Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. The opioid epidemic continues to plague Indianapolis and the rest of the state. With the rise in opioid misuse, there has been a parallel surge in pregnant women with opioid use disorder. Infants born to opioid-dependent mothers are at a high risk for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. NAS, which results from babies experiencing withdrawal from opioids once they leave the womb, leads to dehydration and poor weight gain, vomiting, tremors, irritability, high-pitched crying and seizures. With the rise of opioid epidemic, the incidence of NAS nationwide tripled from 1999 to 2013. NAS is becoming so common […]

Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education released 2017 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. NAEP, which has been administered nationally on a biannual basis since 1969, assesses 4th, 8th and 12th grade student proficiency in math, reading, science and other subjects. Participation in NAEP is voluntary, except that states that receive federal Title I funds are required to administer NAEP to students in 4th and 8th grade in both reading and math. The latest results show good news for Indiana’s students. 4th and 8th grade […]