Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting was one of the longest in history because of public testimony on one issue: this year's ISTEP+. After the Department of Education sent out testing times this weeks, educators and parents were outraged by the almost tripling of time students will sit to take a test.

The Mind Trust will get $3.4 million from the Lilly Endowment to boost teacher and principal training and attract more teachers to Indianapolis.

By mid-afternoon on Monday, about 800 applications for On My Way Pre-K had come in to the Family and Social Services Administration from families interested in taking part in the pilot preschool program. That number more than doubled overnight, according to FSSA

Monday Dec. 15 is the deadline for families to apply for state's new "On My Way Pre-K" pilot program starting in January. Limited spots are available in Marion County.

Mayor Greg Ballard Thursday signed the ordinance to create a $40 million, five-year preschool scholarship program to provided free, early education to more than 1,000 of the city's low-income children.

Eligible families have until Monday, Dec. 15 to apply for On My Way Pre-K, Indiana's first state-funded prekindergarten program.

A new study is focusing on what works best to prepare kids for school. Math may be what really counts, say researchers; one of them describes it as "a lever to improve outcomes for kids longer term."

Parents have strong opinions about vaccination, a poll of parents done by the University of Michigan finds. Most want day care centers to require that children are up to date on their shots.

Indiana's Office of Early Education and Out-of-School Learning announced Wednesday that it is accepting applications from families who may be eligible for On My Way Pre-K grants in the first four pilot counties.