Last modified: Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Glenda Ritz, Indiana superintendent of public instruction, headlines CEEP Policy Chat
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 3, 2013
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction for Indiana, will speak about her experiences during her first eight months in office during the next Education Policy Chat by the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy at Indiana University.
Ritz will take part in a program titled "DOE's Vision for Public Education in Indiana" starting at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in the Georgian Room of the Indiana Memorial Union in Bloomington. Jeremy Anderson, the president of the Education Commission of the States, will serve as discussant and Q-and-A session moderator.
Ritz won a surprising victory in the November 2012 Indiana general election, defeating incumbent Indiana Superintendent Tony Bennett. She will speak about the challenges and successes of her job to this point and share thoughts about the agenda of the Indiana Department of Education under her leadership. Anderson, who became president of the Education Commission of the States late last year, will reflect on the Indiana education initiatives and compare and contrast them to education policy initiatives underway in other states.
The Education Commission of the States is a nationwide, nonpartisan organization that works directly with governors, legislators, chief state school officers, higher education officials and other leaders across all areas of education -- from pre-K to college and the workforce. The organization headquartered in Denver maintains a clearinghouse of education policy research and documents.
Ritz will discuss the eventful first months in her job. Most recently, she has ordered an independent review of the state's A-F school grading system in light of questions raised about actions under her predecessor. The Indiana General Assembly is conducting its own review of that system.
"Given the flurry of news surrounding Indiana's pending adoption of Common Core State Standards, glitches with online ISTEP testing, the backlash with the state's A-F accountability system and Gov. Mike Pence's creation of the Center for Education and Career Innovation, this Policy Chat could not be more timely," said Terry Spradlin, director of education policy at CEEP and coordinator of the event. "We are excited and pleased to have two such outstanding education leaders come to the IU Bloomington campus."
The event is free and open to the public. The audience will have an opportunity to pose questions.
CEEP, one of the country's leading nonpartisan education policy and program evaluation centers, promotes and supports rigorous evaluation and research primarily, but not exclusively, for educational, human services and nonprofit organizations. Center projects address state, national and international education questions. CEEP is part of the IU School of Education.
