Educators Gather For 'Summit' In Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Indiana is making progress in the quality of public education, but much work remains to be done, attendees at the 11th annual Education Summit were told Thursday.
Jeffery P. Zaring, administrator and chief of staff of Indiana Department of Education's State Board of Education, said Indiana's educational standards "consistently rank as the highest or among the highest in the nation."
SAT scores are improving, he said, though he does not believe they're high enough yet.
"SAT scores are important because higher scores on the SAT are directly related to completing the Core 40 curriculum," he said, though he said not enough students complete the Core 40 program in Indiana.
Core 40, which began in 1994 under Gov. Robert Orr, is a curriculum recommended by the state but not required. In 2002, 61 percent of Indiana graduates had Core 40 diplomas. Core 40 requirements include six to eight credits in math (as opposed to four for a general diploma), six credits each in science and social studies (four each for a general diploma), eight credits for the category including foreign languages, computer and career (two for general) and two to four credits in electives (16 for a general diploma).
Other statewide concerns, he said, are for early childhood programs, in which children's access to a quality preschool program "may depend on their parents' employer or zip code"; reassessment, which limits school systems' ability to generate funding; and the Indiana economy: "We've got a lot of things to do - are we going to have the resources to do them? We don't know," he said.
At the state level, Zaring said, several initiatives are under way, including a task force on school finance; a commission researching early learning and reading; a government efficiency commission; and the Education Roundtable, which studies preschool through college.
Zaring said there is a push to increase the number of students working toward Core 40 diplomas in the next few years.
"There is a concern that some students are getting out of high school without being able to do anything," he said. "Every students should leave high school being able to do something."
While Zaring was the keynote speaker at Thursday's summit, the approximately 230 participants also heard reports from school systems and programs:
• Stephen Possell, of the Bowen Center, described successful pilot programs to teach anti-bullying curriculum in elementary schools.
"If we stop bullying in the early grades," he said, "we can stop a lot of these problems before it gets to domestic violence and anger management problems."
• David Findlay, Lake City Bank, reported efforts by representatives of businesses to help middle school students understand the importance of Core 40 curriculum because "it's life preparation."
• Suzie Light, executive director of Kosciusko County Community Foundation, introduced this year's book for "Plant the Seed - Read!" the community book read, will be "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom. Free books are available throughout the county with the stipulation that everyone who takes a book read it and pass it on.
• Jon Hudson, a sophomore at Lakeland Christian Academy, reported on the area's Robotix Club, how it began and how robotics teaches students skills in such areas as math, physics, marketing, graphic design and engineering. Students also learn to deal with success and failure, he said, to act without bias and to participate on teams.
Schools reporting on programs or initiatives included:
• Katie Miller, principal of Mentone Elementary School, who spoke on her school's reversal of their "failing school status" in 2001 with the help of a $243,000 three-year Comprehensive School Reform grant for professional development.
• Thomas Bowers, Triton elementary principal, described Triton's Reading First program, in which their school is part of a six-year national effort to make children better readers.
Triton is one of 8,300 schools in the United States in the Reading First Program, he said, making it the "largest initiative in the entire nation for literacy."
• Randy Polston, Harrison Elementary principal, described his school's participation in Channel 16's Shape Up Challenge - by walking 10,000 steps a day. In 2000, more than 60 million Americans were obese, Polston said, and teachers and administrators at Harrison took part in the program. The benefit was that the students also participated, making everyone healthier.
• Phil Metcalf, Wawasee High School Career Trade Center, reported on the Nontraditional Education for Women workshop last month, in which more than 180 sophomore girls participated. Race care driver Lyn St. James was the keynote speaker, and girls learned about other nontraditional careers, such as building, welding, firefighting, etc.
"We tell young women to dare to dream," Metcalf said.
• Ruth Jones, principal of Pierceton Elementary School, and Erin Meyer, Junior Achievement, spoke of Exchange City, which is a JA-sponsored program in Fort Wayne. Fifth-graders from Pierceton Elementary recently attended Exchange City, in which they took such positions as mayor and judge and learned what is involved in running a city. [[In-content Ad]]
Indiana is making progress in the quality of public education, but much work remains to be done, attendees at the 11th annual Education Summit were told Thursday.
Jeffery P. Zaring, administrator and chief of staff of Indiana Department of Education's State Board of Education, said Indiana's educational standards "consistently rank as the highest or among the highest in the nation."
SAT scores are improving, he said, though he does not believe they're high enough yet.
"SAT scores are important because higher scores on the SAT are directly related to completing the Core 40 curriculum," he said, though he said not enough students complete the Core 40 program in Indiana.
Core 40, which began in 1994 under Gov. Robert Orr, is a curriculum recommended by the state but not required. In 2002, 61 percent of Indiana graduates had Core 40 diplomas. Core 40 requirements include six to eight credits in math (as opposed to four for a general diploma), six credits each in science and social studies (four each for a general diploma), eight credits for the category including foreign languages, computer and career (two for general) and two to four credits in electives (16 for a general diploma).
Other statewide concerns, he said, are for early childhood programs, in which children's access to a quality preschool program "may depend on their parents' employer or zip code"; reassessment, which limits school systems' ability to generate funding; and the Indiana economy: "We've got a lot of things to do - are we going to have the resources to do them? We don't know," he said.
At the state level, Zaring said, several initiatives are under way, including a task force on school finance; a commission researching early learning and reading; a government efficiency commission; and the Education Roundtable, which studies preschool through college.
Zaring said there is a push to increase the number of students working toward Core 40 diplomas in the next few years.
"There is a concern that some students are getting out of high school without being able to do anything," he said. "Every students should leave high school being able to do something."
While Zaring was the keynote speaker at Thursday's summit, the approximately 230 participants also heard reports from school systems and programs:
• Stephen Possell, of the Bowen Center, described successful pilot programs to teach anti-bullying curriculum in elementary schools.
"If we stop bullying in the early grades," he said, "we can stop a lot of these problems before it gets to domestic violence and anger management problems."
• David Findlay, Lake City Bank, reported efforts by representatives of businesses to help middle school students understand the importance of Core 40 curriculum because "it's life preparation."
• Suzie Light, executive director of Kosciusko County Community Foundation, introduced this year's book for "Plant the Seed - Read!" the community book read, will be "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom. Free books are available throughout the county with the stipulation that everyone who takes a book read it and pass it on.
• Jon Hudson, a sophomore at Lakeland Christian Academy, reported on the area's Robotix Club, how it began and how robotics teaches students skills in such areas as math, physics, marketing, graphic design and engineering. Students also learn to deal with success and failure, he said, to act without bias and to participate on teams.
Schools reporting on programs or initiatives included:
• Katie Miller, principal of Mentone Elementary School, who spoke on her school's reversal of their "failing school status" in 2001 with the help of a $243,000 three-year Comprehensive School Reform grant for professional development.
• Thomas Bowers, Triton elementary principal, described Triton's Reading First program, in which their school is part of a six-year national effort to make children better readers.
Triton is one of 8,300 schools in the United States in the Reading First Program, he said, making it the "largest initiative in the entire nation for literacy."
• Randy Polston, Harrison Elementary principal, described his school's participation in Channel 16's Shape Up Challenge - by walking 10,000 steps a day. In 2000, more than 60 million Americans were obese, Polston said, and teachers and administrators at Harrison took part in the program. The benefit was that the students also participated, making everyone healthier.
• Phil Metcalf, Wawasee High School Career Trade Center, reported on the Nontraditional Education for Women workshop last month, in which more than 180 sophomore girls participated. Race care driver Lyn St. James was the keynote speaker, and girls learned about other nontraditional careers, such as building, welding, firefighting, etc.
"We tell young women to dare to dream," Metcalf said.
• Ruth Jones, principal of Pierceton Elementary School, and Erin Meyer, Junior Achievement, spoke of Exchange City, which is a JA-sponsored program in Fort Wayne. Fifth-graders from Pierceton Elementary recently attended Exchange City, in which they took such positions as mayor and judge and learned what is involved in running a city. [[In-content Ad]]