Tully: ‘Relentless’ education champion David Harris on leaving The Mind Trust

David Harris, CEO of The Mind Trust, sat down Monday to talk about his decision to leave the groundbreaking local nonprofit, which he founded in 2006 with the ambitious goal of injecting urgency and on-the-ground support into the effort to improve Indianapolis schools.

Twelve years have passed and the education landscape has changed dramatically, and for the better, within the Indianapolis Public Schools district boundaries. And while many champions are behind that improvement, from educators and students to parents, advocates and even politicians, Harris’ role in the change is outsized and worthy of a few moments as he moves on.

Without Harris and The Mind Trust, it’s hard to see how Indianapolis could have taken its place over the past decade as a city whose emerging education turnaround is a uniquely inspiring model for other cities. Without his demands for significant, smart change and his insistence that empowering school leaders would create a more dynamic education landscape, it’s easy to imagine the past decade being filled with more baby steps and not the tremendous progress we’ve seen…