A new Westside charter school that’s part of the Indianapolis Public Schools District held an opening ceremony Monday.

Classes at Ignite Achievement Academy will start Aug. 7 at Elder Diggs School 42 on West 25th Street. The school is one of a growing stable of autonomous schools that are managed by outside groups.

The education policy discourse has grown increasingly toxic in Washington, exposing deepening divides over issues ranging from K-12 funding to school choice.

This time of federal deadlock offers a new reminder that our nation’s mayors must take greater ownership of education.

Mayors have stepped out on other prominent issues recently where the federal government has balked, most notably on climate change. Now they should leverage their unique position as the leaders closest to the people to move past the partisan federal debates on education and drive change in their communities’ K-12 systems.

I remember having my first African-American teacher when I attended IPS School #42. Seeing a Black woman leading students at the front of the class, in a school named for its beloved Black principal, Elder Diggs, made quite an impression on me as a little girl and helped shape me into the person I am today.

That’s why I applaud the news that five of the eight new Innovation School Fellows announced last week by The Mind Trust, Indianapolis Pubic Schools (IPS) and Mayor Joe Hogsett are people of color.

The Mind Trust has awarded longtime educator and principal Aleicha Ostler its Charter School Fellowship and has hired Oscar Gutierrez as Senior Director of Facility Strategy and Financing.

The Mind Trust names fourth class of Innovation School fellows to help create, transform city’s public schools Indianapolis – The Mind Trust, the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and Mayor Joe Hogsett, today announced the selection of the fourth cohort of Innovation School Fellows, talented educators who will design, launch and operate “Innovation Network Schools,” which […]