Urban Indiana

Five Indiana education issues to watch in 2024

It may be a new year on the calendar, but January marks the halfway point of the school year and the start of the legislative session in Indiana. And there's no shortage of education news and issues to watch.

Here's five topics we're watching in 2024:

How students learn to read

No surprise here, but reading will likely get a lot of attention, just like in 2023.

Lawmakers passed a new state law in 2023 that requires school districts to adopt a curriculum that's aligned with the science of reading. The law also specifies that districts are no longer allowed to use literacy curriculum that rely mostly on the three-cueing model, in which students use context clues and pictures.

The new law grew out of concerns held by lawmakers and education officials about students' reading ability, and our story about what it means for students, teachers and schools was our most-read story of 2023.

When discussing next year's legislative session, lawmakers said they want to continue to address literacy by looking into Indiana's third grade retention laws for students who don't pass the state reading exam, the IREAD-3.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/five-indiana-education-issues-to-watch-in-2024

Indiana lawmakers set to tackle several major education topics

Although Indiana lawmakers maintain the 2024 legislative session will be quicker, quieter and "noncontroversial," there's no shortage of critical—even touchy—education-related topics expected to be prioritized in the coming months.

The General Assembly's next reconvening comes amid what some state leaders have called a statewide literacy "crisis." The latest Indiana data indicates that one in five third-graders currently lacks foundational reading skills.

Policymakers said they're also increasingly concerned about high rates of absenteeism in Hoosier schools. Nearly 20% of Hoosier students were chronically absent from school last year—meaning that they missed 18 days or more—according to the Indiana State Board of Education.

GOP leadership said those issues are top priorities in 2024. A review—and possible tweaks—to last year's work-based learning legislation are also expected, in addition to new bills targeting antisemitism on college campuses and cell phone use in K-12 classrooms.

More below:
https://www.ibj.com/articles/indiana-lawmakers-set-to-tackle-several-major-education-topics

Education priorities for Indiana lawmakers to include absenteeism, cell phone ban, sex ed

After several years of focusing on how teachers teach, Indiana lawmakers appear to have largely shifted their attention this year to concerns about students' academic performance and behavior stemming from the pandemic's disruptions.

Banning cell phones from classrooms, holding more kids back, and improving student discipline and absenteeism have all emerged as priorities for the 2024 legislative session, which began Monday, when Gov. Eric Holcomb also laid out his education policy agenda.

It's a short session in an even-numbered year, meaning lawmakers have less time to consider bills, and no budget to put together. Legislative leaders have also said to expect a quieter session after several years of major curriculum changes affecting things like literacy, as well as divisive and high-profile bills about critical race theory and book bans.

More below:
https://www.ibj.com/articles/education-priorities-for-indiana-lawmakers-to-include-absenteeism-cell-phone-ban-sex-ed