Statehouse policy and politics

Indiana schools must now have cell phone bans. We want to know how that’s impacting you.

Student attendance has improved incrementally since 2022, but Indiana officials hope more data can help schools identify students with attendance issues and intervene sooner.

Schools always had the option to refer absenteeism cases to the local prosecutor, but they typically preferred other responses. Now a new law requires it in certain cases.

The revised blueprint to change graduation rules comes after significant criticism of the initial proposal from colleges and teachers.

Unschooling, a niche of homeschooling, is largely unregulated in Indiana.

While schools can’t design their own diplomas that bypass Indiana rules, they can adopt graduation requirements on top of what the state requires.

As Indiana moves to require more advanced courses and work experience for graduation, IPS says it’s on track to offer both.

The new school year is here, see what’s new for you and your students around cell phones, reading, state testing and more.

Almost three-quarters of the students who didn’t pass the state reading test and were retained in third grade in 2023 got subsidized meals.

State officials writing new graduation requirements want students pursuing an advanced diploma to have work experience.

Proposed changes would eliminate a diploma popular with Indiana’s college-going students while it’s not clear if the state has enough support to help them meet new requirements.

Lawmakers last year relaxed income eligibility rules so that most Indiana families now qualify for the Choice Scholarship program.

Elementary and special education teachers who don’t teach literacy won’t have to earn a new literacy endorsement required by state law.

If voters approve the ballot measure, it could be the first time an Indiana charter school could share in that funding due to a 2023 law.

McCormick vowed to fight portrayals of public education as a boogeyman, as Indiana Republicans lean into support for school choice.

Supporters of the statute say it will help students by making sure they learn about a variety of viewpoints. Critics argue it will intimidate professors and make prospective teachers less prepared to run classrooms well.

Purdue Polytechnic High School Lab School offers personalized curriculum to around 20 students while getting support from the charter school network.

There are some exceptions to the cell phone ban, like if a student needs it to manage their health or the device is part of their Individualized Education Program.

Big changes are ahead for schools, including more support for reading, stricter third grade retention rules, and cellphone bans.