Skip to main content
Alt text
Essential education reporting across America
NEWSLETTERSDONATE
  • Communities
    • Chicago
    • Colorado
    • Detroit
    • Indiana
    • New York
    • Newark
    • Philadelphia
    • Tennessee
    • National News
  • Topics
    • 2024 Election
    • Student Voices Fellowship
    • En Español
    • Diversity & Equity
    • Teaching & Classroom
    • Politics & Policy
    • Student & School Performance
    • Charters & Choice
    • How I Teach
    • First Person
  • Jobs Board
  • Events
  • About Us
  • More
Alt text
  • Communities
    • Chicago
    • Colorado
    • Detroit
    • Indiana
    • New York
    • Newark
    • Philadelphia
    • Tennessee
    • National News
  • Topics
    • 2024 Election
    • Student Voices Fellowship
    • En Español
    • Diversity & Equity
    • Teaching & Classroom
    • Politics & Policy
    • Student & School Performance
    • Charters & Choice
    • How I Teach
    • First Person
  • Jobs Board
  • Events
  • About Us
  • More

Erica Irish

Author

Connect

Opens in new windowOpens in new window
Want to weigh in on Indiana’s teacher pay debate? Here’s how you can offer input.
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
Want to weigh in on Indiana’s teacher pay debate? Here’s how you can offer input.

The governor’s teacher pay commission announced Monday a series of public meetings next month to solicit ideas for how to raise teacher salaries in Indiana.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 8, 2019
In town hit by HIV, Austin High School leans on its teachers and bets on homeroom
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
In town hit by HIV, Austin High School leans on its teachers and bets on homeroom

Austin, Indiana, hard-hit by the opioid crisis, made national headlines in 2015 after an HIV outbreak swept this rural town of about 4,200 people. Now, as Austin recovers, its local high school is leveraging major philanthropic dollars to revamp its counseling efforts.

By 
Erica Irish
 | August 12, 2019
Charie Gibson was homeless 17 times. Now she helps more than 1,000 homeless students in Indianapolis.
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
Charie Gibson was homeless 17 times. Now she helps more than 1,000 homeless students in Indianapolis.

As the sole administrator responsible for serving the more than 1,000 homeless students in Indianapolis Public Schools, Gibson knows, perhaps better than anyone else in the district, the laws, policies, and resources students need to find stability.

By 
Erica Irish
 | August 9, 2019
To recruit teachers, Indianapolis built an Educators’ Village. But was it enough of an incentive?
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
To recruit teachers, Indianapolis built an Educators’ Village. But was it enough of an incentive?

Lefler is the type of buyer that developers had in mind when they first floated the idea of “Educators’ Village” — only they expected many more like her. One year since its first houses went on the market, seven out of the 15 homes sold in the village are now occupied by teachers.

By 
Erica Irish
 | August 1, 2019
To keep transportation costs low, more Indianapolis charter schools look to partner with IndyGo
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
To keep transportation costs low, more Indianapolis charter schools look to partner with IndyGo

In offering city bus passes to district students, Indianapolis Public Schools is taking a page from the city's charter sector, which is increasingly leaning on IndyGo to get students to school at a reasonable price.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 29, 2019
Kamala Harris promises $2.5 billion for teacher prep programs at HBCUs to improve educator diversity
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
Kamala Harris promises $2.5 billion for teacher prep programs at HBCUs to improve educator diversity

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris proposed in Indianapolis Friday infusing $2.5 billion into teacher preparation programs at historically black colleges and universities to help produce more educators of color.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 26, 2019
‘Giving students an equal start’: Democratic presidential candidates push for pre-K at Indy conference
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
‘Giving students an equal start’: Democratic presidential candidates push for pre-K at Indy conference

Five 2020 Democratic presidential candidates pointed to education as a tool for accelerating economic growth in urban communities and fighting voter suppression during a forum Thursday, with several calling for more support for pre-kindergarten, social-emotional learning, and free community college.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 25, 2019
How an Indianapolis teacher uses a math lesson to inspire immigrant and refugee students learning English
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
How an Indianapolis teacher uses a math lesson to inspire immigrant and refugee students learning English

Coming from at least 30 different countries and speaking 20 languages, Ethan Hoffman’s students often face more challenges than his ninth-grade math classes.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 15, 2019
Melton and McCormick launch their bipartisan listening tour with conversations about charters, pay, and diversity
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
Melton and McCormick launch their bipartisan listening tour with conversations about charters, pay, and diversity

Democratic Senator Eddie Melton told a crowd of more than 100 people Thursday that good education policy only happens when public officials ask for help: From the experts, yes, but also from the communities that will be affected.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 12, 2019
An Indiana private school’s $500 recruitment deal reignites debate over voucher oversight
FROM Chalkbeat Indiana
An Indiana private school’s $500 recruitment deal reignites debate over voucher oversight

A small but growing private school in Noblesville was offering a deal to its families: Get a friend to enroll at Legacy Christian School, and you'll get $500 off your tuition.

By 
Erica Irish
 | July 1, 2019

Who We Are

  • About Us
  • Code of Ethics
  • Our Staff
  • Careers at Chalkbeat
  • Awards
  • Our Supporters

Policies

  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Become a Sponsor
  • How to Be a Source
  • Newsletters

Newsrooms

  • Chalkbeat
  • Votebeat
  • Healthbeat
InstagramFacebookLinkedInX

CHALKBEAT IS A CIVIC NEWS COMPANY NEWSROOM ©2025

Logo Civic News Company
clockCST_