Reading scores for Indiana's grade school students have reflected below average readiness levels on the state's recent achievement tests.

Educators said a software program in some schools is making a difference. The Indiana Department of Education supports a digital reading tool called "Readable English," which makes the English language phonetic with an embedded pronunciation guide, while keeping the spelling intact.

Tammy Miller, chief academic officer of Readable English, said schools have used the program during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years.

"The Department of Education in Indiana funded 27 schools to use Readable English at the middle school level in grades five through eight, and to take a look at that longitudinal data on the ILEARN scores in order to determine if this could be a way to help our students actually catch up," Miller explained.

Several Indiana school districts received the Readable English grant of nearly $350,000, including the Bloomfield School District, Eastern Greene Schools, Mitchell Community Schools, and North Lawrence Community Schools. Schools are also using the program in Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Georgia and Florida.

Miller noted students using the Readable English program increased their reading performance by nearly 10 times compared to their baseline ILEARN scores. Education site Chalkbeat reports ILEARN's 2024 results show 41 % of students were proficient or better in English language arts, up from 40.7% in 2023.

Miller views reading as more than just a required school subject and stressed it prepares a person for life beyond the classroom.

"Being literate is really the great equalizer in our society," Miller asserted. "Our children deserve to be able to read proficiently, and many would say that it is a civil right. It's absolutely critical that we pay attention to the reading issue in our state in order to provide a prepared workforce to our business and corporate community."

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development focuses on increasing the number of skilled workers to fill current job positions, while attracting new domestic and international business to the state.

In a country where Black men make up less than 2% of the teaching workforce, a program in Jacksonville is working to shift the balance by recruiting 1,000 Black male teachers by 2025.

Led by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, the "1,000 by 2025" initiative seeks to increase classroom diversity, offering essential representation for Black students who often lack role models within the education system.

Danté Jennings, director of strategic initiatives for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, said in addition to research showing net positive results, he believes the effort is crucial to ensuring students see themselves reflected in the classroom.

"Not only is it positive for our Black and Brown students to see themselves and who they're getting taught, inspired, molded by - corrected by, even - in schools as well," Jennings asserted. "All students benefit from having diverse male presence in their buildings."

Since its launch, the initiative has made steady progress. However, Jennings acknowledged significant challenges in recruitment, including low pay and retention issues. As of the latest count in September, more than 700 diverse male educators have joined classrooms, approaching the program's goal.

Meanwhile, discussions on educational equity and representation are gaining momentum nationally. Vice President Kamala Harris recently announced her "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men," which includes expanding loan forgiveness programs for Black male teachers and investing in HBCU-led initiatives aligning closely with Jacksonville's goal to build a sustainable pipeline of educators.

Despite challenges, Jennings noted the program is reassessing and troubleshooting issues to reach its goals, forging collaborations with local universities, including historically Black colleges and universities.

"The teacher vacancy to teacher discrepancy in the workforce versus the student demographics is not unique to Jacksonville," Jennings pointed out. "It is a nationwide issue. So we wanted to kind of position ourselves as a model for what could be done."

Jennings hopes the partnerships will create structured pathways for students in teacher education programs to enter the profession, providing mentorship and financial support. Research shows Black male teachers, like Black male students, often encounter racial biases, including heightened scrutiny and misunderstandings from school administrators and peers, which poses another challenge for recruitment.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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In the race for New Hampshire governor, the future of public education is on the line.

Democrat and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig opposes expanding the state's private school voucher program, while Republican former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte aims to remove the income cap for voucher eligibility.

Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association-New Hampshire, said the goal of the voucher program is to dismantle public schools.

"It is taking money, it's diverting money away from the public schools and it's putting it into a separate education system," Tuttle pointed out.

Tuttle noted more than 90% of New Hampshire students attend public schools, while the majority of students with vouchers were already enrolled in private, religious or home schools. The vouchers have siphoned more than $70 million from public school districts over the past four years.

The next governor will also determine the fate of current state Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, a staunch supporter of vouchers and a so-called Parental Bill of Rights which limits the topics teachers can discuss in the classroom. Ayotte has supported Edelblut's efforts, while Craig said she would immediately replace him.

Tuttle argued Edelblut's disdain for public education has hurt both teacher retention and recruitment efforts.

"It doesn't help anybody who might want to go into education, because they will be going into a profession where they're going to be attacked," Tuttle asserted. "They're not treated as professionals."

Ayotte said she would reward good teachers by improving pay and benefits but ensure they are not bringing politics or gender ideology into the classroom. Craig said she wants to increase teacher pay along with training and professional development.

A 2023 teacher survey found many are leaving the profession due to low pay and what many consider to be a devaluation of their profession.


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The Greater Albany Education Association has voted to strike in as soon as 10 days if no agreement is reached on a new contract with the Greater Albany Public Schools.

After nine months of bargaining, 92% of nearly 500 union members voted in favor of a strike, which would be the first teacher strike in Albany since 1987.

Dana Lovejoy, president of the union who has been in the district for 19 years, noted Albany teacher salaries are currently the lowest among 35 comparable Oregon districts, which she said affects staff recruitment, retention and classroom safety.

"Thirty-four other districts get paid more than we do," Lovejoy pointed out. "People just genuinely cannot afford to stay in this district."

The district said it is disappointed about the strike potential and it would not be able to meet the pay increases, class size limits and staff retention strategies the union is asking for. The union countered by pointing to the district's $15 million surplus, which it said is much higher than needed.

The school district's current salary offer would move Albany teacher pay up to 32nd of 35 comparable Oregon school districts. Lovejoy noted the district has yet to respond to 10 of the union's proposals. She added the money is there but thinks the district needs to reassess its goals.

"We know that a budget is the district's priorities," Lovejoy observed. "So we believe that they could reprioritize and put students first, followed by the staff who are in front of them."

One more mediation session has been scheduled but Lovejoy stressed the union has requested additional meetings to address class size limits, workload and health care. A strike could begin as soon as Nov. 12.

While Lovejoy hopes a walkout will not be necessary, she emphasized the union will stand firm for the sake of the students.

"I think it's important that our community knows that we are fighting for the schools that their children deserve," Lovejoy added.


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