Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Decatur Township

Struggling schools

Indiana
May 16, 2016

Bottom ranked township schools saw big drops on ISTEP exam

Students at the lowest scoring township and small city schools in Marion County struggled mightily with the tough new ISTEP exam. The merged city of…

Indiana
October 13, 2015

Fast-growing religious alternative schools hit a speed bump with IPS

The Crossing is a network of 28 accredited private Christian schools that cater specifically to students who struggled at other schools, were expelled or dropped out.
Indiana
September 21, 2015

The changing face of Indianapolis reflected by school enrollment data

And with every annual enrollment count, the subtle changes that are reshaping Indianapolis schools become a bit more pronounced.

Indiana
September 15, 2015

Top scoring township and small city schools tend to serve wealthier children

Only three of the top 10 Marion County public schools when it came to passing ISTEP in 2014, excluding IPS and charter schools, served a large share of high-poverty kids.

Indiana
August 31, 2015

Teacher pay is a big issue beyond IPS, education leaders say

Two panels of educators that met last week hosted by The Mind Trust and the West Side Chamber of Commerce discussed teacher pay last week.

Indiana
August 18, 2015

Decatur Township finds support from community center, school partnerships

The district has embraced the "community schools" concept, where relationships with community organizations help feed, clothe and give back to local schools.

Indiana
July 21, 2015

Once fast-growing, Homegrown Summer Advantage dwindles to 160 Indianapolis students

Despite what supporters say is a strong track record of success, the once fast-growing program is now fading fast from Indiana. So what happened?

Indiana
July 14, 2015

The basics of township schools: Successes and challenges are often overlooked

Eight township school districts in Indianapolis serve about three-fourths of the city's students.

Indiana
July 7, 2015

Budget woes cost Indianapolis its last Challenger Center

Decatur’s center is the second in Indianapolis to close, leaving the city without a Challenger Center. The nearest now requires a two and a half hour drive to Hammond.

Indiana
September 19, 2014

Teachers tackle new standards but worry about tests

The four-month standards debate didn’t end until Gov. Mike Pence and state Superintendent Glenda Ritz, political foes in most education debates, jointly endorsed new standards and pushed them them through two state boards last April. That left teachers just more than three months to learn the standards, alter their lessons and prepare for big accompanying changes to the state’s ISTEP test that will affect all students in grades 3 to 8.

Indiana
April 7, 2014

New evaluation system gives few Indiana teachers low grades

Nearly all rated educators were classified in the top two categories as effective or highly effective: a whopping 97 percent. That’s not exactly what state had in mind, leaving some leaders scratching their heads.

Indiana
April 7, 2014

IPS rates just five teachers ineffective

Does it seem plausible that one school in Lawrence Township, a B-rated school in fact, has more ineffective teachers than all of Indianapolis Public Schools, where more than half the schools were rated D and F last year? Because that’s what data released today by the state shows.