Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. The most recent round of ISTEP+ results, released last month, continue to show students in Marion County public schools performing well below state averages. At Indianapolis Public Schools, for example, fewer than 25% of elementary and middle school students passed both English and math ISTEP+ tests. These numbers should serve as a call to action to support struggling students and schools. Unfortunately, they’ve also raised a common refrain used to push back against efforts to improve educational outcomes for low-income students. In Marion County, 31% of children under 18 live in poverty, and 66% of […]

Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. Substance use is a significant problem in Indianapolis and across the state, and it often begins early. Intervening during school-age years, even as early as elementary school, has the potential to prevent substance use and put children on a path for success in school and as adults. Fortunately, there are a number of school-based substance use prevention programs backed by strong, scientific evidence for lasting impacts on alcohol, tobacco, prescription opioids and other drugs, too. Many of these programs have also been shown to improve outcomes like academic achievement and attendance and address behavior issues […]