Hear! Hear!

School turnaround companies not a sure thing; let community try 1st


Dear Mr. Tully,


I agree with you and the state's superintendent of public instruction, Tony Bennett, on one thing:  It's sad that we as a community have let Indianapolis Public Schools get to this point. Few could look at the performance of the seven district schools under threat of a state takeover and feel any other way.

Everyone wants to do something to turn things around. Continuing to do nothing is absolutely unacceptable. But doing something doesn't mean we should try anything. And, in my book, allowing the state to take over any of the schools and then turn them over to a management company definitely counts as "anything."

Who's to say a private and possibly out-of-state company would do any better than a locally run and elected school board?



After all, the research on the effectiveness of these turnaround companies is anything but conclusive. Even those who support them admit that.  "There really isn't a big track record for many of these groups to stand on," said M. René Islas, an education consultant who has worked in Indianapolis and is the director of the Learning Forward Center for Results. "We're kind of in uncharted territory."

Kind of like California during the Gold Rush. Never before has there been $5 billion of federal funding available to turn around failing schools. Education Secretary Arne Duncan hopes to overhaul 5,000 of the nation's 100,000 public schools in the next few years.

A lot of those turnaround efforts, as is the case here, involve paying a private, for-profit company to overhaul schools. Yet nationwide, oversight of these companies hasn't been the best. Many of them are new, formed in response to a burgeoning market for fixing schools, and they have yet to establish proven records of success.

And the privatization of government services doesn't always work. The botched attempt to modernize Indiana's welfare system comes to mind. Gov. Mitch Daniels pulled the plug on the $1.3 billion contract with IBM less than three years into the supposed 10-year implementation.

Do we really want to take that chance with our schools? With our children? What happens if the state hires a turnaround company, and then a year from now or two years from now, test scores at a school don't go up?  Will Bennett fire that company and hire a new one? Will that new company once again fire half the staff and oust the principal?



These are things we need to think about long before we consider crossing the bridge into state takeover land.
Why? Because, above all else, students need stability and consistency.

This came through loud and clear at both of last week's meetings to gather public feedback on the possible state takeover. At Arlington Community High School, teachers and parents complained about the inconsistent meting out of discipline and the rotating cast of principals and teachers over the past four years.

At Broad Ripple, IPS Superintendent Eugene White pointed out that the school is only in its second year of being a full magnet high school for the arts. My point is, there hasn't been enough consistency or stability at either of these schools for the students or teachers to develop any kind of traction for success."The research tells us that the full turnaround of any organization takes three to five years," Islas said.Ripping everything up again at these schools likely would do more harm than good.



What do we do instead? Let the community take up this fight first.

One result of Bennett saying the state should intervene has been that parents and community groups appear to be serious about improving education. The Indianapolis Urban League has vowed to work with the NAACP and the National Council on Educating Black Children to help implement improvement plans at all the schools.



This should have happened years ago when students' grades first started to slide, but that's a gripe for another day. The success of students depends as much on what goes on in the classroom as at home. Without support from parents and the community, kids, especially kids in poor urban districts, have a much harder time making the grade. Their involvement could make all the difference.

Let the community and parents try again. Don't take these schools out of their hands just yet.
That's a "something" I can get behind.

Call Star columnist Erika D. Smith at erika.smith@indystar.com, or reach on Twitter @indystar_erika.

Are You Serious???

Ballard seeks control of 7 failing IPS schools


Mayor Greg Ballard has asked to take charge of efforts to turn around up to seven Indianapolis Public Schools that are facing state takeover.


In a speech to the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee this morning, Ballard cited state law that allows mayors to petition the state board to take control of schools that have been on probation for low test scores for six consecutive years.  Ballard said the schools would be added to a portfolio of charter schools his office oversees and that he would apply "charter like" solutions to them. He pitched his plan as a middle road between mayoral takeover of the entire school district, which has been pushed by some community and business leaders, and state control of local schools.

"I believe our immediate focus should be on the successful turnaround of the schools being taken over by the state," he said. "Once we successfully turn around these schools, then we can tackle the larger issue of IPS as a whole."

State board members and Superintendent for Public Instruction Tony Bennett are holding meetings this month to gather public input at each of the seven Indianapolis schools -- six high schools and a middle school -- that could reach their sixth year of probation when state test scores are released later this summer.

Daniels Supports Diploma Mill for Teachers

Mitch Daniels continues his efforts to privatize education--first Western Governor's, now this.  How can the governor justify bringing in shady programs that compete with his own state university system?  Shameless!

6th Largest Graduate School of Education Relocating from Illinois to Indiana


INDIANAPOLIS (June 7, 2011) - American College of Education (ACE), an academic institution that provides online graduate degrees for working educators seeking advanced degrees, announced today that it will move its main campus from Chicago to Indianapolis, creating up to 40 new jobs by 2014.

Founded by a national team of education researchers and practitioners to address the advanced degree needs of in-service educators around the world, the organization will invest $1.2 million to establish its new headquarters in 12,000 square feet of space at 161 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. American College of Education has already begun transitioning to Indiana and expects to be operational in the Hoosier State in August.

"The stable, affordable and pro-growth economic environment found in Indianapolis versus other cities plays a significant role in our ability to attract new companies. ACE is another example of a company that has recognized all Indianapolis has to offer and made the choice to relocate here. We look forward to welcoming them to our city," said Mayor Greg Ballard.

American College of Education was established in 2005, but its roots go back to 1858 through its predecessor, DePaul University. The organization offers master's degree programs in educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, educational technology, ESL, bilingual education, reading, math and science. In addition the College delivers professional development courses designed to address specific state and district needs.

"We believe that the state leadership and strategic vision of the state make it one of the nation's leaders in education reform. We are committed to partnering with the school districts and the state to help them achieve their learning goals for all the school children of Indiana," said Sandra J. Doran, president of ACE. "We believe that ACE can play a major collaborative role in supporting the professional educators of the state. Our vision is to continue to build the country's most comprehensive, affordable, high quality online educational environment where working teachers and school administrators can grow intellectually and enhance their classroom effectiveness and district leadership skills."

In addition to relocating many of their current staff, American College of Education will begin hiring for the 40 additional academic, administrative, support and professor positions once its move is complete in August.

"Though not the first company to choose Indiana's low-tax, business friendly environment over Illinois and other states, American College of Education's cross-border move is a significant indicator that our state has a climate welcoming to new jobs and investment," said Governor Mitch Daniels.

About American College of Education

American College of Education is solely dedicated to providing in-service educators the most affordable, accessible, high-quality online master's degree programs in education. The College's vision is to dramatically improve student performance by enhancing the instructional effectiveness of teachers through transformative technology and innovative online learning. American College of Education is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) serving online students nationally and internationally. For more information about American College of Education, visit www.ace.edu.