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. In Indiana, high school students can earn one of three diplomas—a Core 40 diploma, a more challenging Honors diploma and a less rigorous general diploma. But under new federal guidelines that are part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, Indiana would not be allowed to count the roughly 12% of graduates earning the general diploma toward its official high school graduation count. The new ESSA guidelines have sparked debate and raised an important question about the importance of establishing high standards for high school diplomas. Some support the general diploma because it offers […]