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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Indianapolis.

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City tries to move needle on downtown recovery

The city is trying to move the needle on downtown's recovery with denser office use.

News

Indiana libraries have seen more than a dozen book challenges this year

John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" isn't the only book challenged this year.

Swiftonomics is coming to Indianapolis

Swift's three concerts will combine for one of the biggest events in Indianapolis history.

Why fathers should take parental leave

Mothers are doubly burdened when fathers can't, or don't, take time off.

Business

Performance gap persists at Indianapolis Public Schools

A massive reorganization seeks to level the playing field.

Education

Some of the highest-performing public schools in Marion County are part of the Indianapolis Public Schools district.Yes, but: The district also houses some of the lowest-performing.

Illustration of a standardized test answer sheet with a cursor

Indianapolis Public Schools wins $1 law dispute

A Marion County Superior Court judge sided with IPS, allowing building sales to move forward.

Indianapolis Public Schools will move forward with the sale of Francis Bellamy School 102 after a court ruled the district is exempt from the state&#x27;s &quot;dollar law.&quot;Driving the news: A Marion County Superior Court judge sided with IPS in its fight with the state about whether it may sell closed school buildings without first offering the properties to charter schools for $1.

Illustration of a dollar made out of chalk on a chalkboard being erased

Hamilton County voting on school referendums

The three referendums are continuations of tax hikes passed previously.

Voters in parts of Hamilton and Boone counties are deciding whether to extend a property tax increase for their schools or risk losing teachers.Driving the news: Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern and Sheridan school districts have operating referendums on the ballot for next week&#x27;s election.

Illustration of an apple with an I Voted sticker.

Indiana's ACT scores rise, but participation drops

There's an explanation for the higher than average scores.

At first glance, Indiana&#x27;s graduating seniors performed better on the ACT college admissions exam than their counterparts across <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="most of the U.S" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/11/act-test-scores-lowest-2023" data-vars-content-id="6486740a-830a-49d7-9233-13a1c89ae613" data-vars-headline="Indiana&#x27;s ACT scores rise, but participation drops" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/11/act-test-scores-lowest-2023" target="_self">most of the U.S</a>., according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2023-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State.pdf" data-vars-content-id="6486740a-830a-49d7-9233-13a1c89ae613" data-vars-headline="Indiana&#x27;s ACT scores rise, but participation drops" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2023-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State.pdf" target="_blank">data</a> from the nonprofit that administers the test.Yes, but: Only 8% of Hoosier seniors took the ACT in 2023, compared to 37% of seniors nationwide.

Student loan payments due for nearly 1 million Hoosiers

Payments are restarting after three years.

More than 900,000 Hoosiers are making federal student loan payments for the first time in three years.Driving the news: October marks the end of the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments.

Illustration of an envelope, shaped like a graduation cap, stamped with a "payment due" notice

Law change could delay collective bargaining

Count day used to coincide with the start of collective bargaining.

The collective bargaining window opened last week, but a change to state law may delay agreements between school districts and their teachers.Driving the news: The student &quot;count day&quot; was moved back to Oct. 2, which means some districts won&#x27;t know how much money they have for the year for another week. It used to coincide with the start of collective bargaining.

Illustration of a teacher drawing a speech bubble on a chalkboard. 

Hamilton County&#x27;s kerfuffle over &quot;The Fault in Our Stars&quot; isn&#x27;t an isolated incident.Driving the news: Indiana has seen at least a dozen challenges to 19 titles so far this year, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="American Library Association report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data" data-vars-content-id="7c403a92-6438-46cd-9824-00332fdee1b3" data-vars-headline="Indiana libraries have seen more than a dozen book challenges this year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data" target="_blank">American Library Association report</a>.

Illustration of a stack of books with barbed wire wrapped around them. 

Notre Dame tops best colleges lists for Indiana

Plus: Purdue ranks higher than IU, and Butler maintains its "best in the Midwest" title.

The University of Notre Dame is still Indiana&#x27;s best university.Driving the news: U.S. News &amp; World Report released its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2023-24 Best Colleges rankings" data-vars-click-url="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/315/28sf1nxuw28uu5dnxawgddads/1/97ed8abc79a0782958115b63811ab399219a9d6a5355540dfd7c5c1e87520bf8" data-vars-content-id="63707a64-c1ce-4a87-883e-57e34500d2c5" data-vars-headline="Notre Dame tops best colleges lists for Indiana" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://usw2.nyl.as/t1/315/28sf1nxuw28uu5dnxawgddads/1/97ed8abc79a0782958115b63811ab399219a9d6a5355540dfd7c5c1e87520bf8" target="_blank">2023-24 Best Colleges rankings</a> this morning.

Illustration of a line chart on a college pennant.

Hamilton Southeastern superintendent Yvonne Stokes resigns

Some wonder if Stokes was forced out by a new board majority elected last year.

For the second time in three years, Hamilton Southeastern Schools is looking for a new superintendent.Driving the news: The HSE board accepted the resignation of superintendent Yvonne Stokes on Wednesday morning, one month into the school year and nine months before her initial contract was set to expire. She joined the district in 2021.

Lawmakers considering legislation to hold back third graders who can't read

Statehouse leaders say we need to end the practice of promoting kids who can't read.

The latest proposal from Statehouse leaders to get more Hoosier kids reading could cost the state more than $100 million.Driving the news: House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said last week that House Republicans are considering legislation for the upcoming session that would hold back third graders who can&#x27;t read on grade level.

Illustration of a tiny student looking at a huge stack of books.

Indiana's near-universal voucher program starts now

The income eligibility threshold increased this year to families of four making more than $220,000.

When Hoosier students start heading back to school this week, it&#x27;s expected that thousands more will do so at a private school while the state picks up the tuition tab.Driving the news: State lawmakers <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="earlier this year expanded eligibility" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2023/04/26/indiana-statehouse-private-school-vouchers-expansion" data-vars-content-id="2def1341-2c9c-4037-9f60-3bc74ba8fb67" data-vars-headline="Indiana&#x27;s near-universal voucher program starts now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2023/04/26/indiana-statehouse-private-school-vouchers-expansion" target="_self">earlier this year expanded eligibility</a> for the Indiana Choice Scholarship program, known as private school vouchers, allowing all but the wealthiest Hoosier families to get a voucher to cover at least part of the cost of private school tuition.

Illustration of two backpacks; one empty and one stuffed with cash.

Hooked on phonics: Indiana adopts "science of reading"

The state passed a new law requiring teachers be trained in the science of reading.

Teaching young children how to read is one of the most important things an educator can do, and yet many haven&#x27;t been properly trained in what has long been recognized as more science than art.Why it matters: 1 in 5 Hoosier third-graders didn&#x27;t have foundational reading skills by the end of third grade, according to results of the state reading assessment in the 2021-22 school year, failing to hit a pivotal educational milestone in which schooling transitions from learning to read to reading to learn.

Illustration of a glowing keyhole on an old book.

Indiana's reading scores are flat. That's a big problem.

The decline started even before the pandemic disrupted education nationwide.

Indiana&#x27;s third-grade reading scores are stagnating.Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Results" data-vars-click-url="https://www.in.gov/doe/it/data-center-and-reports/" data-vars-content-id="46cc3fe2-377f-4369-8d2b-65bff3ecdbdd" data-vars-headline="Indiana&#x27;s reading scores are flat. That&#x27;s a big problem." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.in.gov/doe/it/data-center-and-reports/" target="_blank">Results</a> from this past spring&#x27;s administration of the IREAD-3 exam released Wednesday show that Hoosier third graders have made little progress since the pandemic disrupted education nationwide.

Table showing Marion County IREAD-3 pass rates, by school district, for exams administered in Spring 2023. The pass rates range from 60.6% for Indianapolis Public Schools to 87.5% for Speedway Schools. The state average is 81.6%.

Ousted Taylor professor raises academic freedom concerns

Julie Moore taught English composition at the private Christian school for six years.

A professor at Taylor University — a private Christian institution in northeast Indiana — says she&#x27;s been let go for teaching about racial and social justice issues.Driving the news: Julie Moore, a nontenure-track professor at Taylor since 2017, told Axios she&#x27;ll be out of a job this summer after a new provost raised concerns about the content of her English composition course.

Photo illustration of Julie Moore next to a photo grid featuring Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Education 📚