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Indianapolis Public Schools relaunches Education Equity initiative

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) relaunched its Education Equity initiative centered on providing for students and teachers.

The pandemic impacted students across the board, affecting lower income children and minorities most.

“With black and brown people it always has been somewhat ever hard way to go,” said parent, Aaron Jones.

In 2020, IPS launched the Education Equity Fund, to help students and educators. Jones’ son is not a student at IPS, but says the pandemics impact on education crossed district lines. His son is one of the fortunate students.

“My son is pretty self sufficient. He pretty stays on top of that,” said Jones.

Since the initial rollout, $1 million and more then $650,000 in grants have been poured into the Education Equity Fund.

“As we continue to navigate today’s educational landscape while providing high quality public education for all students, the work of the IPS Foundation and the Education Equity Fund makes a significant impact in securing essential resources for teachers and enrichment opportunities for students,” IPS said.

While many districts saw a decrease in ILEARN results, IPS and multiple charter schools saw growth. Jones says, if this new relaunch boosts better education, he supports it.

“It’s always good for some extra help and benefits to help people ease their journey up,” Jones said.

In addition to the steps IPS is taking, the Indiana Department of Education recently launched Indiana Learns. The program gives qualifying families access to grants for math and reading tutoring.