Indianapolis

With an unprecedented alignment of state, municipal, and school efforts to create city-wide change, the educational outlook in Indianapolis at this moment is one of great hope.

At the state level, in 2011, the Indiana Department of Education passed the boldest education legislation in the country—eliminating seniority as the only driver of teacher layoff decisions, creating a new teacher evaluation system, and granting principals greater autonomy over schools.

At the city level, Teach For America alumnus Jason Kloth (Rio Grande Valley Corps '03) was recently named deputy mayor of education. He is now working with community stakeholders to create a city-wide vision and strategic plan with the goal of making Indianapolis the model for what's possible in public education.

In schools, innovative campuses like KIPP: Indy College Prep and the Challenge Foundation Academy, both of which are led by Teach For America alumni, are quickly becoming some of the highest-performing schools in the city. More than 10% of public schools in Marion County are run by Teach For America alumni.

And in the community, organizations like The Mind Trust and Stand for Children are mobilizing parents, teachers, civic leaders, nonprofits, corporations, and foundations around a shared vision for change.

With just 40,000 students in Indianapolis Public Schools and a "we can" attitude, our city—known for speed—is ready to accelerate the pace of change in public education in ways that will benefit all of its children. Teach For America - Indianapolis' 140 corps members and over 260 alumni—including 70 teachers, 12 school leaders, and 15 policy and advocacy leaders—are dedicated to working with the community to play a major role in this effort.