The new format and role of the State Board of Education is taking shape as the the legislative session winds down, and it appears state superintendent Glenda Ritz will keep her role as board chair under changes made to Senate Bill 1.

According to a report from the bipartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in Chicago, school choice in Indiana is "designed to funnel taxpayer money to private schools, with little evidence that demonstrates improved academic achievement for students who are most at risk."

During an event at Wayne Township Preschool in Indianapolis, Gov. Mike Pence announced today the addition of nearly 600 spots for low-income four-year-olds in the fall launch of On My Way Pre-K, the state's first pre-k pilot program.

The House Tuesday passed Senate Bill 1, the measure that would change the makeup of the State Board of Education, including removing the state superintendent as chair and letting the board choose its own chair from among its ranks.

As the 2015 "education session" of the Indiana General Assembly draws to a close, lawmakers are making final moves - perhaps most notably in all sectors, finally whittling down the biennial budget.

The Indiana Senate's proposed budget would boost funding for education overall, much like the draft from the House, but it attempts to do so while ensuring urban schools won't be hit as hard because of declining enrollment, lawmakers said.

The House education committee voted 8-4 today in favor of an amendment that removes language from Senate Bill 566 that would have allowed the state to use a nationally crafted assessment rather than the ISTEP+.

In an editorial published by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette this week, State Board of Education member Andrea Neal called for Indiana to consider turning its back on more than $1 billion in federal education funds by rejecting the U.S. Department of Education's waiver from the No Child Left Behind law. Neil believes Indiana schools can be more innovative without federal requirements. She told WFYI education reporter Eric Weddle she was appointed to the state board because of her beliefs and she will continue fighting for what she this is best for students.

Sweeping changes to a bill that intended to overhaul the process of state takeover of failing schools today took away much of its punch.

Efforts to boost foreign language learning in Indiana are winning strong support at the Statehouse this year.