This week, teachers, school leaders, community organizations, philanthropic organizations, policymakers, and parents joined The Mind Trust for an evening of celebration and recognition of the progress Indianapolis has made in education over the past nearly two decades. The energy in the room was high but the message was clear: we have made tremendous progress when it comes to K-12 education outcomes, but we have much more work to do. During the evening, Former Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said that every student – regardless of income, race, or zip code – deserve access to a well-rounded education, including a rigorous curriculum and social and emotional supports. And while […]

Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) recently released its latest study on academic performance in Indianapolis schools. The study aims to answer an important question: How do charter schools and Innovation Network Schools (which are part of the school district but have full autonomy when it comes to curriculum, hiring, etc.) compare to traditional public schools in their effectiveness at raising student achievement? The results provide strong evidence that Indianapolis charters substantially raise performance—leading to more than 60 additional days of learning in English/language arts and more than 90 additional days of learning […]

Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. It is no secret that the U.S. struggles with a skills gap. According to a March 2018 report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Burning Glass Technologies, “surveys of employers routinely find that companies have difficulty finding skilled workers.” This national finding holds true in Indiana, which faces a gap in “middle skill” jobs – i.e., jobs that require more than a high school education but not necessarily a four-year college degree. There are many factors that contribute to our state’s skills gap, perhaps the most fundamental of which is that too many Hoosier […]