Outside help for education raises hackles
The superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools on Friday outlined with passion how he thinks the state could improve chronically low-performing schools: Let the district create and implement its own improvement plan.
In particular, he and others at a state school board meeting said Friday, don’t immediately hand management of those schools over to outside individuals or organizations — one of five options the state has proposed.
“Across the country, these outside companies have taken over school districts to great fanfare,” IPS Superintendent Eugene White said. “They fail, and they silently go out of town without an explanation.”
Friday’s hearing was part of a 1999 state law requiring the board to gather input on its proposed rule for intervening in the state’s 23 chronically lowest-performing schools. It is expected to vote on the rule at its Dec. 1 meeting.
