July 19, 2012: Question of the Day

Who is providing Tony Bennett's campaign dollars? Follow the money!

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Indiana Coalition for Public Education

IT'S TIME FOR MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS!

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) is a bi-partisan non-profit organization. Its mission is to focus public tax dollars on the K-12 education of public school students by opposing legislation in the Indiana General Assembly that would:

• fund private school vouchers
• expand private school tax credits
• privatize charter schools by allowing private colleges and agencies to be authorizers
• put for-profit managers in place to take a profit from operating public schools
• privatize public schools through any other means

The membership year of the ICPE is July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013. Membership renewals are vital to maintain a strong lobbying presence in the long session of the legislature which begins in January.

Membership (including renewal) forms are available at the ICPE web site.

http://www.icpe2011.com/Join_ICPE.html

Mail checks to: ICPE, PO Box 7093, Fishers, IN 46037

July 14, 2012: Question of the Day

With so many of our tax dollars going for unnecessary high stakes testing, can you think of any better ways to spend that money?

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July 13, 2012: Question of the Day

With all of the emphasis on test scores this week, do you think that these higher numbers are the best measure of what a child has really learned? Are we promoting students to be life-long learners or are we teaching them how to be good test-takers? What do you think?

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July 11, 2012: Question of the Day

Did you know that Indiana’s education voucher program will divert $58.5 million in the first two years from public to private schools based on 7500 vouchers in the first year and 15,000 in the second year?

The cap on vouchers will be LIFTED by 2013; there will be no limit after that.
Where is the outrage at this shifting public tax dollars to private institutions?

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July 10, 2012: Question of the Day

If test results are going up ("FWCS Posts ISTEP+ Gains for Third Consecutive Year"), wouldn’t that say that FWCS is doing better, so we can therefore trust that our teachers are doing a good job? Wouldn't the natural consequence be to see a decrease in testing rather than an increase? Does this make sense?

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NEIFPE Platform Adopted

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education has adopted the following Platform:

To build a school, family, and community partnership that fosters learning, creativity, critical thinking skills, and success among our children:

1. We believe tax money should support public education in the state of Indiana. All school districts in Indiana deserve equitable funding.
2. We believe tax dollars should not fund for-profit charter schools or vouchers for private/parochial schools.
3. We believe the use of high-stakes testing is harmful to students. The time and money spent on testing and test preparation should instead be spent on hands-on learning and creative problem-solving skills.
4. We believe test scores should be used as a diagnostic tool for instruction. Test scores should never be used to grade schools or to evaluate teachers.
5. We believe more tax dollars should be appropriated to pre-school and all day kindergarten. Research clearly shows that consistent early childhood education has positive long-lasting results.
6. We believe in the important role of the teacher in the classroom. All children should be taught by qualified instructors. Effective teacher preparation programs are vital, and teacher licensing should be based upon effective teacher preparation.
7. We believe the family plays a critical role, and parents must have a significant voice in the education of their children. A good educational environment is developed in the partnership between the school and the family.
8. We believe in a broad curriculum which includes the fine and performing arts, physical education, science, social studies, as well as math, reading, and writing. Such a curriculum is determined by the individual needs of local schools and their communities.

A pdf version of the document is available HERE, or by clicking on the link to NEIFPE Platform under INFORMATION AND FACT SHEETS in the menu at the right.

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