In Case You Missed It – September 12, 2022

Here are links to articles from the last two weeks^† that received the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

THIS ISSUE OF ICYMI

"The Nation's Report Card" supports the need for teachers in the classroom. Charters continue to spread in Indianapolis and more Indiana high school students can earn college credits.

We start with two articles about the importance of public education...

DO WE NEED PUBLIC EDUCATION?

Are Schools A Waste Of Time And Money? Only If You Have A Time Machine.

From Peter Greene in Forbes

As part of a New York Times series of essays headed “What is school for,” economist Dr. Bryan Caplan suggested that “school is for wasting time and money,” a case that he has made before in a 2019 book entitled The Case Against Education.

His main argument in the NYT essay boils down to, “people don’t remember most of the academic material they learned in school.” There are three problems with his argument— problems that are shared by some other critics of schooling.

First, the argument that adults don’t remember much of what they learned in school (a version of the student complaint “When will we ever use this stuff”) is that it requires the use of a time machine to buttress a kind of retroactive utility.

In Game 6 of the 2021 World series, the Atlanta Braves won 7-0 over the Houston Astros. Those runs were scored in the 3rd, 5th and 7th innings. So, clearly, the time spent letting the Astros bat was wasted, nor was there any need to play any of the other innings in which nobody scored. It was, an economist might argue, a waste of time and money to play all those parts of the game that did not obviously affect the final outcome.

The problem, of course, is that we only know which parts of the game affect the outcome when the game has been played. It’s easy to say of students “that only a tiny fraction of what they learn durably stays in their heads.” Even if that is true (and I have some questions about how well we can measure what “durably stays”), it is impossible to know what that tiny fraction will include before the fact.

Anya Kamenetz: The Attack on Horace Mann’s Historic Vision of Public Schooling

NPR education reporter, Anya Kamenetz, wrote this for the New York Times. She explains why our democracy needs public schools.

From Diane Ravitch

For the majority of human history, most people didn’t go to school. Formal education was a privilege for the Alexander the Greats of the world, who could hire Aristotles as private tutors.

Starting in the mid-19th century, the United States began to establish truly universal, compulsory education. It was a social compact: The state provides public schools that are free and open to all. And children, for most of their childhood, are required to receive an education. Today, nine out of 10 do so in public schools.

To an astonishing degree, one person, Horace Mann, the nation’s first state secretary of education, forged this reciprocal commitment. The Constitution doesn’t mention education. In Southern colonies, rich white children had tutors or were sent overseas to learn. Teaching enslaved people to read was outlawed. Those who learned did so by luck, in defiance or in secret.

YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS SHOULD NOT AFFECT MY CHILD’S EDUCATION

Mom in Texas Shuts Down Extremists and Joins the Honor Roll

A mom in Texas stands up to those who are bringing the culture wars to school board meetings.

From Diane Ravitch

“We know that books are continuing to be purged. We know student library aides have been banned. We know that a group of non-parents have pushed for these removals and continue to do so,” she began. “So, being a taxpayer does not grant special privileges over students, staff, and parents. I do not want random people with no education background or experience determining what books my child can read, what curriculum they learn, and what clubs they can join.”

“Just because you can get up at every meeting and rant and rave does not give you authority over my child’s education.”

“Your personal religious beliefs, people in this room and on this board, should not have an effect on my child’s education either. Our school are not to be used for personal political agendas and our children are here for education, not religious indoctrination,” she told the room as she looked various board members and attendees directly in the eye.

TEST SCORES AND THE PANDEMIC

Why NAEP Scores Plummeted During Pandemic

For a while during the pandemic, teachers were heroes. They adapted to online teaching. They worked hard to learn new techniques and to try to meet the needs of their students while avoiding illness. Now, when the already misused standardized tests show that students didn't learn as well virtually, teachers are being blamed. There doesn't seem to be any acceptance that teachers weren't to blame for the pandemic, or for the state-wide responses and requirements. Why can't teachers work miracles?

From Diane Ravitch

...students need to have human contact with a teacher and classmates to learn best. Virtual learning is a fourth-rate substitute for a real teacher and interaction with peers.

Tech companies have told us for years that we should reinvent education by replacing teachers with computers. We now know: Virtual learning is a disaster.

The crisis we should worry about most is the loss of experienced teachers, who quit because of poor working conditions, low pay, and attacks by “reformers” who blame teachers at every opportunity.

CHARTERS SPREAD IN INDY

Two charter schools seek to enter Pike Township, which has no charters

Whenever charter schools startup it's always good to ask several questions.

• Does the location need more schools?
• Are there enough students to support another school?
• Are the public schools fully funded?
• Does the local school board have any control over the new schools?

Indianapolis is falling into the charter school trap which has failed miserably elsewhere.

Privatization continues...

From Chalkbeat-Indiana*

Two charter high schools within Indianapolis Public Schools boundaries are hoping to expand to Pike Township, an area that currently has no charter schools.

Purdue Polytechnic High School, the growing charter school that opened its second Indianapolis campus inside Broad Ripple High school this year, hopes to open a third Indianapolis high school in August 2023, according to a letter of intent submitted to the mayor’s Office of Education Innovation (OEI). The office authorizes charter schools in Indianapolis that are approved by the Indianapolis Charter School Board.

Believe Schools, which operates Believe Circle City High School in the Crown Hill neighborhood, also hopes to open Believe: Pike Academy in August 2024.

Both schools hope their expansion into Pike Township will help serve students of color. They would become the only physical charter schools in Pike Township if approved by the Indianapolis Charter School Board. The Indiana Charter School Authority and OEI, which oversee nearly all of the charter schools in Marion County, have not previously authorized charters in Pike.

COLLEGE CORE EXPANDS

College Core expands to 141 schools

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Access to a program that lets students earn up to a year of college credits while in high school has expanded by 57 schools, including five in northeast Indiana, state education officials said Wednesday.

This brings the total number of schools offering the Indiana College Core to 141, a 68% increase, according to a news release from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Indiana Department of Education.

"As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the core, high schools and higher education providers have now come together like never before to expand access to this incredible opportunity for our students," said Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/ [NOTE: NEIFPE has no financial ties to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]

^†Note: NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It is posted by the end of the day every Monday except after holiday weekends or as otherwise noted.

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In Case You Missed It – August 29, 2022

Here are links to last week's^† articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education. NOTE: Due to the Labor Day weekend, the next posting of In Case You Missed It will be on September 12, 2022.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

THIS WEEK

The so-called education "reform" movement has damaged the teaching profession. "School choice" in Ohio is wasting education dollars. FWCS offers vaccines for students. A failed charter school in Indianapolis is still draining the system of funds. And finally, a report from the Indiana Coalition for Public Education.

"REFORMERS" HAVE DAMAGED TEACHING PROFESSION

New PDK Poll: Esteem of Public Schools Rises But Most Parents Don’t Want Their Children to Become Teachers

The latest PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools shows once again that public school parents are happy with their local schools. Unfortunately, they also recognize the difficulties that teachers face from so-called "reform" efforts.

From Diane Ravitch

The latest Phi Delta Kappa poll about education was released, and it shows the damage that so-called reformers have done to the teaching profession...

Americans’ ratings of their community’s public schools reached a new high dating back 48 years in this year’s PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, while fewer than ever expressed interest in having their child work as a public school teacher.

Results of the 54th annual PDK Poll tell a tale of conflicted views of public schools — local ratings are at nearly a five-decade high and a majority have trust and confidence in teachers, yet there’s wide recognition that the challenges they face make their jobs broadly undesirable.

A teacher shortage, or not?

Fewer young people than ever are going into education, and many who do end up avoiding the classroom due to the "teacher pay penalty."

From Live Long and Prosper

...there is a significant gap between the salaries of teachers and the salaries of other professionals with similar education. This gap, which is continuing to grow, is referred to as the teacher pay penalty and it, too, has been around for quite a while.

Does the pay penalty exist because teaching is traditionally "women's work" and women in the US still, after all these years, make 72 cents for every dollar that men make? Absolutely.

Does the pay penalty continue to grow because Republican legislators in state houses in Indiana and around the county are transferring funding for public education to private and charter schools? Absolutely.

Does the pay penalty continue to grow because those same legislators hate teachers unions and are doing their best to "bust" the unions? Absolutely

The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high

OHIO IS LOSING MONEY ON "CHOICE"

Stephen Dyer: School Choice Costs Ohio More Than Public Schools, with Worse Results

Ohio's "choice" programs for education is costing the state valuable education dollars.

From Diane Ravitch

Stephen Dyer, a former state legislator in Ohio, keeps track of school choice in his state, which has been a costly disaster for students and taxpayers.

He writes in this post that charters and vouchers are actually more expensive than public schools.

I’ve helped document for years how Ohio’s charter schools and voucher program doesn’t lead to better educational outcomes, while it harms the educational opportunities for the 90% of Ohio students who are educated in local public school districts and leads to greater racial segregation.

However, the pro-privatization folks seemed to always have this in their quiver: At least charters and vouchers are cheaper for Ohio’ taxpayers.

Here’s how the Fordham Institute put it:

Even after a massive overhaul of the school funding system, Ohio charter schools are still shortchanged, receiving about 75 cents on the dollar compared to their traditional public school counterparts.

So I decided to check out their claim. And it appears that the state’s charter and voucher programs cost about 5-10% more than it would to just have all those students return to their resident public school district.…

VACCINES FOR FWCS STUDENTS

FWCS provides vaccines to students

FWCS offers vaccines for students who need them.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Northwood Middle School families had a choice this year as they toured the registration tables set up in the gym. Between booths for schedule change requests and athletics, they could make sure their children got the required vaccinations for school.

"We have grabbed so many people that it's unbelievable," longtime school nurse Marilyn Mueller said of the pop-up clinic offered in partnership with the nonprofit agency Super Shot.

Fort Wayne Community Schools families who missed vaccination opportunities at registration don't need to look outside the district to cross those requirements off their to-do lists. The nearly 30,000-student school system is in its fourth year of offering an on-site immunization clinic at the downtown Wendy Y. Robinson Family and Community Engagement Center. Appointments are available year-round on weekdays during school hours except on major holidays. Any FWCS student can be helped, regardless of insurance status.

CHARTER SCHOOL FAILS, GETS NEW LIFE AS AN INDEPENDENT CHARTER

After troubles in IPS, Ignite charter school rebrands

A failing charter school changes its name and continues to drain education dollars from local schools in Indianapolis.

From Chalkbeat- Indiana*

Single-digit proficiency rates. Plummeting attendance. A work environment described in a former employee’s lawsuit as “one big mess.”

Ignite Achievement Academy came to and left Indianapolis Public Schools within just four years under challenging circumstances. Some low test scores from Elder Diggs School 42 — the traditional school Ignite took over — dropped even lower on Ignite’s watch, while attendance fell below the district average and staff retention rates became the worst in the district.

These falling scores and other poor metrics led Ignite to become just the second charter school to not have its partnership renewed with the district’s innovation network.

Yet despite the school’s challenges, the mayor’s Office of Education and Innovation (or OEI) – the school’s authorizer – has allowed the school to continue operating as an independent charter school under a new name.

ICPE'S ANNUAL MEETING

ICPE’s All-Member Meeting: They’re Coming for Your School District

From the Indiana Coalition for Public Education*

Our Board member and former Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Jennifer McCormick and our lobbyist, Mr. Joel Hand, started us off with a review of what happened the last legislative session–and what to expect in the next.

Remember that it will be a budget session and we need to be prepared to fight for full and adequate funding for our kids in public schools!

• We can expect to see the Public-schools-must-share-referendum- dollars-with-charter-schools bill back.
• We expect to see more push for book banning and control over what teachers do in the classroom next time.
• Also, we have deep concerns that they will expand “education savings accounts” very broadly and create a universal voucher program like Arizona recently did.
• The concern for continued dilution of teacher licensing and certifications is another expectation for the next session.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/ [NOTE: NEIFPE has no financial ties to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]

^†Note: NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It is posted by the end of the day every Monday except after holiday weekends or as otherwise noted.

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In Case You Missed It – May 23, 2022

Here are links to last week's† articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

[NOTE: Due to the Memorial Day Holiday, the next posting of NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It will be on June 6.]

EQUITABLE CHOICE?

Chris Lubienski: “Making Choice Equitable” Is Unlikely, Maybe Impossible

The pro-privatization Hoover Institution is blind to choice programs promoting inequities.

From Diane Ravitch

A report from the Hoover Institution seeks to offer evidence-based guidance for policymakers in shaping more equitable outcomes from school choice programs. This review examines the report’s claims, its representation of the research, and its use of research in forming those recommendations. The review finds that although the report is useful as a snapshot of the current status of choice programs in the United States, its use of research is often problematic. Some of the research is misrepresented, many claims are made without citations to evidence, and some of the recommendations bear no connection to the evidence provided in the report. As such, the report is, as intended, a political guidebook for conservative policymakers that fails to offer evidence-based guidance on making choice more equitable.

INDIANA LAGS IN EDUCATION

Indiana lags in education. Don’t blame history.

Steve Hinnefeld tackles the topic of educational attainment in Indiana and along the way gives us a quick review of a new book, Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana by Indiana University historian, James H. Madison.

Why does Indiana lag behind when it comes to education? Why is the state a "college degree desert?" Hinnefeld places the blame on "our elected officials."

From School Matters

James Briggs of the Indianapolis Star convincingly connects Indiana’s economic malaise with its status as “one of the worst states in American for educational attainment” in an excellent column published this month.

But I think the column oversimplifies when it suggests Indiana’s current failings are embedded in the state’s history. “The story is always more complicated when we move to history,” the Indiana historian James Madison told me.

Caleb Mills advocated for public education in a series of influential essays in the 1800s. (Digital image © 2005 Indiana Historical Society. All Rights Reserved. Source: W. H. Bass Photo Company Collection). I reached out to Madison to ask about the claim, attributed to the writer and consultant Aaron Renn, that Indiana “has always been poorly educated” due to “the cultural influences of large Quaker and southern-born populations at the time of Indiana’s founding.”

The Quakers? “I don’t know any basis for that statement,” said Madison, the Thomas and Kathryn Miller professor emeritus of history at Indiana University. “Quite the contrary, Quakers tended to be more enthusiastic about education.”

CLOSING SCHOOLS IN IPS

Small IPS schools offer fewer extracurriculars. Is closing them the answer?

What's going to happen to small neighborhood schools in Indianapolis and small rural schools? Whose responsibility is it to make sure schools are fully funded?

It’s interesting that charters/innovations that are small use their smallness as a selling point, even while siphoning funding from public districts. Meanwhile, the state seems pretty intent on consolidating small rural schools together.

From Chalkbeat*

Whether a student can play a sport, study advanced math, or sing in a choir varies widely by where they attend school, Indianapolis Public School officials said Thursday at the latest in a series of meetings that raise the possibility of closing some schools.

They described the financial and opportunity costs of operating small neighborhood schools, which are stretched too thin to offer as many enrichment programs as larger schools, and often leave Black and indigenous students without access.

Previous meetings about reorganizing IPS have highlighted facilities in need of $466 million in repairs, an enrollment decline of 6 percent over 3 years at neighborhood schools, and a budget deficit that could grow to $25 million by 2027.

The solution may be merging small schools — which would mean closing one or more in the process — according to the meeting materials.

NORTHWEST ALLEN COUNTY SCHOOLS NEWS

NACS moving to name next chief

Northwest Allen County Schools is set to hire one of its former teachers -- Wayne Barker.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Northwest Allen County Schools is poised to welcome back a former teacher as its new superintendent, pending board approval in June.

Ron Felger, board president, on Tuesday identified Wayne Barker as his top candidate to lead the 8,000-student district.

Barker would return to NACS with experience leading two smaller school systems : Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District, which has less than 2,000 students, and School City of Mishawaka, which has almost 5,300 students.

"Mr. Barker's experience and history of successful leadership at the building and district level give me confidence in his ability to guide us forward," Felger said in a statement.

FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS NEWS

New FWCS programs to focus on 'real world': Superintendent outlines ideas to Rotary club

Wouldn't it be nice if Indiana funded a pre-k program for four-year-olds? Forty-six of the other fifty states do.

FWCS Superintendent Mark Daniels discusses pre-k and other ideas for the future.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Summer vacation hasn't started, but Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Mark Daniel already is thinking about new programs in the upcoming school year.

He let downtown Fort Wayne Rotary Club members in on some of them Monday during their weekly lunchtime meeting at Parkview Field. The event was attended by about 80 people, with others attending virtually.

If the new programming has one theme, it's to bring “the real world into our classrooms,” he said. “We want to educate all students to high standards,” so they not only learn how to learn but also to get on a path to “a livable wage.”

And progress to those goals has to start early, he said.

That's one reason prekindergarten programming will expand to four additional schools in the fall.

South Side High: 'Anchor' of city for 100 years

Southside High School celebrates one hundred years.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Renee Albright looks up and, for a moment, a puzzled look crosses her face. “You look really familiar,” she says to a dark-haired man accompanied by his wife and young daughter.

Suddenly, the two recognize each other. He was one of her former students, and she was one of his favorite teachers.

“It's so good to see you!” Albright said to Tarek Zawahri, as the two gave each other a big hug.

It was one of many poignant moments that brightened Saturday afternoon at South Side High School as the school celebrated 100 years of educating Fort Wayne's young people.

The school marked its centennial Saturday with an open house that brought about 70 alumni back to roam the halls of their alma mater, browse historical and contemporary displays and gather in the school's auditorium for a formal program.

FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOULD STAY WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

From Pastors for Texas Children

Pastors for Texas Children is a ministry that serves Texas’ neighborhood public schools through prayer, service, and advocacy. The group supports public schools by initiating school assistance programs with local congregations, promoting social justice for children, and advancing legislation that puts the needs of Texas children, families, and communities first.

Pastors for Texas Children is the founding organization for a nationwide coalition, Pastors for Children, which, at the time of this writing, includes groups in 8 states (AL, FL, KY, MS, NC, OK, TN, TX).

The chart below is appropriate for Indiana, too.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information, go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/ [NOTE: NEIFPE has no financial ties to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette]

†Note: NEIFPE's In Case You Missed It is posted every Monday (or sometimes Tuesday) except on holiday weekends.

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In Case You Missed It – June 28, 2021

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the new Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

ATTACKING SCHOOLS THROUGH THE CULTURE WARS: CRITICAL RACE THEORY

The debate over teaching Critical Race Theory in America's public schools (Spoiler: it's not being taught in America's schools) is "...getting ugly, and it's getting ugly quickly..."

Indiana is not immune...

Indiana’s demagogue-in-chief

From School Matters

If an issue is ripe for demagoguery, Todd Rokita will be on it like a dog on a bone. The phony outrage over what schools teach about race was made to order for the Indiana attorney general.

Rokita came out Wednesday with a “parents bill of rights” that purports to educate parents about their right to understand and be engaged in their children’s education. That sounds reasonable; but for Rokita, it’s an excuse to dive into a culture war.

Predictably, he jumps on the right-wing bandwagon to attack critical race theory and the 1619 Project. Never mind that K-12 schools almost never teach CRT, a theoretical framework for examining the role of race in society that may be taught in law or graduate schools. Or that the 1619 Project is exactly what it claims to be: an attempt to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”

A troubling history

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

...it's a taxpayer-funded lesson plan for political division.

It comes from Todd Rokita, Indiana's attorney general and a man forever willing to throw himself into the manufactured controversy du jour. This time it's critical race theory, a once-obscure and still poorly understood academic pursuit that has inflamed Republican-fueled tensions across the country.

Rokita, still in his first year on the job as the state's top law enforcement official after earlier stints as a congressman and Indiana secretary of state, can't be given credit for crafting the attempt to fan the divisive flames.

He's following a playbook, one already well-worn in other places.

Michael Harriot: Senior Writer for TheRoot.com, the Nation’s Largest Black Online Newspaper

From the Al Franken Podcast

"The 1619 Project isn't Critical Race Theory. It is a product of Critical Race Theory. Just like...if you have a computer class...about Microsoft Word in your school, you're not teaching Computer Engineering."

CONTROVERSY? BLAME TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS

The U.S. Has a Long History of Banning Controversial Topics and Blaming Teachers

Critical Race Theory is just one more controversy in a long line of controversies about what is taught in our schools. There are so many people who think that teachers have the power of "thought-control" over their students.

From Diane Ravitch

Historians Gillian Frank and Adam Laats write in Slate about the long history of suppressing textbooks that discuss race and class and investigating or firing teachers who veer away from the standard patriotic view of American history.

They describe the classic story of the textbook series written by progressive educator Harold Rugg of Teachers College, Columbia. Rugg wanted students to learn about the social, economic and political problems of contemporary society in the 1930s. His books were widely adopted but fell victim to a rightwing campaign that labeled them as socialist or Communist, which they were not. The campaign was successful, and the Rugg books were ousted from classrooms across the nation.

The authors tie the current efforts to ban critical race theory (taught in law school) and The 1619 Project from being taught in schools to this long tradition of avoiding controversial subjects.

Former DeVos Aid Tries To Rally Reform Troops

From Curmudgucation

[James] Blew, like many folks, doesn't like the idea of systemic racism because that requires everybody to do something about it, as opposed to asserting that racism is the result of individual choices made by some guys over there (wave hand vaguely). But in fact, our education system does manifest systemic racism in many ways--for instance, by using a funding system that is tied to the housing system that is, in many places, a systemic remnant of the systemically racist housing practices of the last century (for more, I recommend Andre Perry's excellent Know Your Price).

Suggesting that "schools are a source of racism" is, on the other hand, nuts.

Blew says that all reformsters believe the system is irretrievably broken, and he trots out the old "one size fits all from the industrial era" characterization that often makes me think that some reformsters have not actually been in a school since they graduated in 1962. He believes that instruction is aimed at the "average student," which will comes as a huge surprise to teachers actually working in the classroom, including those who spend their weekends designing differentiated lessons.

"FEELS LIKE SEGREGATION" IN IPS

This IPS school ‘feels like segregation,’ say parents who demand enrollment changes

Indy’s Enroll policy/program is facing scrutiny by parents.

From Chalkbeat*

Damon and Brandi TaZiyah’s three children have an ideal vision of what diversity looks like in the classroom.

It’s a variety of races throughout the entire school, says 9th grader Ali.

Or, classmates are sharing their lives and learning from each other, said 7th grader Sanai.

“And being equal skin colors,” 2nd grader Laila said.

But the family said that is not the reality at Center for Inquiry School 70, a choice school intended for any Indianapolis Public Schools student who wants to attend and designed to promote high academic achievement, a global perspective and cultural diversity.

VOUCHERS: THE NEW MIDDLE-CLASS ENTITLEMENT

Voucher boost gives 'bonus' to select families

At one time, Indiana's school voucher program was designed to help "poor kids" escape from the "failing schools" they attended. No longer. Now it's become an entitlement which allows middle class parents to send their children to religious schools, making a mockery of Article I, Section 6 of the Indiana Constitution...

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution."

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

It's rare to hear people admit their government entitlement is not a necessity, but that's what two families who will benefit from Indiana's K-12 voucher expansion told Today's Catholic in a May 27 article.

One parent, with three of six children still in K-12 schools, stated “...we think it will help us to be able to do the other activities they're interested in – the sporting events, the camps, the extracurricular things outside of school.” The same parent added, “I feel like this is going to help us tremendously to be able to do those things more often; go to the zoo, go to the movies.”

A second parent said, “this is a bonus for us” and “With me volunteering in the school again, instead of working, this will take the pressure off.”

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – May 31, 2021

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media accounts. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the new Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

Illustration 31870771 © Norbert Buchholz | Dreamstime.com

SHOULD WE TEACH HISTORY...OR HIDE IT?

Some truths should make us uncomfortable

Despite the objections from some parts of the American populace, race relations in the United States have been an issue since our nation was founded. Discrimination against people of color didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil Rights Amendments (#13, 14, and 15), or the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Slavery, Slave Codes, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and continuing work for improved race relations and civil rights are all part of the American story and must be addressed by schools. We can't hide our heads in the sand and pretend that racial inequity and racial tensions don't exist.

From School Matters

Give credit to the Carmel High School students who stood up to the community members who think they shouldn’t be exposed to hard truths about race in America. That takes courage in a district where only 7% of students are Black or Hispanic.

According to the Indy Star, five students took to the mic at a recent Carmel Clay School Board meeting to defend the district’s efforts to be more inclusive about race, gender and other factors.

“They shared what it’s like to be a student in Carmel and stressed their support for the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work happening in the district,” reporter MJ Slaby wrote. “The students said it fosters understanding and helps to provide representation to all students.”

You’d think supporting equity and inclusion would be a no-brainer, but it’s not. In several Hamilton County school districts – Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield-Washington and Noblesville – residents have turned out at board meetings to voice objections.

The Problem of Parent Centered Education

From Curmudgucation

Teacher gag laws spreading across the country are generally billed as anti-CRT, but of course their reach is much broader than that, forbidding discussion of "controversy" and outlawing any teaching that might make students "uncomfortable" or be "divisive."

The debate--well, actually not a lot of real debate because GOP legislators are using their majorities to just ram these bills through--even highlights apparent splits in the reformy astroturf community. This week the National Parents Union was in Tulsa to march in commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre (a topic that now probably can't be taught in Oklahoma) while the Parents Defending Education continue to work hard to ferret out anyone teaching controversial race issues (by which they appear to mean any race related issues at all). It's an odd apparent split between people who have worked in the edu-astro-turf world for a while.

But these groups, and the larger push for these restrictive teacher laws, actually feed one basic tenet of the privatizing push--the idea that education is a consumer good, and the real consumers are parents. Further, as the primary consumer, the argument goes, parents should get to decide how the school works, what the teachers teach, the whole operation.

There are a couple of problems with this idea of parent-centered education.

INDIANA TEACHER SALARIES

Push for $40,000 minimum teacher salary in Indiana puts pressure on rural districts

Sadly, Hoosiers didn't elect legislators who understand that better funding from the state is necessary for poor and rural districts to raise teacher pay. The legislators that were elected are more interested in giving taxpayer funds to private schools and charters than in raising teacher pay to attract and retrain teachers in those poor and rural districts.

From Chalkbeat*

After wrapping up the school year last week, kindergarten teacher Nicole Damm was right back in the classroom Monday planning summer school lessons.

She’s working this summer to help her students — but also for the extra cash. As a first-year teacher at Southern Spencer Schools, Damm made $38,000, leaving her driving a 2002 Pontiac Firebird with a leaky roof for most of the year, and unsure when she’ll be able to redo the temporary plywood floors in her fixer-upper house.

Even though she thinks teachers are underpaid, the low salary is worth it to her because this was her dream: to work in the district where she went to school and where her mom still teaches.

“I want to be the reason why kids want to come to school every day,” Damm said.

To improve pay for new teachers like Damm, Indiana lawmakers are requiring schools to try to raise minimum salaries to $40,000 by 2022-23. But that’s a particularly tough ask for rural districts, where first-year teaching salaries average just $38,343.

IPS JOINS WITH CHARTERS

Indianapolis Public Schools plans to partner with charter schools for remote option

Is it wise for IPS to enter into an agreement with virtual charter schools? The success rate for virtual charters is pathetically low compared to brick and mortar public schools.

A remote option seems to be needed since the pandemic isn’t over, but turning the job over to virtual charter schools seems like an unwise risk.

From Chalkbeat*

Instead of offering its own remote instruction next school year, Indianapolis Public Schools proposes to direct students to two local virtual charter schools.

Students who want to continue all-remote learning next year would have to transfer to Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy or Paramount Online Academy. The IPS board reviewed partnership agreements Tuesday night and plans to vote on them Thursday.

Under the partnerships, the two virtual charter schools would join the district as innovation schools, operating independently with oversight and additional funding from IPS. The agreements outline a five-year term.

FWCS NAMES NEW SCHOOL LEADERS

Leaders named for 2 new schools

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

The leadership teams for two new Fort Wayne Community schools are beginning to take shape.

Superintendent Mark Daniel on Monday introduced Byron Brown as an assistant principal for Fort Wayne Virtual Academy, which launches this fall, and Riley Johnson as assistant principal of Electric Works School, which is set to open in fall 2022.

The school board approved the recommendations along with seven elementary school principal appointments.

ARE FEWER HOOSIER STUDENTS HEADING TO COLLEGE?

Indiana financial aid applications dip, pointing to fewer students heading to college

Fewer Hoosier students are filling out Federal Student Aid forms. Does that mean that fewer are going to college? If so, is it because the average college student graduates with personal debt approaching nearly $40,000?

From Chalkbeat*

Statewide completion rates fell 6% compared with last year, even after the deadline extended from April 15 to Saturday. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is required for students to receive federal and state aid and, often, to qualify for scholarships and aid from colleges and private organizations.

With fewer students applying for financial aid, experts say they expect a correlating decline in college enrollment.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – December 14, 2020

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention on NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC

Teresa Thayer Snyder: What Shall We Do About the Children After the Pandemic

Look at any article about education during the pandemic and you'll likely see a reference to how kids are "falling behind." Diane Ravitch's guest blogger asks, "falling behind what?"

From Diane Ravitch

I am writing today about the children of this pandemic. After a lifetime of working among the young, I feel compelled to address the concerns that are being expressed by so many of my peers about the deficits the children will demonstrate when they finally return to school. My goodness, what a disconcerting thing to be concerned about in the face of a pandemic which is affecting millions of people around the country and the world. It speaks to one of my biggest fears for the children when they return. In our determination to “catch them up,” I fear that we will lose who they are and what they have learned during this unprecedented era. What on earth are we trying to catch them up on? The models no longer apply, the benchmarks are no longer valid, the trend analyses have been interrupted. We must not forget that those arbitrary measures were established by people, not ordained by God. We can make those invalid measures as obsolete as a crank up telephone! They simply do not apply.

Survey: During Pandemic, Teachers Are Working More And Enjoying It Less

The results from the Horace Mann survey are worth checking out. 

From Peter Greene in Forbes

The greatest number of teachers in the survey were working in person (497) while 319 were teaching online and 379 were working in a hybrid model. But a full 924 (77%) of respondents said that work was taking more time this year than last year, with only 52 (4.3%) saying they were spending less time teaching this year. This may come as a surprise to some critics; on Twitter, one poster called the current situation a “de facto teacher strike,” as if teachers are not doing any actual work currently. In fact, preparing lessons to be delivered through a variety of pipelines requires extra preparation.

When asked if they were enjoying their work in education more or less now than they did last year, 113 (9.7%) said they are enjoying it more, while 698 (60%) said less. This is not entirely a surprise; google “teachers frustrated by remote learning” and read accounts from all over the country of teacher (and parent) frustration with pandemic education.

FWCS Lincoln Elementary goes virtual until January

From WANE.com

Due to a significant number of staff absences, all Lincoln Elementary School students will work remotely Dec. 10-17, Fort Wayne Community Schools announced Tuesday.

FWCS said that students will attend in-person on Wednesday and will bring home electronic devices and other supplies needed for at-home learning.

Students are expected to return to the classroom after winter break, Jan. 4.

RICH EDUCATION MEDDLERS STILL DON'T GET IT

Mrs. Gates Still Doesn't Get It, Still.

Bill and Melinda Gates still don’t seem to understand that their meddling in education has caused harm.

From Curmudgucation

You know, if Bill and I had had more decision-making authority in education, maybe we would’ve gotten farther in the United States. But we haven’t. Some of the things that we piloted or tried got rejected, or didn’t work, and I think there’s a very healthy ecosystem of parents and teachers’ unions and mayors and city councils that make those education decisions. I wish the U.S. school system was better for all kids.

Yikes. I mean, yikes. First of all, it's not "some of the things"-- all of the things that the Gates have tried in education, from small schools to the Common Core, have failed. Yes, they got rejected, in the same way the average person rejects stewed liver covered with toad wart dressing--they were bad. (And lets not forget that sometimes, rather than being rejected, the Gates just walked out on projects in the middle, leaving someone else holding the bag.) And whatever their many problems were, the biggest problem was not that Bill and Melinda Gates didn't have enough power over the system. Note also that her "very healthy ecosystem" includes pretty much everybody. If everyone else had just let the Gates be in charge, it would have been fine! Yikes. After all this time, all this money, and all this failure, she still doesn't understand that when it comes to education, they are amateurs who don't know enough about how education works and who don't bother to talk to actual experts (without checking to make sure they're sympathetic and then handing them a big pile of money first, which tends to blunt the critical faculties --looking at you NEA and AFT).

GAINS FOR PRIVATIZERS: OKLAHOMA, CALIFORNIA, AND INDIANA

Jeff Bryant: What Is Worse Than DeVos?

This post from Diane Ravitch includes information about outside money thrown into the Indianapolis School Board race...

From Diane Ravitch

In the 2020 school board election in Indianapolis, local teachers and grassroots groups the Indiana Coalition for Public Education and the IPS Community Coalition backed four candidates against a slate of opponents whom locals accuse of representing outside interests. At stake, according to WFYI, was “an ideological tilt” over whether the district would continue to “collaborate with outside groups and charter organizations” or “return to more traditional methods of improving struggling schools.”

Both sides raise the banner of “improving struggling schools,” but locals say what’s really at stake is whether voters retain democratic control of their public schools or see them turned over to private, unelected boards and their corporate supporters and funders.

Oklahoma: Governor Stitt Appoints Home-Schooling Anti-Masker to State Board of Education

Local school boards are elected. Why aren't all state school boards? In Indiana, the governor appoints 9 of the 11 school board members. The other two are selected by the leaders of the legislative houses. The only voice Indiana voters have in state-wide public education policy is in the election of the governor.

From Diane Ravitch

Kurt Bollenbach of Kingfisher, who was appointed in April 2019 to serve a four-year term, recently supported a high-profile move to claw back more than $11 million in state funding from Epic Charter Schools and a failed attempt to mandate masks in all public schools.

He also recently drew public criticism from school choice advocates for leading a delay of approval for a couple of private schools to begin accepting state-funded scholarships for disabled students and foster children over questions about whether the schools’ anti-discrimination policies met minimum state and federal requirements.

Stitt replaced Bollenbach by appointing a home-schooling parent who opposes mask-wearing during the pandemic to the State Board of Education.

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In Case You Missed It – November 9, 2020

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

MORE PRIVATIZATION FOR IPS

Charter allies sweep IPS school board election to win four seats

A sad Election Day for IPS students and communities...and for public education.

From Chalkbeat*

The victories in the hard-fought campaigns all but ensure that the district will expand partnerships with charter schools. The strategy has won it attention from national observers and advocates for “portfolio” districts, where the central office runs its own schools and also oversees the quality of independently managed schools.

Charter-friendly political action committees invested heavily in the IPS board election, and the four winning candidates raised over $390,000 combined — nearly 10 times as much as their opponents did.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEACHER EVALUATIONS

New Teacher Evaluation Report Released by the Network for Public Education

It's way past time to stop using student test scores to evaluate teachers.

From VAMboozled Blog

1. We recommend an immediate halt to the use of test scores as any part of teacher evaluation.

2. We recommend that teacher collaboration not be tied to evaluation but instead be a teacher-led cooperative process that focuses on their students’ and their own professional learning.

3. We recommend that the observation process focus on improving instruction—resulting in reflection and dialogue between teacher and observer—the result should be a narrative, not a number.

4. We recommend that evaluations require less paperwork and documentation so that more time can be spent on reflection and improvement of instruction.

5. We recommend an immediate review of the impact that evaluations have had on teachers of color and veteran teachers.

6. We recommend that teachers not be “scored” on professional development activities nor that professional development be dictated by evaluation scores rather than teacher needs.

EACS SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

Bid for 3rd term dashed

Read more about the EACS School Board Election results.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Voters in East Allen County Schools apparently wanted a change despite a candidate's wish for a third and final term.

But they also endorsed the board's pick for the District 4E seat, which became vacant last fall and required an appointee to carry out the remainder of the term.

Scott Garner challenged incumbent Steve Screeton for the District 4E seat, viewing the election as a chance to let the voters – not the school board – decide who's best for it.

Garner got 2,397 votes, not enough to upset Screeton, a retired teacher who received 2,955 votes – about 55%, according to unofficial election results released Wednesday.

In District 5R, newcomer Jennifer Blackburn won more than half the votes in a three-way race.

Her 10,968 votes led incumbent Bob Nelson's 7,415 and Lee James Wilson Jr.'s 1,670.

Nelson, who has served as board president, sought his third and final term.

Blackburn, a mother of four EACS students, thanked everyone who took time to vote.

FWCS SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

FWCS seat fate unclear: Smith, 78, gets reelected despite planning to resign

Read more about the FWCS School Board Election results.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

Voters in Fort Wayne Community Schools apparently didn't listen to a candidate's insistence that he doesn't want the job.

They also overwhelmingly supported the board's longest-serving member in a race against a college student and ousted a two-term incumbent in favor of a parent with students in the district.

Board President Julie Hollingsworth doesn't know how incumbent Tom Smith's narrow win against Bill Critell will play out.

A total 7,021 voters – or about 51% – reelected Smith to the District 3 seat, while 6,782 supported Critell, a retired principal, according to unofficial election results released Wednesday.

Smith, who turns 78 in January, decided after the August filing deadline that a second term isn't best for him or District 3. He has said he plans to resign at the end of his current term even if voters thought otherwise.

DEVOS BASHES PUBLIC SCHOOLS ONE MORE TIME

DeVos New NAEP Baloney Sandwich

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos jumped at the chance to bask public schools one more time before she leaves office. January 20th can't come soon enough for the US Public Schools.

From Curmudgucation

Betsy DeVos would like you to know--again, some more--that public schools are failing.

Her exhibit this time is the newly-released NAEP results for 12th graders in 2019. And as usual at NAEP time, her brief exhortation is riddled with baloney.

America is the greatest country on the face of the earth, and we should deliver our rising generation the greatest educational opportunities possible. Sadly, today’s results confirm America’s schools continue to fall far short, and continue to fail too many kids, especially the most disadvantaged.

Wave that flag. But recognize that the NAEP 12th grade scores did not break out students by low-income levels, so DeVos has no idea which students, exactly, are holding the fuzzy end of the test score lollipop. Also, let's not lose sight of the fact that the NAEP is administered to public and private schools, so the same schools that she wants a voucher-paved path to for students--those beloved private schools are in this mix, too.

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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In Case You Missed It – November 2, 2020

Here are links to last week's articles receiving the most attention in NEIFPE's social media. Keep up with what's going on, what's being discussed, and what's happening with public education.

Be sure to enter your email address in the Follow Us By Email box in the right-hand column to be informed when our blog posts are published.

DEVOS DOESN'T GET IT

Betsy DeVos Still Doesn’t Get the Connection Between Democracy and Our System of Public Schools

A must read before you vote tomorrow (if you haven't voted already). DeVos hates public education. That's a good reason to deny her and her administration another four years. When you vote, vote to support public education.

From Jan Resseger's Blog

A week ago, at one of the nation’s most conservative Christian colleges, Betsy DeVos delivered a vehement attack on the idea of public education. With the election coming up next week, we can hope it was the final attack on the institution of public schooling DeVos will deliver from her perch as U.S. Secretary of Education.

PACS TRY TO BUY INDY SCHOOL BOARD POSTS

Political groups give over $200,000 to charter-friendly candidates for IPS board

The PAC money for these candidates comes from folks who are not interested in the community or the students; they are interested in the money to be made in a pro-charter city with the pro-charter candidates they support. Do we need to divert even more money from Indianapolis Public Schools to private pockets? Support public schools and pro-public school candidates.

From Chalkbeat*

Deep-pocketed political action committees have thrown over $200,000 into four races for Indianapolis Public Schools board seats, helping candidates who support partnerships with charter schools to far out-raise their competitors.

With significant donations from PACs for Stand for Children Indiana, RISE Indy, and the Indy Chamber, District 4 incumbent Diane Arnold, District 1 hopeful Will Pritchard, and at-large challenger Kenneth Allen have each raised between $57,000 and $123,000, according to pre-election campaign finance reports due Friday. The filings include contributions through Oct. 9.

Those school choice-friendly groups also endorsed Venita Moore in the District 2 race. Moore raised $55,000, according to reports she filed Sunday. She told Chalkbeat that she missed the deadline due to technical problems.

REPUBLICAN SCHOOL CHIEF BACKS DEMOCRATS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION

Indiana education chief bucks party politics to try to oust officials who stood in her way

In the last four years Jennifer McCormick has shown that she supports public schools and the 90% of Indiana's children who attend them.

From Chalkbeat*

Four years ago, Jennifer McCormick was a triumph for the Republican Party — a public school superintendent who snatched back Indiana’s top education office from a pesky Democrat.

Now, the Indiana GOP considers McCormick a traitor.

She’s siding with the Democrat trying to unseat the Republican governor. She’s endorsing Democrats in hotly contested races for state lawmaker seats, attorney general, and Congress. She’s betraying the party that got her elected.

McCormick does not care.

“They want me out. That doesn’t hurt my feelings right now,” she told Chalkbeat. “What is alarming is the direction, from the federal level on down, that Republicans are going regarding education. I just simply do not agree with it… I believe in public education. That’s just who I am, and I make no apologies for that.”

McCormick would protect funding, oppose discrimination

From School Matters

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick is calling on the state legislature to protect public schools from funding cuts and to protect students and school staff from discrimination.

Her proposals come in a 24-page document targeted to the Indiana General Assembly, which will begin its 2021 session in January. McCormick, Indiana’s last elected state superintendent, will leave office at the end of this year – unless Dr. Woody Myers pulls an upset in the governor’s race and reappoints her.

“I leave this document to outline the critical policy actions that must be taken, regardless of who fills the seat of Indiana’s top education leader,” McCormick writes. “Our students deserve it, educators demand it, and our communities need it to ensure Indiana’s future success.”

HOLCOMB REFUSES TO NAME SCHOOL CHIEF BEFORE ELECTION

Voters left uneducated on coming school change

The next governor will appoint the state school superintendent as well as eight of the ten members of the state school board. The current governor has shown that he is not a friend of public education. The fact that he refuses to name who he will pick for state superintendent suggests that his choice will not be someone who supports public education.

From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**

State officials love to point out more than half of the state's budget is dedicated to education. It's the go-to response when confronted with data on lagging teacher salaries or growing inequity among Indiana school districts.

But while many like to talk about how much schools cost, they are much less forthcoming when it comes to disclosing views on how those dollars are spent or who benefits. For Gov. Eric Holcomb, a key player in removing the state's top education post from voter ballots, that extends to revealing whom he would appoint to the new cabinet-level position replacing it.

Having lost the right to elect a state superintendent of public instruction, voters deserve to know whom the governor will choose.

If Democratic challenger Dr. Woody Myers is elected, voters know exactly what to expect. Myers announced during Tuesday's gubernatorial debate he will appoint Republican State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick to the new education post. On Thursday, Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater said he would appoint Dawn Wooten, a Fort Wayne resident and adjunct English instructor who lost the nomination for state schools chief at the GOP state convention in 2016.

Holcomb has said only that he will appoint someone "that doesn't need on-the-job training," someone who's "creative, innovative and is thinking about education in a holistic sense ... meaning all the above: K-12, charters, choice, home schooling, higher education, career training, etc."

*Note: Financial sponsors of Chalkbeat include pro-privatization foundations and individuals such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, EdChoice, Gates Family Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and others.

**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has changed its online access and is now behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both, are available with a subscription. Staying informed is important, and one way to do that is to support your local newspaper. For subscription information go to fortwayne.com/subscriptions/

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