For release Feb. 4 and thereafter (680 words)Students at KIPP LEAD College Prep in Gary spend more time on task than their peers in traditional public schools. A lot more. The youngsters are at school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, four hours every other Saturday and three weeks during the summer. It amounts to about 60 to 70 percent more time in class and that “makes a huge difference,” says April Goble,…

(For release noon Jan. 27 and thereafter (545 words)The public discussion is reduced to name-calling. The mayor of Huntington last week described citizens who want him to cut his budget as “Taliban.” (1) A few days later the Indianapolis Star  implied that those skeptical of the governor’s consolidation plan were “partisans” (or ideologues, one assumes, if they belong to the same political party). (2)You may understand what is meant by Taliban and partisan but in…

For release noon Jan. 6 and thereafter (837 words)by RON REINKING, CPA The coming Indiana legislative session will be historic in that it takes up the founding structure of government itself. Legislation will be introduced that would meld the township functions into a uniform structure governed solely by county officials — an idea that promoters would like you to believe is a simple matter of efficiency. This would follow the recommendations of the governor’s Kernan-Shephard…

For release Jan. 21 and thereafter (675 words)Note to editors: The author’s next column, for Feb. 4 release, will focus on Gary’s KIPP LEAD College Prep Charter (mentioned in graf 8).At first glance, two new studies of Indiana charter schools appear to have reached contradictory conclusions. Not really. A thorough reading of the data makes three things absolutely clear: 1) Students in Indiana charter schools are making more progress than their peers in traditional public…

For release Jan. 9 and thereafter (689 words). “Several psychologists interviewed one day after (Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s) arrest agreed that he might be suffering from an affliction known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” (Dec. 11, Chicago Sun-Times)A few of us will sit out the inauguration festivities. We’ve seen and heard enough. There’s no fun in pretending to celebrate the transition of one failed generation to another. The director of my daughter’s ballet academy has put her…

For release Dec. 31 and thereafter (700 words)    When Tony Bennett lobbies state legislators on behalf of Indiana public school students, it won’t be with hands outstretched. “I am not a person who thinks we need more money infused in the system,” said Bennett, who takes office Jan. 12 as Superintendent of Public Instruction.    Indiana invested $776 million extra in K-12 education over the past four years “with no appreciable change” in test scores, he…

For release Dec. 24 and thereafter (600 words) “(School District) Sees ISTEP Slide,” “No Improvement on ISTEP+ Science Test,” ISTEP+ Scores Drop at (School District),” “Little Good News in District’s ISTEP+ Scores,” “Scores Drop Across State,” “Fewer Pass Tests This Year at (School District,” “State and Local ISTEP Scores Down.” — Headlines in Indiana newspapers following the most recent release of state ISTEP+ scores by Jeff Abbott, Ph.D., J.D. The release by the Indiana Department…

For release Dec. 17 and thereafter (652 words) On Dec. 4, the Indiana Department of Education released the latest ISTEP (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress) results for Indiana students. They were stagnant. Despite higher academic standards and more spending by taxpayers, scores showed no improvement from the previous year.    The next day, in an odd coincidence of timing, the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) was before the State Supreme Court demanding a trial on…

For release noon Tuesday Dec. 9 (556 words)I love saying I told you so. But setting aside my sinful pride, I hope the turmoil in the retail gasoline market does teach all of us in Indiana at least one simple yet profound lesson: Gasoline prices follow oil prices.Eighteen months ago retail gasoline prices surged to around $3.50 a gallon. At the time I argued that high gasoline prices were the byproduct of supply and demand…

For release Dec. 3 and thereafter (690 words)The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Zweig recently found a silver lining behind the global meltdown of financial markets: After years of maxing out credit cards and squandering money, consumers may be forced to live within their means.    If that lesson is a sound one for ordinary citizens — and it is — what about the government bodies that have modeled extravagant spending practices for decades? When’s the last…