Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. U.S. News & World Report recently issued its latest “Best States” rankings, and Indiana comes in at #33. Of the eight categories measured to calculate this ranking, Indiana’s outcomes in Health Care (#40) and Quality of Life (#48) are the biggest drag on our state’s performance. When it comes to assessing our public health outcomes, Indiana fares worst on the following key metrics: infant mortality (#42), smoking (#41) and obesity (#40). A closer look at the infant mortality rate shows that key drivers of infant mortality – defined as the death of a child under one year […]

Ellen Quigley is the Vice President of Programs at the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation An interview with Amar Patel, Executive Director, Teach For America Indianapolis (TFA) Background TFA has a vision that all Indianapolis children will lead lives of their choosing and collectively contribute to a more vibrant and just city. As a leadership development institution, TFA seeks to develop collective leadership for educational equity, excellence, and broader systems change – in its students and its corps members. Annually, TFA recruits over 60 diverse individuals as corps members who commit to teach for two years in an Indianapolis public school. Nearly 40% identify as people of color and 85% relocate […]