Education Panel Celebrates Cooperation in Circle City

Amid nationwide contentions among public, private, and charter education sectors, Indianapolis has seen unprecedented cooperation between historically unlikely partners that have been working together to create high quality education options for the city's children. The University of Notre Dame brought together leaders from these various sectors on Friday to discuss the changes Indianapolis has seen and the national implications of those changes.

Crossroads of America: Indianapolis's Bold New Vision for K-12 Education featured national and local education reformers who discussed the unique circumstances, policies, and lessons learned in Circle City schools -- a cohort of reformers many said would not have come together in the past.

"This group of people in this room would not have happened five years ago," Mickey Lentz, Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, said.

Representatives from private organizations, charter operators, and Indianapolis Public Schools alike stressed the importance of bringing high-quality talent to the school system, which is now abounding in Indianapolis.

"Indianapolis is a dramatically different city today in terms of the pool of talent we work with," David Harris said. Harris is the founder and CEO of The Mind Trust, an organization launched in 2006 to help create an educational landscape in Indianapolis that would give every child the opportunity to receive an excellent education.

"Building on our teachers' capacity, empowering our leaders—it's amazing what that can do," Tammy Bowman, curriculum officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, said.

Talent, along with accountability and choice, were highlighted as important aspects of effective education reform. The panelists said they see opportunities arising all over the country for positive change in the world of education.

We're gaining ground [in Illinois] in ways we never thought possible," Myles Mendoza, executive director of Ed Choice Illinois, said. "We're finding some great success."

Amid discussion of the importance of a culture of choice, solid accountability standards, and an influx of talented teachers, the conversation repeatedly came back to ensuring the constant improvement of local schools, as 76,000 Indianapolis children do not have access to a quality school.

"I see this tri-sector approach growing, where it's really about good schools, whether public, charter, or private," Mendoza said.

"Accountability and talent don't happen without choice," Derrell Bradford added. Bradford serves as the executive director of NYCAN. "There are really only two types of schools in the end—those you want to send someone you love to, and those you don't."

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Additional Coverage of Crossroads of America:

State Impact, Education Panel: To Improve Education State Must Address Poverty

Chalkbeat Indiana, Charter Advocates Call for More State, Philanthropy Funding