MJ Slaby

MJ Slaby

Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Indiana

MJ Slaby is the Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Indiana. She joined Chalkbeat from the Indianapolis Star where she covered K-12 education. Prior to that, she covered K-12 and higher education at the Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tenn.), higher education at the Bloomington Herald-Times (Ind.) and K-12 education at the Lafayette Journal & Courier (Ind.). Additionally, she was part of the team that launched The Incline, a local news website in Pittsburgh, Pa. and spent a season covering the WNBA's Indiana Fever for The Athletic. MJ grew up in northern Indiana and is a graduate of Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a second major in American Studies.

Indiana schools must now have cell phone bans. We want to know how that’s impacting you.

What questions do you have for the candidates for the Indianapolis Public Schools board? Tell us and attend a forum to hear from the candidates vying for four open seats.

The new school year is here, see what’s new for you and your students around cell phones, reading, state testing and more.

The proposed diploma rules would prioritize workplace readiness and create three “seals” indicating preparedness for enlistment, employment, and enrollment.

Writing for Perspicacity Magazine isn’t like a class assignment, teacher Ben Boruff said. Students have to be brave to put their work out for all to read.

The 2025 IPS Teachers of the Year are Ashley Hogan of Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School and Linda Thomson of Shortridge High School.

With federal pandemic aid for schools expiring, the schools say the additional operating funding would be crucial for students and staff.

The state’s FAFSA completion rates have dipped from a year ago, but there’s still time to fill out the FAFSA before a key April 15 deadline.

Michele Whaley, a school social worker at Eleanor Skillen School 34, shares how one person can have a big impact on a student.

The theme of the March 1 event co-hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana in Indianapolis is: “From Lesson Plan to New Plan.”