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News Release

Last modified: Monday, October 29, 2012

CEEP Policy Chat to focus on plans for Indianapolis Public Schools

IPS superintendent, Mind Trust founder headline discussion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 29, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Contrasting views on how Indianapolis Public Schools should move forward will be the central theme to the next Center for Evaluation & Education Policy Chat. "The Future of Urban Education in the U.S.: Where Is It Going?" will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Georgian Room of the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University Bloomington.

The keynote speakers for the event are Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White and David Harris, founder and CEO of the Mind Trust. White has served as superintendent of IPS since 2005, working internally on reform to improve graduation rates and academic performance. IPS reported a nearly 65 percent graduation rate last year, but the school corporation has come under fire for providing waivers to a quarter of graduating seniors who would not have earned a diploma otherwise. Long the state's largest school system, IPS has seen enrollment shrink in the past few years because of losses to voucher transfers and charter schools.

Harris' Mind Trust, an Indianapolis nonprofit with a mission to promote education reform, put forward "Creating Opportunity Schools: A Bold Plan to Transform Indianapolis Public Schools" in December. The plan calls for providing pre-kindergarten to all 4-year-olds, shrinking IPS central administration, eliminating the elected school board, establishing totally autonomous "opportunity schools" that give teachers and principals more freedom while holding them more accountable, and giving parents more school choices. White has criticized most aspects of the plan, offering a strong rebuttal and alternative vision during an April school board meeting.

"There is escalating pressure to reform Indianapolis Public Schools, and many urban school districts in Indiana and the nation, prompted by declining enrollments, dwindling financial resources and increasing levels of poverty among students, said Terry Spradlin, director for education policy at CEEP and moderator of the Policy Chat. "But the greatest pressure these schools now face is market-based school choice reform."

Other panelists include John Houser, research associate at the Center for Urban and Multicultural Education at the IU School of Education at IUPUI. Houser co-authored a review on the Mind Trust plan that painted a mixed picture of results coming from the reforms promoted in the proposal. The report "School Reform and the Mind Trust Proposal: Another Look at the Evidence" raised concerns regarding equity and democratic participation for Indianapolis students. Also participating are Jason Kloth, Indianapolis' first-ever deputy mayor of education and the former executive director of Teach for America-Indianapolis; and Tammie Barney, deputy chief of staff for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Barney has been part of the organization's education coalition work featured on the IndyEducation911 website.

While much of the discussion will center on IPS, the Policy Chat will generally cover many key issues and questions concerning the future of urban education. Topics for discussion include student achievement and school performance, school accountability, school takeover and private management of public schools, teacher shortages, teacher effectiveness, funding and school choice.

"This conversation will explore whether system improvements are under way, if reforms can be implemented to support urban school districts and their students, or if the system is broken and in need of the type of overhaul being advocated by organizations like the Mind Trust," Spradlin said.

The event is free and open to the public. The audience will have an opportunity to pose questions of the speakers and discussants.

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.

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