree in May, Yates started as a permanent substitute at Parkwood Elementary then quickly became a resource teacher. Instead of running a large classroom, Yates works all day with small groups of students on academic and behavior skills.

“Given the opportunity and how much I’ve fallen in love with the job I do, I decided it would be best if I tried it,” Yates said.

“Within the first month, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” he said.

Teaching is a challenging field, Dahncke said, and special education comes with amplified challenges, including the pressure to meet each child’s individual needs.

Districts want more people like Yates.

“We’re looking for someone who, this is the type of work they want to do,” Dahncke said. “It’s not helpful if a teacher gets into the field and turns around and leaves. We need people who are equipped to do this, who want to do this.”

Dahncke said the state may consider expanding licensing programs to those who don’t have bachelor’s degrees, through apprenticeships or pathways that offer both a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license.

Grow-your-own teachers

Bartholomew County Schools, partnering with St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, is doing just that.

It runs a pilot program with nine paraprofessionals who work in schools during the day, and take online classes in the evening in either secondary special education or elementary education with an add-on certification for special education.

The district is paying for tuition, books, and fees for students who commit to working for the district for two years after graduation, said Gina Pleak, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources.

Pleak said the district started the program as a way to encourage more diversity in its teaching ranks — but the focus on special education is an added bonus. It costs around $12,000 per candidate per year, paid by COVID relief funds.

The aides take about four years to graduate, making the program a long-term investment.

“In education there is not a quick fix. If there is a quick fix, we’re probably sacrificing something,” Pleak said.

About 15% of the district’s special educators, or 17 people, are working on the emergency permits that are set to expire, Pleak said. Nearly all are on track to continue working in the classroom after the deadline.

Pleak said she hopes the state someday will allow greater flexibility for obtaining teaching licenses, by waiving some testing requirements if candidates have work experience, or offering tuition reimbursement if they enroll in an education program.

“They already see the day-to-day work, they feel connected, they have purpose,” Pleak said.

Alternative pathways to licensure are becoming more popular as school leaders recognize there are many barriers in traditional teacher prep programs.

“You have to quit your day job to student teach for 12 weeks. That’s unaffordable,” said Lucy Fischman, an independent education consultant who designed the Bartholomew program.

Teachers on emergency permits also may not be able to afford to complete their full license, Fischman said. And until the federal government said it would cease recognizing their licenses, they assumed they could simply renew their permits annually.

Fischman wants the state to commit to funding the programs after emergency federal dollars expire in 2024.

“There’s nothing more joyful than working with kids. … The variety you get each day is something you can’t find anywhere else,” Fischman said. “The camaraderie you see among special education teachers is unmatched.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

‘Divisive concepts’ bill moves forward in the Indiana Senate

2022-02-23T22:07:36+00:00

A bill to restrict teaching about race and racism has taken another step forward in the Indiana legislature, with an 8-5 vote of approval Wednesday from the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.

House Bill 1134 now heads to the full Senate over the objections of Democrats, whose amendments to strip most of the bill’s provisions failed.

“The premise of the bill starts with a point that citizens are treated equally in the state of Indiana, and that is absolutely not correct,” said Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis). “This bill has further divided our state, pushed teachers from the profession, and it has sent the wrong message to our kids.”

Senators added new language that allows proposed curriculum review committees to review material used by guest speakers in schools, and tweaks the bill’s definition of what constitutes “good citizenship” instruction.

The amendment requires schools to try to obtain parental consent for providing students mental health services, but allows them to proceed to offer services if a parent doesn’t reply within a given timeline. The original bill required parental consent; now a summer legislative committee will study the issue instead.

The bill retains the restrictions on teaching three ideas that lawmakers describe as “divisive.” The limits have drawn overwhelming public criticism.

One failed amendment would have changed the definition of the concepts to align with federal law on nondiscrimination of protected classes, including those of sexual orientation and gender identity, which are not covered in HB 1134.

Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) joined the four Democrats on the committee to vote against the bill, saying that the Indiana Department of Education was not fully on board, and that she had heard from many school leaders, teachers, and others who opposed the bill.

The committee rejected an amendment by Sen. Eddie Melton (D-Gary) that would have required high school U.S. history classes to include an “enhanced study” of the Holocaust and Black history, listing events from slavery and abolition to the election of President Barack Obama that should be used as lessons.

Committee Chair Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) and bill sponsor Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger) both said that Black history already was included in Indiana’s academic standards.

Two Republicans voted for Melton’s amendment. They were Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville), who came under fire in January for suggesting that teachers should teach Nazism neutrally, and Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Fishers).

Melton expressed disappointment, characterizing opponents’ reasons as “excuses.”

Melton urged senators to “do their homework” on the bill before a full Senate vote.

“Just because something makes us uncomfortable, it should not be prevented from discussion,” he said. “No one in here is accusing any white person of being a slave owner. But I still feel the impact of it.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Proposed change to ‘divisive concepts’ bill would ban fewer ideas

2022-02-15T23:39:07+00:00

A proposed amendment to Indiana’s so-called “divisive concepts” legislation would drop some of the most controversial parts of the bill, but stop short of completely removing a list of concepts that would be banned from the classroom.

The changes are an attempt to strike a compromise, according to a statement by Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger), who’s sponsoring House Bill 1134 as it makes its first appearance Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.

Among its changes, Rogers’ amendment would narrow a list of concepts that lawmakers want banned from the classroom from eight to three, removing one that would forbid teachers from teaching that students should feel guilt or discomfort based on their personal characteristics like race or national origin.

Teachers had singled out this point in particular as potentially generating frivolous lawsuits and stifling classroom conversations.

The bill, passed out of the House last month, has faced an uncertain future in the Senate, which killed its own version of the bill early into the session after national outcry.

“The changes I am introducing may not be where we end up on all of these issues, but I am offering them as a good-faith attempt at a compromise that respects the valid concerns of both parents and educators,” Rogers said in a statement. “I appreciate the thoughtful discussions I’ve had with hundreds of interested parties on this bill, and I will remain open to input as the legislative process continues.”

Rogers’ amendment still includes three concepts that teachers couldn’t promote:

That any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior to another.
That any individual should be treated adversely or preferentially because of the above.
That any individual is responsible for actions committed in the past by people who share their personal traits.

Notably, the amendment would strike “political affiliation” from the list of characteristics that the bill protects from discrimination. Opponents had pointed out that such language could stop teachers from condemning Nazism.

Rogers’ amendment would strike the ability of parents who believe schools have taught a banned concept to file suit. Final authority to determine whether a violation has occurred would rest with the Indiana Department of Education.

The amendment would strike the original bill’s mandate for outside curriculum review.

Instead of mandating curriculum review committees composed primarily of parents, the amendment would give districts the option to form such committees. Parents could request that a committee review certain materials.

Finally, the amendment would not require schools and teachers to post most of their learning materials online for public review at the beginning of the year. Instead it would mandate that they use an online learning management system and allow parents to inspect materials upon request.

The Senate is scheduled to hear testimony, consider amendments, and vote on HB 1134 at Wednesday’s committee meeting, at the end of a packed schedule that also includes a hearing on House Bill 1041, which would ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports.

Proponents of the curriculum-control bill have said parents need a window into their children’s education. But opponents, including many teachers, say it discounts their professional experience and inserts politics into teaching.

In a statement, Indiana Democrats said the amendment “still falls far short of the mark for teachers, parents, and students.”

“The latest version of HB 1134 remains a slippery slope allowing bad actors to demand neutrality on issues, divide communities, and diminish Hoosier values,” said Lauren Ganapini, executive director of the Indiana Democratic Party. “The Indiana GOP’s original intentions were to put politics in the classroom, not to create a better future for our children.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPS offers teacher apprenticeship, principal residency to attract educators of color

2022-01-25T22:51:34+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools is starting a teacher apprenticeship and a principal residency, two programs aimed at attracting more educators of color.

“There are just too many barriers to the pathways to teaching — specifically, teaching in urban schools,” said Alex Moseman, IPS’ director of talent acquisition.

The district plans to train 10 teachers at three elementary schools next year through a partnership with a local charter network. IPS will join Christel House’s IndyTeach program, a free, one-year alternative path to licensure. Prospective teachers will be paid a salary, embedded in IPS classrooms, and partnered with a mentor while preparing for the licensing exam.

The new principal residency will offer a year of paid on-the-job training and mentoring for aspiring leaders, assistant principals, and out-of-district principals who want to work at IPS. Four spots will be available in that program.

IPS has not finalized the salaries for the two training programs, but Moseman noted the pay will be competitive and comparable to similar roles in the district. Next year, IPS’ starting salary for teachers will be $50,400, and for assistant principals, around $105,000.

That would add up to roughly a $1 million investment for the district, though the total cost has not yet been determined. IPS plans to use federal relief dollars, known as ESSER funding, to cover the initial cost. The goal is to eventually expand the programs and include the cost within school budgets, Moseman said.

IPS currently has about 70 teaching vacancies, Moseman said.

Like many other districts, IPS wants to diversify its teaching staff to be more representative of the students they serve. About a quarter of IPS teachers are Black or Hispanic, according to state data, in a district where nearly three-quarters of students are Black or Hispanic.

Research shows that having teachers of color improves outcomes for students of color.

“I want students to see that people that look like them can be teachers,” said Andrea Rodriguez, a sixth-grade teacher at Meredith Nicholson School 96 who is Latina and an IPS graduate.

Education programs at universities tend to produce very few educators of color. IndyTeach, a five-year-old program at Christel House, aims to give college graduates the chance to become teachers without having to go through a traditional teacher prep program, and get teaching experience in urban schools.

“We’re breaking down the barriers of getting into the teaching profession, which opens up the doors to many more potential applicants,” said program director Tracy Westerman.

IndyTeach tends to attract recent graduates who didn’t pursue education degrees, people looking to switch careers, and support staff who want to work toward full licensure, she added.

The training program has become “a huge pipeline,” with more than 80% of participants staying to work at Christel House, Westerman said.

Still, the training program has sometimes struggled to attract diverse candidates. Roughly 30% of applicants are people of color, Westerman estimated. The program has become more diverse over the years, but she didn’t have numbers available on the racial makeup of participants.

“We’re working on it,” she said. “It’s still an area of growth for us.”

Indiana Teacher of the Year sparks creativity with after-school robotics

2022-01-24T21:24:36+00:00

Indiana’s 2022 Teacher of the Year has a simple strategy for getting students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math:

“I get excited,” said East Tipp Middle School teacher Sharita Ware. “I enjoy everything about STEM because if you can dream it up, you can design and make it.”

Ware teaches seventh- and eighth-grade engineering and technology education in Lafayette, Indiana. In addition to her regular classes, she hosts after-school activities that challenge students to solve real-life problems through hands-on projects, like developing an app or building a robot.

“When they come to the after-school programs, they learn very quickly that they can do whatever they want without worrying about a grade,” Ware said. “They are more willing to take risks.”

Ware, who has 10 years of teaching experience, spoke to Chalkbeat about fostering imagination, connecting lessons to the world around us, and growing up with teachers who believed in her.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you decide to switch careers to become a teacher?

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after staying home with my children for nine years. I received an email asking for people with degrees or careers in STEM fields to transition to teaching through the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship. Purdue’s program was called STEM Goes Rural. I decided to apply, and the rest is history.

Tell us about a favorite lesson to teach. Where did the idea come from?

I really enjoy teaching engineering design sketching. I learned from the same lessons when I was in school, a long time ago. It was relatively easy for me so I tried teaching it to my students the same way I learned. Some got it, many did not. I had to get very creative, bringing in example 3D shapes, color coding the 3D isometric view so the kids could see the three orthographic views (top, front, and right-side). It is kind of like solving a puzzle. I really enjoy watching my students when they finally get it and are able to help and teach their fellow classmates.

How do you get students excited about STEM?

Some of the kids already have that innovative spirit on them, but some need a little convincing. As a teacher, you have to believe in what you are teaching. How can I expect the kids to get excited about something I don’t care about? I also try to help them see the real-world applications for the content we are learning. That way even if they don’t care about the project, they may be able to use what they have learned for something they do care about.

How did you get involved with after-school programs? How does what you see from students in the after-school programs compare to what you see during classroom lessons?

I want to get as many kids involved in being creative and innovative as possible. Since I only teach seventh- and eighth-grade students, I wanted to introduce the sixth graders to all of the wonderful tools and equipment. I also feel like kids lose a lot of their child-like imagination and creativity once they get to middle school. All of the testing and making the grade overwhelms so many kids that they feel like they don’t have time to be creative.

What are you doing to meet your students’ needs following two disrupted school years and the trauma COVID brought with it?

I am having to be more patient with the students and with myself. The shutdown in March 2020 is still having repercussions to this day. Back then we were just trying to survive and did not know what the future held. We lowered our expectations and made our due dates very flexible — too flexible. We have students who just will not turn things in on time. We have some who barely meet the expectations of an assignment, but still expect a high grade just for turning it in.

I have had to strengthen my resolve to push past the lack of desire of many students to perform or want to learn. I still am trying to hold a high standard while helping them climb up the ladder with words of encouragement, more detailed instructions, and video examples. I don’t always get favorable responses, but I know it is the right thing to do.

What’s something happening in the community that affects what goes on inside your class or your school?

The economic conditions. Some families are struggling. Some are not. The gap between haves and have-nots is widening. Many more middle schoolers have jobs than I remember a few years ago. The uncertainties with COVID and racial tensions weigh on the kids. I have to find productive ways to help them process it all. I try to keep my responses void of my opinions and feelings about things.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I really enjoyed school growing up. I was a pretty quiet and shy child. I didn’t always advocate for myself, and it left some holes in my learning. To this day, I don’t have the best relationship with math because I didn’t have the best teachers. I think they did the best they could in most cases but did not go out of their way for every student. I did have some really great teachers that saw the potential of that quiet little girl. They gently pushed me and helped me discover some of my strengths as a student.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

Stay true to yourself. Be intentional and purposeful. The world seems to want everyone to have the same identity. There is no respect for differences unless your difference agrees with my difference. It is possible to respect other people even when you don’t agree with them. I try to treat everyone with respect and kindness. I also try to make sure the things I ask my students to do have value and purpose. I like for there to be somewhat of a flow between all of the things we learn in class. My hope is when my students look back at the time they spent in my class, they can see value in most of what they learned.

You have a busy job, and this is a stressful time. How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

I really enjoy gardening and working outside with my hands. It is so relaxing to nurture flowers and watch them grow and make our home look so pretty. I also love to build with Lego. Spending time with my family, my husband and children, brings me joy. I like hearing about their days and laughing at their antics. We also go to church together, and that is where my cup gets refilled so I can continue to bless others. When I stay focused on what really matters, I am at peace.

Indiana educators: How would proposed restrictions on teaching about race and identity affect your classroom?

2022-01-07T14:45:00+00:00

Indiana lawmakers have introduced a bill that would restrict what teachers can teach about race and racism, as well as what schools can mandate as part of diversity and equity training.

It would also require schools to post curriculum materials online, involve parents in the curriculum selection process, and obtain parent permission for mental health services for their children.

The proposal would create a process for parents to file a complaint, beginning with speaking to the school principal and allowing for potential civil litigation.

The bill would ban teaching concepts that suggest students of one race bear responsibility for past actions against those of another race; or that cause feelings of guilt or anguish among students.

Chalkbeat wants to hear from Indiana educators: How would this proposed legislation affect you? What are your most pressing questions and concerns? Let us know in the survey below.

If you are having trouble viewing this form, go here.

Indiana graduation rate dips slightly, unevenly for Class of 2021

2022-01-05T00:22:19+00:00

Graduation rates for Indiana students dipped slightly to about 87% last year, according to state data released last week, falling most steeply among student groups with the lowest graduation rates.

Graduation rates fell 3 percentage points among Black students, 2.6 points among Hispanic students, and 6 points among Native American students. They also fell by 4 points among English learners and students from low-income families.

Indiana had about 67,500 graduates in the Class of 2021, which experienced COVID-related disruptions throughout senior year.

Those students represent 86.7% of their class, one point lower than that of the Class of 2020.

The 2021 rate includes some students who received a waiver from the state’s graduation exam. Students qualify for a waiver if they meet certain other requirements, like showing workforce readiness.

In 2020, the state granted a blanket waiver to seniors — thus complicating any comparison between the past two years’ high school classes.

A higher percentage of students passed the exam to graduate last year than did in 2019. In that year, which required a graduation exam, 87.3% graduated.

This year’s rates offer a look at the circumstances that students faced over a year of pandemic learning, said Jill Shedd, assistant dean for teacher education at the Indiana University College of Education.

While they can help gauge how the year went, they shouldn’t be taken as characteristic of the graduating class, she added, many of whom experienced challenges in accessing education.

“I am not convinced that they are an accurate measure of our seniors’ potential, what they’re able to know,” Shedd said. “The fact that so many did graduate, and were extremely resilient doing as well as they did, speaks a lot about their capabilities and who they are as persons, which are important elements that are never going to be captured on pencil and paper.”

Graduation rates for 2021 varied among schools and student groups. One prevalent pattern was a jump in rates from 2019 to 2020, followed by a drop in 2021.

District	School	2020	2021	Change
Adams Central Community Schools	Adams Central High School	100.00%	94.55%	-5.45
North Adams Community Schools	Bellmont Senior High School	94.12%	96.15%	2.03
South Adams Schools	South Adams High School	92.13%	89.11%	-3.02
MSD Southwest Allen County Schls	Homestead Senior High School	96.28%	93.85%	-2.43
Northwest Allen County Schools	Carroll High School	97.91%	95.70%	-2.21
Fort Wayne Community Schools	North Side High School	88.27%	86.31%	-1.96
Fort Wayne Community Schools	R Nelson Snider High School	95.52%	94.57%	-0.95
Fort Wayne Community Schools	South Side High School	88.95%	81.68%	-7.27
Fort Wayne Community Schools	Wayne High School	95.74%	90.46%	-5.28
Fort Wayne Community Schools	Northrop High School	92.64%	88.42%	-4.22
East Allen County Schools	Leo Junior/Senior High School	92.21%	92.67%	0.46
East Allen County Schools	Heritage Jr/Sr High School	86.18%	81.88%	-4.3
East Allen County Schools	Woodlan Jr/Sr High School	89.36%	89.26%	-0.1
East Allen County Schools	New Haven Jr/Sr High School	89.51%	85.60%	-3.91
East Allen County Schools	East Allen University	96.88%	100.00%	3.12
Bartholomew Con School Corp	Columbus North High School	87.90%	84.09%	-3.81
Bartholomew Con School Corp	Columbus East High School	85.01%	85.86%	0.85
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp	Hauser Jr-Sr High School	91.23%	93.42%	2.19
Benton Community School Corp	Benton Central Jr-Sr High School	84.85%	90.51%	5.66
Blackford County Schools	Blackford Jr-Sr High School	92.31%	86.21%	-6.1
Western Boone Co Com Sch Dist	Western Boone Jr-Sr High School	95.20%	96.32%	1.12
Zionsville Community Schools	Zionsville Community High School	96.91%	97.20%	0.29
Lebanon Community School Corp	Lebanon Senior High School	93.78%	86.67%	-7.11
Brown County School Corporation	Brown County High School	82.29%	87.34%	5.05
Carroll Consolidated School Corp	Carroll Senior High School	94.37%	94.81%	0.44
Delphi Community School Corp	Delphi Community High School	84.54%	89.83%	5.29
Pioneer Regional School Corp	Pioneer Jr-Sr High School	96.30%	100.00%	3.7
Lewis Cass Schools	Lewis Cass High School	92.92%	96.26%	3.34
Logansport Community Sch Corp	Logansport Community High School	81.59%	84.59%	3
Borden-Henryville School Corporation	Henryville Jr & Sr High School	89.53%	87.78%	-1.75
Borden-Henryville School Corporation	William W Borden High School	88.68%	95.83%	7.15
Silver Creek School Corporation	Silver Creek High School	96.12%	93.39%	-2.73
Clarksville Community School Corp	Clarksville Senior High School	90.91%	84.09%	-6.82
Greater Clark County Schools	New Washington Middle/High School	96.08%	97.73%	1.65
Greater Clark County Schools	Charlestown Senior High School	97.55%	96.70%	-0.85
Greater Clark County Schools	Jeffersonville High School	97.08%	94.62%	-2.46
Clay Community Schools	Clay City Jr-Sr High School	90.48%	91.23%	0.75
Clay Community Schools	Northview High School	72.69%	85.71%	13.02
Clinton Central School Corporation	Clinton Central Junior-Senior HS	92.65%	90.00%	-2.65
Clinton Prairie School Corporation	Clinton Prairie Jr-Sr High School	91.57%	94.05%	2.48
Community Schools of Frankfort	Frankfort High School	87.95%	86.86%	-1.09
Rossville Con School District	Rossville Middle/Senior High Sch	91.55%	92.86%	1.31
Crawford County Community Sch Corp	Crawford County High School	84.44%	82.83%	-1.61
Barr-Reeve Community Schools Inc	Barr Reeve Middle/High School	100.00%	100.00%	0
North Daviess Com Schools	North Daviess Jr-Sr High School	93.75%	98.61%	4.86
Washington Community Schools	Washington High School	95.81%	89.07%	-6.74
Sunman-Dearborn Com Sch Corp	East Central High School	97.07%	96.50%	-0.57
South Dearborn Community Sch Corp	South Dearborn High School	89.95%	90.95%	1
Lawrenceburg Community School Corp	Lawrenceburg High School	92.57%	94.08%	1.51
Decatur County Community Schools	South Decatur Jr-Sr High School	97.50%	100.00%	2.5
Decatur County Community Schools	North Decatur Jr-Sr High School	97.65%	95.65%	-2
Greensburg Community Schools	Greensburg Community High School	84.78%	92.57%	7.79
DeKalb Co Eastern Com Sch Dist	Eastside Junior-Senior High School	88.35%	95.05%	6.7
Garrett-Keyser-Butler Com Sch Corp	Garrett High School	95.15%	94.59%	-0.56
DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist	DeKalb High School	90.75%	91.67%	0.92
Delaware Community School Corp	Delta High School	94.71%	89.77%	-4.94
Wes-Del Community Schools	Wes-Del Middle/Senior High School	98.48%	100.00%	1.52
Liberty-Perry Community Sch Corp	Wapahani High School	86.59%	93.98%	7.39
Cowan Community School Corp	Cowan High School	90.57%	98.28%	7.71
Yorktown Community Schools	Yorktown High School	97.16%	97.35%	0.19
Daleville Community Schools	Daleville Jr-Sr High School	87.69%	96.97%	9.28
Muncie Community Schools	Muncie Central High School	83.33%	81.97%	-1.36
Muncie Community Schools	Youth Opportunity Center	3.33%	4.76%	1.43
Northeast Dubois Co Sch Corp	Northeast Dubois Jr/Sr High School	89.86%	88.57%	-1.29
Southeast Dubois Co Sch Corp	Forest Park Jr-Sr High School	95.88%	93.98%	-1.9
Southwest Dubois Co Sch Corp	Southridge High School	95.73%	84.30%	-11.43
Greater Jasper Consolidated Schs	Jasper High School	95.08%	92.50%	-2.58
Fairfield Community Schools	Fairfield Jr-Sr High School	97.50%	94.17%	-3.33
Baugo Community Schools	Jimtown High School	92.07%	84.46%	-7.61
Concord Community Schools	Concord Community High School	87.64%	87.01%	-0.63
Middlebury Community Schools	Northridge High School	92.94%	93.37%	0.43
Wa-Nee Community Schools	North Wood High School	91.67%	92.12%	0.45
Elkhart Community Schools	Elkhart Memorial High School	94.87%	73.33%	-21.54
Elkhart Community Schools	Elkhart High School		88.27%	88.27
Goshen Community Schools	Goshen High School	90.74%	87.28%	-3.46
Fayette County School Corporation	Connersville Sr High School	88.76%	90.18%	1.42
New Albany-Floyd Co Con Sch	New Albany Senior High School	88.64%	90.31%	1.67
New Albany-Floyd Co Con Sch	Floyd Central High School	95.25%	94.85%	-0.4
Attica Consolidated School Corp	Attica High School	100.00%	97.50%	-2.5
Covington Community School Corp	Covington Community High School	96.92%	98.28%	1.36
Southeast Fountain School Corp	Fountain Central High School	81.82%	93.62%	11.8
Franklin County Community Sch Corp	Franklin County High	88.59%	88.59%	0
Rochester Community School Corp	Rochester Community High School	92.96%	93.28%	0.32
Caston School Corporation	Caston Jr-Sr High School	91.07%	93.48%	2.41
East Gibson School Corporation	Waldo J Wood Memorial High	85.71%	86.30%	0.59
North Gibson School Corporation	Princeton Community High School	76.92%	84.00%	7.08
South Gibson School Corporation	Gibson Southern High School	93.88%	90.91%	-2.97
Eastbrook Community Sch Corp	Eastbrook High School	97.48%	96.04%	-1.44
Madison-Grant United School Corp	Madison-Grant Jr./Sr. High School	98.82%	97.89%	-0.93
Mississinewa Community School Corp	Mississinewa High School	95.05%	94.76%	-0.29
Marion Community Schools	Marion High School	87.72%	83.56%	-4.16
Bloomfield School District	Bloomfield High School	92.45%	93.10%	0.65
Eastern Greene Schools	Eastern Greene High School	83.54%	75.00%	-8.54
Linton-Stockton School Corporation	Linton-Stockton High School	89.77%	84.91%	-4.86
MSD Shakamak Schools	Shakamak Jr-Sr High School	84.85%	96.83%	11.98
White River Valley School District	White River Valley High School	91.55%	84.75%	-6.8
Hamilton Southeastern Schools	Fishers High School	98.24%	97.81%	-0.43
Hamilton Southeastern Schools	Hamilton Southeastern HS	97.04%	96.94%	-0.1
Hamilton Heights School Corp	Hamilton Heights High School	91.62%	96.24%	4.62
Westfield-Washington Schools	Westfield High School	98.23%	96.28%	-1.95
Sheridan Community Schools	Sheridan High School	95.45%	89.74%	-5.71
Carmel Clay Schools	Carmel High School	95.17%	96.98%	1.81
Noblesville Schools	Noblesville High School	96.89%	98.31%	1.42
Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp	New Palestine High School	94.44%	95.85%	1.41
Greenfield-Central Com Schools	Greenfield-Central High School	94.56%	91.67%	-2.89
Mt Vernon Community School Corp	Mt Vernon High School	97.78%	95.44%	-2.34
Eastern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp	Eastern Hancock High School	99.07%	91.58%	-7.49
Lanesville Community School Corp	Lanesville Jr-Sr HS	93.15%	98.15%	5
North Harrison Com School Corp	North Harrison High School	99.24%	97.02%	-2.22
South Harrison Com Schools	Corydon Central High School	94.54%	92.12%	-2.42
South Harrison Com Schools	South Central Jr & Sr High School	96.77%	95.74%	-1.03
North West Hendricks Schools	Tri-West Senior High School	97.10%	90.34%	-6.76
Brownsburg Community School Corp	Brownsburg High School	98.79%	97.91%	-0.88
Avon Community School Corp	Avon High School	97.84%	97.32%	-0.52
Danville Community School Corp	Danville Community High School	93.15%	90.00%	-3.15
Plainfield Community School Corp	Plainfield High School	93.66%	93.38%	-0.28
Mill Creek Community Sch Corp	Cascade Senior High School	94.17%	99.11%	4.94
Blue River Valley Schools	Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch	97.30%	87.50%	-9.8
South Henry School Corp	Tri Junior-Senior High School	90.63%	89.55%	-1.08
Shenandoah School Corporation	Shenandoah High School	94.68%	93.48%	-1.2
New Castle Community School Corp	New Castle High School	87.97%	92.02%	4.05
C A Beard Memorial School Corp	Knightstown High School	91.86%	87.76%	-4.1
Taylor Community School Corp	Taylor High School	86.41%	81.82%	-4.59
Northwestern School Corp	Northwestern Senior High School	97.99%	99.21%	1.22
Eastern Howard School Corporation	Eastern High School	95.65%	95.45%	-0.2
Western School Corporation	Western High School	95.31%	90.00%	-5.31
Kokomo School Corporation	Kokomo High School	95.45%	95.38%	-0.07
Huntington Co Com Sch Corp	Huntington North High School	90.55%	86.94%	-3.61
Medora Community School Corp	Medora Jr & Sr High School		90.91%
Seymour Community Schools	Seymour Senior High School	91.56%	74.62%	-16.94
Brownstown Cnt Com Sch Corp	Brownstown Central High School	88.31%	89.74%	1.43
Crothersville Community Schools	Crothersville Jr-Sr High School	92.86%	87.88%	-4.98
Kankakee Valley School Corp	Kankakee Valley High School	94.92%	92.34%	-2.58
Rensselaer Central School Corp	Rensselaer Central High School	92.37%	88.60%	-3.77
Jay School Corporation	Jay County Jr/Sr High School	83.33%	84.29%	0.96
Madison Consolidated Schools	Madison Consolidated High School	88.50%	88.40%	-0.1
Madison Consolidated Schools	E.O. Muncie Jr/Sr High School		31.82%	31.82
Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con	Southwestern High School	94.94%	93.02%	-1.92
Jennings County School Corporation	Jennings County High School	90.44%	80.32%	-10.12
Clark-Pleasant Community Sch Corp	Whiteland Community High School	91.72%	92.11%	0.39
Center Grove Community School Corp	Center Grove High School	96.42%	95.63%	-0.79
Edinburgh Community School Corp	Edinburgh Community High School	93.55%	90.38%	-3.17
Franklin Community School Corp	Franklin Community High School	91.29%	90.62%	-0.67
Greenwood Community Sch Corp	Greenwood Community High Sch	92.39%	88.62%	-3.77
Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United	Indian Creek Sr High School	92.16%	96.40%	4.24
North Knox School Corp	North Knox Jr-Sr High School	93.10%	93.10%	0
South Knox School Corp	South Knox Middle-High School	100.00%	94.12%	-5.88
Vincennes Community School Corp	Lincoln High School	84.91%	83.33%	-1.58
Vincennes Community School Corp	Washington Learning Academy		70.97%	70.97
Wawasee Community School Corp	Wawasee High School	89.95%	91.62%	1.67
Warsaw Community Schools	Warsaw Community High School	91.94%	90.40%	-1.54
Tippecanoe Valley School Corp	Tippecanoe Valley High School	95.69%	91.79%	-3.9
Whitko Community School Corp	Whitko Jr/Sr High School	87.50%	90.82%	3.32
Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp	Prairie Heights Sr High School	90.83%	93.62%	2.79
Westview School Corporation	Westview Jr-Sr High School	91.67%	95.51%	3.84
Lakeland School Corporation	Lakeland Jr/Sr High School	88.73%	82.03%	-6.7
Hanover Community School Corp	Hanover Central High School	97.50%	95.48%	-2.02
River Forest Community Sch Corp	River Forest High School	89.81%	76.19%	-13.62
Merrillville Community School Corp	Merrillville High School	91.78%	89.66%	-2.12
Lake Central School Corporation	Lake Central High School	92.91%	95.94%	3.03
Tri-Creek School Corporation	Lowell Senior High School	96.55%	93.43%	-3.12
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools	Calumet New Tech High School	98.10%	98.64%	0.54
Crown Point Community School Corp	Crown Point High School	98.56%	98.58%	0.02
School City of East Chicago	East Chicago Central High School	72.82%	64.10%	-8.72
Lake Station Community Schools	Thomas A Edison Jr-Sr HS	87.00%	82.47%	-4.53
Gary Community School Corp	West Side Leadership Academy	64.71%	66.67%	1.96
Griffith Public Schools	Griffth Jr/Sr High School	76.92%	71.59%	-5.33
School City of Hammond	George Rogers Clark Md/HS	84.95%	74.75%	-10.2
School City of Hammond	Donald E Gavit Middle/High School	87.39%	76.85%	-10.54
School City of Hammond	Hammond Central High School	75.00%	63.76%	-11.24
School City of Hammond	Morton Senior High School	81.40%	70.48%	-10.92
School Town of Highland	Highland High School	93.48%	92.03%	-1.45
School City of Hobart	Hobart High School	92.45%	91.35%	-1.1
School Town of Munster	Munster High School	94.34%	95.49%	1.15
School City of Whiting	Whiting High School	94.50%	94.29%	-0.21
New Prairie United School Corp	New Prairie High School	97.55%	97.74%	0.19
MSD of New Durham Township	Westville High School	91.67%	91.18%	-0.49
Tri-Township Cons School Corp	LaCrosse School	95.12%	91.30%	-3.82
Michigan City Area Schools	Michigan City High School	91.18%	81.01%	-10.17
South Central Com School Corp	South Central Jr-Sr High School	97.30%	92.50%	-4.8
LaPorte Community School Corp	LaPorte High School	89.21%	80.84%	-8.37
North Lawrence Com Schools	Bedford-North Lawrence High School	89.57%	86.42%	-3.15
Mitchell Community Schools	Mitchell High School	75.76%	90.91%	15.15
Frankton-Lapel Community Schools	Frankton Jr-Sr High School	93.33%	97.32%	3.99
Frankton-Lapel Community Schools	Lapel Sr High School	100.00%	93.46%	-6.54
South Madison Com Sch Corp	Pendleton Heights High School	96.32%	93.48%	-2.84
Alexandria Community School Corp	Alexandria-Monroe High School	89.92%	76.09%	-13.83
Anderson Community School Corp	Anderson High School	87.39%	78.23%	-9.16
Elwood Community School Corp	Elwood Jr-Sr High School	97.06%	85.26%	-11.8
MSD Decatur Township	Decatur Central High School	88.21%	89.79%	1.58
Franklin Township Com Sch Corp	Franklin Central High School	95.17%	95.66%	0.49
MSD Lawrence Township	Lawrence Central High School	92.11%	92.83%	0.72
MSD Lawrence Township	Lawrence North High School	93.42%	94.09%	0.67
Perry Township Schools	Perry Meridian High School	89.98%	94.94%	4.96
Perry Township Schools	Southport High School	84.99%	85.28%	0.29
MSD Pike Township	Pike High School	90.58%	89.67%	-0.91
MSD Warren Township	Warren Central High School	86.54%	81.71%	-4.83
MSD Washington Township	North Central High School	90.54%	91.70%	1.16
MSD Wayne Township	Ben Davis High School	86.97%	87.15%	0.18
MSD Wayne Township	Achieve Virtual Education Academy	36.92%	42.50%	5.58
MSD Wayne Township	Ben Davis University High School	100.00%	100.00%	0
Beech Grove City Schools	Beech Grove Sr High School	88.63%	78.46%	-10.17
Indianapolis Public Schools	Impact Academy 1	2.63%	0.00%	-2.63
Indianapolis Public Schools	Arsenal Technical High School	69.31%	69.97%	0.66
Indianapolis Public Schools	Crispus Attucks High School	85.58%	85.20%	-0.38
Indianapolis Public Schools	Emmerich Manual High School		76.00%	76
Indianapolis Public Schools	Shortridge High School	87.37%	82.82%	-4.55
Indianapolis Public Schools	George Washington High School	63.28%	72.41%	9.13
School Town of Speedway	Speedway Senior High School	96.72%	99.18%	2.46
Culver Community Schools Corp	Culver Community Middle/High Sch	91.38%	81.63%	-9.75
Argos Community Schools	Argos Comm Jr-Sr High School	87.50%	89.80%	2.3
Bremen Public Schools	Bremen Senior High School	94.12%	92.17%	-1.95
Plymouth Community School Corp	Plymouth High School	88.08%	91.45%	3.37
Triton School Corporation	Triton Jr-Sr High School	86.27%	86.89%	0.62
Shoals Community School Corp	Shoals Community High School	93.88%	88.68%	-5.2
Loogootee Community Sch Corp	Loogootee High School	89.86%	88.41%	-1.45
Maconaquah School Corp	Maconaquah High School	92.14%	87.50%	-4.64
North Miami Community Schools	North Miami Middle/High School	96.05%	86.89%	-9.16
Oak Hill United School Corp	Oak Hill High School	96.92%	98.40%	1.48
Peru Community Schools	Peru High School	89.93%	91.10%	1.17
Richland-Bean Blossom C S C	Edgewood High School	90.91%	88.89%	-2.02
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington High School South	97.21%	92.06%	-5.15
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington High School North	90.10%	95.21%	5.11
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	The Acad of Sci & Entrepreneurship	100.00%	88.89%	-11.11
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington Graduation School	56.76%	58.82%	2.06
North Montgomery Com Sch Corp	North Montgomery High School	92.36%	93.10%	0.74
South Montgomery Com Sch Corp	Southmont Sr High School	88.36%	95.80%	7.44
Crawfordsville Community Schools	Crawfordsville Sr High School	85.96%	82.66%	-3.3
Monroe-Gregg School District	Monrovia High School	90.54%	86.76%	-3.78
Eminence Community School Corp	Eminence Jr-Sr High School	87.10%	97.06%	9.96
MSD Martinsville Schools	Martinsville High School	84.86%	87.90%	3.04
Mooresville Con School Corp	Mooresville High School	95.77%	95.99%	0.22
North Newton School Corp	North Newton Jr-Sr High School	83.72%	89.53%	5.81
South Newton School Corp	South Newton Senior High School	91.07%	90.16%	-0.91
Central Noble Com School Corp	Central Noble Junior Senior HS	88.50%	90.48%	1.98
East Noble School Corporation	East Noble High School	92.54%	92.00%	-0.54
West Noble School Corporation	West Noble High School	89.63%	86.18%	-3.45
Rising Sun-Ohio Co Com	Rising Sun High School	88.89%	95.89%	7
Orleans Community Schools	Orleans Jr-Sr High School	96.23%	94.64%	-1.59
Paoli Community School Corp	Paoli Jr & Sr High School	89.60%	80.46%	-9.14
Springs Valley Com School Corp	Springs Valley Comm High School	97.10%	98.33%	1.23
Spencer-Owen Community Schools	Owen Valley Community High School	87.57%	79.17%	-8.4
Southwest Parke Com Sch Corp	Riverton Parke Jr-Sr High School	83.10%	79.22%	-3.88
Perry Central Com Schools Corp	Perry Central Jr-Sr High School	93.90%	92.39%	-1.51
Cannelton City Schools	Cannelton Elementary & High School	83.33%	86.11%	2.78
Tell City-Troy Twp School Corp	Tell City Jr-Sr High School	92.05%	92.05%	0
North Central Parke Comm Schl Corp	Parke Heritage High School	88.57%	90.11%	1.54
Pike County School Corp	Pike Central High School	90.32%	87.50%	-2.82
MSD Boone Township	Hebron High School	100.00%	97.62%	-2.38
Duneland School Corporation	Chesterton Senior High School	92.73%	93.51%	0.78
East Porter County School Corp	Morgan Township Middle/High School	100.00%	96.49%	-3.51
East Porter County School Corp	Kouts Middle/High School	98.46%	96.55%	-1.91
East Porter County School Corp	Washington Twp Middle/High School	96.61%	95.65%	-0.96
Porter Township School Corp	Boone Grove High School	94.16%	95.90%	1.74
Union Township School Corp	Wheeler High School	96.12%	97.58%	1.46
Portage Township Schools	Portage High School	93.29%	92.95%	-0.34
Valparaiso Community Schools	Valparaiso High School	92.88%	95.26%	2.38
MSD Mount Vernon	Mount Vernon High School	88.82%	88.64%	-0.18
MSD North Posey Co Schools	North Posey High School	90.83%	97.70%	6.87
Eastern Pulaski Community Sch Corp	Winamac Community High School	89.80%	98.48%	8.68
West Central School Corp	West Central Senior High School	88.33%	96.92%	8.59
South Putnam Community Schools	South Putnam High School	97.96%	97.89%	-0.07
North Putnam Community Schools	North Putnam Sr High School	93.75%	97.83%	4.08
Cloverdale Community Schools	Cloverdale High School	96.67%	90.24%	-6.43
Greencastle Community School Corp	Greencastle High School	92.97%	90.65%	-2.32
Union School Corporation	Union Junior & High School	77.27%	100.00%	22.73
Union School Corporation	Indiana Digital JR and High School	90.91%	94.57%	3.66
Union School Corporation	Indiana Digital Alternative School	31.96%	52.63%	20.67
Randolph Southern School Corp	Randolph Southern Jr-Sr High Sch	97.56%	100.00%	2.44
Monroe Central School Corp	Monroe Central Jr-Sr High School	98.82%	90.54%	-8.28
Randolph Central School Corp	Winchester Community High School	94.59%	83.33%	-11.26
Randolph Eastern School Corp	Union City Community Jr/Sr High	90.32%	95.59%	5.27
South Ripley Com Sch Corp	South Ripley High School	94.68%	92.31%	-2.37
Batesville Community School Corp	Batesville High School	97.56%	96.45%	-1.11
Jac-Cen-Del Community Sch Corp	Jac-Cen-Del MS/HS	97.33%	100.00%	2.67
Milan Community Schools	Milan High School	94.95%	94.51%	-0.44
Rush County Schools	Rushville Consolidated High School	92.94%	92.74%	-0.2
John Glenn School Corporation	John Glenn High School	95.80%	95.03%	-0.77
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Penn High School	97.10%	97.32%	0.22
School City of Mishawaka	Mishawaka High School	93.77%	81.74%	-12.03
South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend Virtual School		56.25%	56.25
South Bend Community School Corp	Clay High School	78.06%	69.78%	-8.28
South Bend Community School Corp	Adams High School	91.12%	90.18%	-0.94
South Bend Community School Corp	Riley High School	82.01%	83.62%	1.61
South Bend Community School Corp	Washington High School	82.02%	61.25%	-20.77
South Bend Community School Corp	Rise Up Academy at Eggleston	30.69%	20.26%	-10.43
Union-North United School Corp	LaVille Jr-Sr High School	86.79%	77.38%	-9.41
Scott County School District 1	Austin High School	84.69%	90.22%	5.53
Scott County School District 2	Scottsburg Senior High School	85.56%	84.98%	-0.58
Shelby Eastern Schools	Morristown Jr-Sr High School	93.18%	94.44%	1.26
Shelby Eastern Schools	Waldron Jr-Sr High School	80.00%	93.88%	13.88
Northwestern Con School Corp	Triton Central High School	93.46%	90.98%	-2.48
Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co	Southwestern High School	96.15%	95.56%	-0.59
Shelbyville Central Schools	Shelbyville Sr High School	92.19%	95.20%	3.01
North Spencer County Sch Corp	Heritage Hills High School	94.37%	92.86%	-1.51
South Spencer County Sch Corp	South Spencer High School	93.62%	94.95%	1.33
Oregon-Davis School Corp	Oregon-Davis Jr-Sr High School	79.49%	82.35%	2.86
North Judson-San Pierre Sch Corp	N Judson-San Pierre Jr Sr High Sch	88.42%	85.90%	-2.52
Knox Community School Corp	Knox Community High School	92.65%	92.47%	-0.18
Fremont Community Schools	Fremont High School	90.28%	95.38%	5.1
Hamilton Community Schools	Hamilton Community High School	84.62%	92.31%	7.69
MSD Steuben County	Angola High School	85.90%	83.25%	-2.65
Northeast School Corp	North Central Jr/Sr High School	85.71%	96.10%	10.39
Southwest School Corporation	Sullivan High School	97.06%	92.86%	-4.2
Switzerland County School Corp	Switzerland Co Senior High School	91.40%	92.22%	0.82
Lafayette School Corporation	Oakland High School	56.25%	0.00%	-56.25
Lafayette School Corporation	Jefferson High School	79.28%	53.00%	-26.28
Tippecanoe School Corp	McCutcheon High School	92.50%	93.30%	0.8
Tippecanoe School Corp	William Henry Harrison High School	95.44%	90.66%	-4.78
West Lafayette Com School Corp	West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School	93.96%	92.13%	-1.83
Tri-Central Community Schools	Tri Central Middle-High School	92.00%	98.21%	6.21
Tipton Community School Corp	Tipton High School	88.98%	89.55%	0.57
Union Co/Clg Corner Joint Sch Dist	Union County High School	95.65%	94.64%	-1.01
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Benjamin Bosse High School	91.77%	90.58%	-1.19
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Central High School	94.86%	95.65%	0.79
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Francis Joseph Reitz High School	95.95%	97.88%	1.93
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	North High School	95.13%	95.40%	0.27
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Academy for Innovative Studies	21.43%	18.75%	-2.68
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Harwood Career Prep High School	60.34%	25.11%	-35.23
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	William Henry Harrison High School	93.36%	94.47%	1.11
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	New Tech Institute	97.01%	98.39%	1.38
North Vermillion Com Sch Corp	North Vermillion High School	96.88%	88.06%	-8.82
South Vermillion Com Sch Corp	South Vermillion High School	86.33%	90.97%	4.64
Vigo County School Corp	Terre Haute North Vigo High School	84.65%	75.62%	-9.03
Vigo County School Corp	West Vigo High School	96.32%	90.13%	-6.19
Vigo County School Corp	Terre Haute South Vigo High School	87.27%	81.44%	-5.83
Vigo County School Corp	Vigo Virtual School Academy	54.55%	19.35%	-35.2
Vigo County School Corp	Booker T Washington Alt Sch	59.09%	41.94%	-17.15
Manchester Community Schools	Manchester Jr-Sr High School	94.35%	93.69%	-0.66
MSD Wabash County Schools	Northfield Jr-Sr High School	94.55%	95.65%	1.1
MSD Wabash County Schools	Southwood Jr-Sr High School	98.63%	94.44%	-4.19
MSD Wabash County Schools	White's Jr-Sr High School	55.76%	52.56%	-3.2
Wabash City Schools	Wabash High School	91.75%	91.53%	-0.22
MSD Warren County	Seeger Memorial Jr-Sr High School	97.75%	100.00%	2.25
Warrick County School Corp	Tecumseh High School	100.00%	96.15%	-3.85
Warrick County School Corp	Boonville High School	87.71%	88.62%	0.91
Warrick County School Corp	Castle High School	92.79%	91.07%	-1.72
Salem Community Schools	Salem High School	96.99%	85.00%	-11.99
East Washington School Corp	Eastern High School	81.08%	83.00%	1.92
West Washington School Corp	West Washington Jr-Sr High School	94.29%	93.02%	-1.27
Nettle Creek School Corporation	Hagerstown Jr-Sr High School	95.45%	98.72%	3.27
Western Wayne Schools	Lincoln Sr High School	94.12%	85.94%	-8.18
Centerville-Abington Com Schs	Centerville Sr High School	91.67%	90.00%	-1.67
Northeastern Wayne Schools	Northeastern High School	97.56%	98.91%	1.35
Richmond Community Schools	Richmond High School	94.49%	93.70%	-0.79
Richmond Community Schools	Community Youth Services		25.00%	25
Southern Wells Com Schools	Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School	96.15%	95.71%	-0.44
Northern Wells Community Schools	Norwell High School	94.20%	94.01%	-0.19
MSD Bluffton-Harrison	Bluffton High School	98.10%	99.14%	1.04
North White School Corp	North White High School	90.00%	96.08%	6.08
Frontier School Corporation	Frontier Jr-Sr High School	89.09%	87.76%	-1.33
Tri-County School Corporation	Tri-County Jr/Sr High School	98.08%	96.08%	-2
Twin Lakes School Corp	Twin Lakes Senior High School	89.05%	89.56%	0.51
Smith-Green Community Schools	Churubusco Jr-Sr High School	97.83%	91.40%	-6.43
Whitley County Con Schools	Columbia City High School	94.16%	87.36%	-6.8
Dynamic Minds Academy	Dynamic Minds Academy		0.00%
Purdue Polytechnic High School Ind	Purdue Polytechnic High School Ind		72.66%
Indiana Connections Career Academy	Indiana Connections Career Academy	63.39%	72.09%	8.7
Excel Center - Clarksville	Excel Center - Clarksville	21.35%	12.50%	-8.85
Excel Center - Hammond	Excel Center - Hammond	5.77%	3.57%	-2.2
Gary Middle College West	Gary Middle College West	25.58%	11.63%	-13.95
Insight School of Indiana	Insight School of Indiana	37.17%	28.31%	-8.86
Riverside High School	Riverside High School		81.67%
Excel Center - Muncie	Excel Center - Muncie	10.00%	3.45%	-6.55
Excel Center - Gary	Excel Center - Gary	4.35%	21.21%	16.86
Excel Center - Richmond	Excel Center - Richmond	17.39%	6.56%	-10.83
Signature School Inc	Signature School Inc	100.00%	100.00%	0
Community Montessori Inc	Community Montessori	93.75%	90.00%	-3.75
Options Charter Schools	Options Westfield	43.02%	68.18%	25.16
Options Charter Schools	Options Noblesville	45.45%	49.09%	3.64
Options Charter Schools	Options Indiana		9.26%	9.26
Irvington Community School	Irvington Community School	72.00%	62.50%	-9.5
Excel Center - Lafayette Square	Excel Center - Lafayette Square	17.19%	5.13%	-12.06
Excel Center - Lafayette	Excel Center - Lafayette	34.39%	33.78%	-0.61
Excel Center - Kokomo	Excel Center - Kokomo	23.71%	26.79%	3.08
Christel House Academy South	Christel House Academy South	87.88%	88.24%	0.36
Christel House DORS	Christel House DORS	32.93%	19.51%	-13.42
Charles A Tindley Accelerated Sch	Charles A Tindley Accelerated Sch	97.50%	79.59%	-17.91
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	79.82%	65.79%	-14.03
Indiana Agriculture and Technology	Indiana Agriculture and Technology	53.66%	47.06%	-6.6
Gary Lighthouse Charter School	Gary Lighthouse Charter School	85.22%	65.89%	-19.33
21st Century Charter Sch of Gary	21st Century Charter Sch of Gary	94.44%	90.00%	-4.44
Victory College Prep Academy	Victory College Prep Academy	95.45%	92.16%	-3.29
Burris Laboratory School	Burris Laboratory School	96.30%	88.52%	-7.78
Indiana Academy for Sci Math Hmn	Indiana Academy for Sci Math Hmn	98.48%	98.80%	0.32
Herron Charter	Herron High School	98.10%	94.02%	-4.08
Indianapolis Metropolitan High Sch	Indianapolis Metropolitan High Sch	60.53%	41.67%	-18.86
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech	Hammond Academy of Science & Tech	97.18%	93.65%	-3.53
Neighbors' New Vistas High School	Neighbors' New Vistas High School	33.78%	37.68%	3.9
Excel Center - Anderson	Excel Center - Anderson	24.73%	20.93%	-3.8
Anderson Preparatory Academy	Anderson Preparatory Academy	90.16%	82.76%	-7.4
Excel Center - University Heights	Excel Center - University Heights	6.45%	0.00%	-6.45
Excel Center - Noblesville	Excel Center - Noblesville	45.16%	27.42%	-17.74
Rock Creek Community Academy	Rock Creek Community Academy	100.00%	88.57%	-11.43
Career Academy High School	Career Academy High School	95.83%	88.68%	-7.15
Gary Middle College	Gary Middle College	13.21%	9.38%	-3.83
IN Math & Science Academy - North	IN Math & Science Academy - North	76.09%	62.79%	-13.3
Excel Center - South Bend	Excel Center - South Bend	3.57%	8.57%	5
Indiana Connections Academy	Indiana Connections Academy	63.93%	65.93%	2
Excel Center for Adult Learners	Excel Center For Adult Learners	11.85%	8.97%	-2.88
Damar Charter Academy	Damar Charter Academy	6.45%	7.32%	0.87
Dugger Union Community School Corp	Dugger Union Community School Corp	88.10%	89.74%	1.64
Steel City Academy	Steel City Academy	80.00%	54.05%	-25.95
Seven Oaks Classical School	Seven Oaks Classical School		66.67%
Excel Center - Shelbyville	Excel Center - Shelbyville	29.09%	26.79%	-2.3

2021 Graduation Rates

* Schools with fewer than 10 students are suppressed.

Graduation rates for Indiana’s Black students dropped by nearly three percentage points to 77%, one point below its pre-pandemic rate of 78% in 2019.

Rates for American Indian students were also 77%.

For multiracial students, graduation rates were 82.5%, and for Hispanic students, 82.7%. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students had a graduation rate of 86.3%. White students graduated at a rate of 89% and Asian students 93.7%.

Students classified as English language learners as well as those who receive subsidized meals graduated at a rate of 82.8%.

Students in special education had a graduation rate of 74.5%.

The charter school graduation rate — which includes charter high schools, charter schools for adults, alternative high schools, and online high schools — has risen 4 points each year since 2019. But at 48.2%, it remains behind the traditional public corporation graduation rate of 89%.

The percentage of students earning an honors diploma — a designation for students who have completed college or career readiness courses — has held steady for the last three years at around 40%.

Shedd said that while the return to in-person learning appears to have resolved some pandemic-related issues like a lack of internet access at home, it has made clear that others remain, and likely will have an impact on graduation rates going forward.

Some families have yet to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, and some students are struggling to adjust to physical classrooms, or have fallen behind academically.

While they’re likely to make progress through in-person learning, they may not grow doubly to account for the last year, she said.

“Our expectations were high – that getting students back will be better,” Shedd said. “It’s clear that face-to-face instruction is important for academics and social emotional learning, but there are still issues that are before us.”

This Indianapolis counselor shows students how to tame stress and mediate conflicts

2021-12-09T00:33:01+00:00

What are the triggers that make you feel stressed, frustrated, anxious, or angry?

Indianapolis Public Schools counselor Aaron Munson tells his students: “If you can name it, you can tame it!”

He helps elementary and middle school students at IPS Butler Lab School 55 identify what’s bothering them and use healthy coping strategies to calm down.

Munson, recently named Indiana Elementary School Counselor of the Year, said he has seen students’ social-emotional needs grow significantly as they work through the third school year disrupted by COVID.

He keeps a busy schedule trying to give students the same love and encouragement that he felt from his teachers growing up: “I hope that when they leave this building, my students will know that Mr. Munson cared about them.”

Munson spoke to Chalkbeat about what he learned while making home visits early in the pandemic, how he trains students to de-escalate conflicts, and why he’s going back to the basics this year.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What led you to become a school counselor?

Within 18 months of graduating from Butler University in 2005 with a degree in music education, I knew I needed a master’s degree so that I could increase my pay. Starting a family on my original salary — around $34,000 — felt impossible.

I knew that I didn’t want to be a principal, so I began researching other options. The 21st-century school counselor is focused on college, career, future success, and social-emotional learning. Helping children be the best version of themselves is the reason that I became an educator in the first place, and the school counseling path seemed to fit that vision more for me than being a teacher.

What does a typical day look like for you now?

Busy! The counselor’s office should really be the busiest room in the building. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I run small-group counseling during the lunch periods. These have affectionately become known as “Mr. Munson’s Lunch Bunches.” Currently, nearly one-third of our student population participates in lunch bunch at least once a year.

I visit every classroom at least once monthly to do social-emotional learning lessons, so I have at least one of those to do almost every day. I also have daily hall duties in the morning during arrival and car rider duty every afternoon.

When I’m not responding to a crisis situation, I meet with students individually, investigate bullying reports and Title IX incident reports, work on 504 plans and meetings, make parent phone calls, address attendance issues, and coordinate programming like holiday assistance, Operation School Bell, and mobile dentist.

I also have weekly meetings for the school’s leadership team, team meetings for students who aren’t on grade level, student support team meetings, middle school advisory, and more. So much more.

What issues do you see emerging amid months of remote learning, social distancing, and social isolation?

This year, we have to go back to the basics with social skills. As is the case in almost every school, our youngest students are missing two years of appropriate social interaction, including sharing, inclusion, and taking turns.

For our middle grade students, there are signs of anxiety and depression at an alarming rate. In the past calendar year, I’ve seen a record number of middle school students express suicidal ideation or engage in self-harm. Honestly, it is overwhelming. I have to keep telling myself that I will do all I can, and my best will have to be enough. But the need is so great, it feels like trying to put out a burning building with a cup of water.

When schools switched to remote learning at the start of the pandemic, you made a lot of home visits. What did you learn from those visits?

I did 96 home visits. Home visits during the shutdown started with attendance issues. For many students, I needed to do a lot of education about the various platforms to access learning and connect with the teacher. After the first two weeks, I made home visits for many reasons: food delivery, emotional regulation, connecting families to other resources, supporting the families with structures to try at home for everyone to be able to thrive while cooped up, and more.

I have done many home visits before because that’s just part of the job, but what I learned most is that making connections face-to-face with families is the single best way to address systemic issues. My relationship with students, which I think was already good, became stronger because my students saw me in their element. They recognized that I was there to help and support their entire being, not just their academic abilities. The connections I made with parents helped, too, because when we can support the entire family unit, we are strengthening children’s resilience and ability to overcome challenging situations.

Tell us about your peer mediation program and how students have responded to it.

The belief behind the peer mediation program is that I believe students are absolutely capable — of success, of solving problems, of supporting others. The peer mediators sign a peaceful commitment at the training, saying that they are committed to helping others solve problems in a peaceful way and will also be examples of what that looks like.

We currently have 65 trained peer mediators in our building of 405 students. Peer mediators can be trained starting in third grade and continuing through eighth grade. When two students are in conflict, their homeroom teachers can choose two of their classroom peer mediators to work with the students in conflict to solve the problem.

Peer mediators have a script they follow, and the script includes showing students how to use “I” statements to express how they felt about the situation (I feel__ when __ because __. I need __.) and how to listen to the other person. Each student in conflict has to agree on the peer mediation ground rules and commit to listening when it’s not their turn to speak.

We’ve seen an 86% reduction in office referrals since we instituted this peer mediation program.

You started a Gay-Straight Alliance Club, or GSA, and provided LGBT resources to fellow counselors. What does it mean to be a good ally today?

I asked my students this question. Here is what they said:

“It doesn’t matter [your orientation]. Every voice deserves to be heard — whether you’re LGBTQ+ or an ally.”
“People in AND out of GSA need to be supportive of others and whether or not they are out.”
“Everybody should be recognized no matter their orientation.”
“If you’re in the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, all people deserve respect.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

You spend your days trying to help students and staff. How do you wind down after a stressful day — especially now?

Complete transparency: This has always been the biggest struggle for me. This job is stressful because there is so much to it! I have a hard time completely disengaging because if I don’t get it done, who will? No one!

Having said that, there are things that I have started doing because I need to grow in this area. I started running this past March — something I swore I’d never do — and have really enjoyed the benefits. On the days I don’t run, I’ve started to do strength training on the Peloton app. Connecting with my body is important because of all the stress and anxiety I carry around.

I also have two children and a spouse, so we are intentional about time together. We have a “Funson To-Do List” every season with things that we want to do around the city, food we want to eat, and movies we want to see.

I get together weekly with some of my best friends, which I’ve been doing for years, and that is such a sacred time. It’s really good for my soul to be with my family and friends who provide such a safe space. I also love to read, especially fiction books. And I have some special beverages I enjoy to wind down on occasion.

What’s the best advice you ever received — and how have you put it into action?

It isn’t exactly advice, but my best friend once said that I “push others to be the best version of themselves.” That statement felt like a mantra for my life, and that is what I try to do in my role as a counselor. Every human longs to be fully known and fully loved. I want my students to feel that my office is a place where they can be fully known, fully accepted, and fully loved.