The Outstater: Immigration, a Testimonial
A few hours on one of those genealogical web sites can put the immigration debate into sharp personal focus. I stumbled on her picture, a criminal mug shot actually, while looking for more glamorous ancestry. She was my great-grandmother, a suspected enemy alien. Wilma Philipina Rosina Haug Bader was required to register as such on Read the full article…
Neal: Common Core Debate Is Far From Over
by Andrea Neal The nation’s eyes are on Indiana as it moves to reconsider the Common Core academic standards that are supposed to raise student achievement and standardize what children learn across the country. The operative word is “supposed.” These national academic standards were adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia with little Read the full article…
Bohanon: Tilting at Hoosier Windmills
by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Wind power is a darling of the green movement. In the mid-1970s, long before man-made climate change was on the radar screen, environmentalists were excoriating fossil fuel and extolling the virtues of wind energy. I recall a student-made poster of the era with a hand-drawn picture of an oil well. The Read the full article…
The ISTEP: A Test That’s not Passing the Test
by Jeff Abbott, Ph.D., J.D. In the past few weeks, we have heard horror stories throughout Indiana about testing under ISTEP+ — particularly the overload of the computer system and the failure of the testing company’s servers to handle the testing. State Board of Education members expressed frustration about what Indiana educators and education policymakers Read the full article…
Neal: ‘You Can Thank Gov. Bowen for Tax Relief’
by Andrea Neal Otis Bowen will go down in history as the governor who delivered landmark property-tax relief to Hoosiers. He also deserves mention for what happened on Mitch Daniels’ watch: a tax-reform amendment to the state Constitution. Relief is “lightening of something oppressive,” according to Merriam-Webster. Reform is “correction of an abuse or wrong.” Read the full article…
Bohanon: In Praise of Boring Government
by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government will lead to major changes in public policy, but this did not happen in 2013 in Indiana. When out of power, many conservatives, progressives and libertarians (me included) love to wax on Read the full article…
