“Traditional public education is nothing less than the cornerstone of democracy.” Unraveling Reform Rhetoric, p. 81
Two of the three authors of an important new book will lead off the annual ICPE membership meeting in Indianapolis this coming Saturday, August 24th. Don’t miss it!
If you support public schools and want to keep them public, we need you!
When: Saturday, August 24, 2019, 2 – 4 p.m.
Where: H. Dean Evans Community Center, MSD of Washington Township
86th & Woodfield Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis
What: Annual Indianapolis meeting of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education
Open to all ICPE members and to all who support public education.
Speakers are: Dr. Michael Shaffer (Ball State University) and Dr. Jeff Swensson (Ball State retired, former superintendent in Carmel) will speak. They have authored (along with Dr. John Ellis, former executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents after serving as superintendent in Noblesville and Jennings County) a new book entitled Unraveling Reform Rhetoric: What Educators Need to Know and Understand, which raises questions about recent education reforms. They will share their concerns described in the book about the differences between traditional public education and free-market schooling.
The three authors address fundamental questions about the current battle to maintain traditional public schools:
“If free market theory disconnects individuals from their responsibilities and obligations to create and maintain the public good, what happens to U.S. democracy? If what is known about the potential of traditional public education is lost, can the primacy of self-interest suffice for the good of the nation?” (Unraveling Reform Rhetoric, p. 79)
The book’s analysis is based on a premise familiar to public school advocates: “The future of U.S. students and the future of democracy depend on an inclusive, academically rigorous, and socially just traditional public education.” (p. 8)
Come and hear more from the authors!
PLUS Joel Hand will speak, our outstanding ICPE lobbyist for all nine General Assembly sessions since ICPE was founded in 2011. He will overview the 2019 session, especially ICPE’s efforts to improve the budget, and then share what he expects to emerge in the 2020 session.
9th Annual Fall Membership Meeting in Indianapolis
For the ninth fall, the Indiana Coalition for Public Education is inviting all ICPE members as well as all who support public education to come to the Washington Township Community and Education Center. The future of public education in Indiana hangs in the balance.
Come for information and great networking with other public school advocates. Come in support of public education!
Please join us on August 24 at 2 p.m.!
Bring a public education friend with you! RSVPs aren’t required, but feel free to email us at icpe2011@icpe2011.com to let us know you’re coming.
Thank you for your active support of public education in Indiana!
Best wishes,
Vic Smith
“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!
ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. We need your membership to help support ICPE lobbying efforts. As of July 1st, the start of our new membership year, it is time for all ICPE members to renew their membership.
Our lobbyist Joel Hand represented ICPE extremely well during the 2019 budget session. We need your memberships and your support to continue his work. We welcome additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!
Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!
Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:
I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998. In 2013 I was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education, and in 2014 I was honored to be named to the Teacher Education Hall of Fame by the Association for Teacher Education – Indiana. In April of 2018, I was honored to receive the 2018 Friend of Education Award from the Indiana State Teachers Association.
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