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"In 1990, state lawmakers created the country’s first “voucher” program in Milwaukee, providing public funding for students to attend private schools. Soon after, Minnesota lawmakers were the first to write legislation for charter schools, allowing teacher-led nonprofits to operate schools. Wisconsin was one of the first states to follow in 1993, but without the requirement that teachers lead them.
Thirty years later, the forum noted there is 'little evidence … that the average Milwaukee child receives a higher quality education today.'" -- Rory Linnane of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted in Diane Ravitch's blog, Milwaukee: Three Decades of Charters and Vouchers Produced No Gains for Kids
NO IMPROVEMENT THROUGH VOUCHERS
Milwaukee: Three Decades of Charters and Vouchers Produced No Gains for Kids
It's all about the money. It was never about student achievement.
From Diane Ravitch
A major, nonpartisan review of Milwaukee schools over the past three decades produced a dismal result: No improvement.
Backed by millions from the rightwing Bradley Foundation, voucher advocates promised that competition would produce gains for all sectors. It didn’t.
Milwaukee has a significant number of charter schools and voucher schools. About 55% of all students are enrolled in traditional public schools. The public schools enroll a disproportionate share of students with disabilities.
Rory Linnane of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported...
GUIDE TO PROJECT 2025
Check Out New, Short, Informative Guide to Project 2025’s Education Policies
Project 2025 will disable the American government and do permanent damage to public education.
From Jan Resseger's Blog
Here is a guide to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 proposals for education policy—a short primer reflecting what you might learn in American Government 101. Rachel Perera, Jon Valant, and Katharine Meyer, all of the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy, explain plainly not only the dangerous education policies proposed, but also the ones likely not to be enacted—or even possible to enact—in a future Trump administration. The report is short, basic and crystal clear:
“Project 2025 outlines a radical policy agenda that would dramatically reshape the federal government. The report was spearheaded by the right-wing Heritage Foundation and represents the policy aims of a large coalition of conservative activists. While former President Trump has attempted to distance himself from Project 2025, many of the report’s authors worked in the previous Trump administration and could return for a second round… Project 2025 warrants a close look, even if the Trump campaign would like Americans to avert their gaze.”
Perera, Valant and Meyer start out with the to-do list Project 2025 prescribes for early childhood, K-12, and higher education:
- “Dismantle the U.S. Department of Education;
- “Eliminate the Head Start program for young children in poverty;
- “Discontinue the Title I program that provides federal funding to schools serving low-income children;
- “Rescind federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ students;
- “Undercut federal capacity to enforce civil rights law;
- “Reduce federal funding for students with disabilities and remove guardrails designed to ensure these children are adequately served by schools;
- “Promote universal private school choice; (and)
- “Privatize the federal student loan portfolio.”
INDIANA AND LOCAL NEWS
Indiana Department of Education reports increase in proficiency in 2023-24 IREAD results
Indiana, like the rest of the nation, is still overly fixated on test scores.
From WANE.com
With its 2024 IREAD 3 results, the Indiana Department of Education saw the largest single-year increase in proficiency since the assessment began in 2013.
According to officials with the department, more than 67,000 third-grade students, or 82.5%, demonstrated proficient reading skills in the 2023-24 assessment. This was an improvement of 0.6% percentage points from the 2022-23 IREAD results.
“Ensuring Hoosier students are able to read is key to not only the future of Indiana, but to the individual success of every child,” Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a news release from the Indiana Department of Education. “The historic literacy investments we have made over the past several years are beginning to show return on investment, which is a testament to the hard work of teachers, families and students in every corner of our state. Let’s keep this positive momentum going.”
This continues the increased proficiency trend of results coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the proficiency percentages increasing year after year since the 2020-21 school year
Indiana officials make major updates to new high school diploma plan — earning higher ed support
The graduation requirement overhaul — still to be approved by the State Board of Education — would create a single baseline diploma and optional add-on “seals.”
From the Indiana Capital Chronicle
The Indiana Department of Education made significant changes to a proposed high school diploma overhaul on Wednesday, including offering just one baseline diploma for all graduates.
...Under the updated draft, students can earn “readiness seals” for enrollment, employment or enlistment that correspond with their future path of continued higher education, workforce or military service.
Each readiness category has two possible seals — honors and honors plus.
Fort Wayne Community Schools eyes expansion at Electric Works
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette**
Fort Wayne Community Schools – which just began its third year of programming at Electric Works – is preparing for a potential expansion on the former General Electric campus south of downtown.
The board is expected this month to consider leasing Building 25, a structure at Broadway and Swinney Avenue that would house second-year Amp Lab students, district officials said Monday.
“We’re really just exploring how do we continue to evolve and potentially grow our presence on that campus,” said Riley Johnson, director of Amp Lab at Electric Works. “We’re just really excited to be at this point.”
Open to high school juniors and seniors, Amp Lab is a half-day program that launched in the 2022-23 academic year with four educational studios – a science research and development lab with a greenhouse; a content creators lab; a maker space and fabrication lab; and a venture and strategy lab.
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JOIN US
An Evening with Jennifer McCormick
NEIFPE is proud to co-sponsor this event featuring Jennifer McCormick, candidate for Governor of Indiana. We hope you can attend.
Click HERE to register for the September 25th event:
**Note: The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is behind a paywall. Digital access, home delivery, or both are available with a subscription. Staying informed is essential; 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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