Do I stay in the heart of Indianapolis and maintain the urban lifestyle I love, or move to a suburb or another city in search of a better school system?

It is clear that IPS and The Mind Trust have dramatically different visions for what needs to happen in the district to ensure every student has access to an excellent education. IPS proposes continuing many of the same strategies the district has tried over the years: adding magnet schools and programs, making a few administrative trims and offering certain schools limited autonomy. The Mind Trust believes we must fundamentally change how IPS operates if we are going to transform student results.

Indianapolis Public Schools chief Eugene White disappointed on April 16 when he unveiled proposals that would merely futz around the edges of the troubled system rather than match or exceed the dramatic innovations put forth by The Mind Trust last year. This was White's chance to show vision for improving IPS after being turned down for jobs outside the state and saying he would end his career in Indianapolis. Instead, he projected a defiant tilt toward the status quo.

The Mind Trust's goal is to ensure every child in Indianapolis has the opportunity to receive an excellent education. We believe that dramatically increasing the number of high-quality schools in our city is critical to this mission.

Superintendent Eugene White could hardly be expected to endorse the full package of reforms proposed for Indianapolis Public Schools by an outside advocacy group. The size of the gap between White's own proposal and the much-discussed plan from The Mind Trust, however, bodes ill for the level of cooperation that will be needed to bring real and lasting change to an underperforming system marked by inertia.

It is clear that IPS and The Mind Trust have dramatically different visions for what needs to happen in the district to ensure every student has the chance to receive an excellent education. These differences provide an opportunity for the community to have a robust conversation about IPS's future.