Education in Indiana

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Education in Indiana covers public and private schools, and higher education, from the territorial period to the present.

The University of Notre Dame holds an endowment of $18 billion, the largest in Indiana.

History[edit]

According to William J. Reese, Indiana followed the pattern of reform movements that originated in New England, and was brought to Indiana by Yankee Prebyterians in the northern half of the state. South of Indianapolis the arrivals from the Southern states considered education a private affair, with wealthy families supporting tutors. Before 1860 nearly all schooling was private. Across the state Presbyterian and other Protestant churches set up Sunday Schools that provided basic training in reading, writing, arithmetic and piety.[1]

Reform efforts included building support for common schools funded by local taxes, the development of city schools, and curricula designed by professional educators. Reforms during the 1880s to 1920s included high schools, manual training and vocational education in the high schools, and controversies regarding control of rural schools between the farmer parents and the centralizers in the county seat. By the late 20th century, new efforts to reform public education agitated the state.[2]

Early attempts[edit]

The Jefferson Academy was founded in 1801 as a public university for the Indiana Territory, and was reincorporated as Vincennes University in 1806, the first in the state.[3]

The 1816 Indiana Constitution in Article 8, Section 1 states:[4]

Knowledge and learning, generally diffused throughout a community, being essential to the preservation of a free government; it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual, scientific, and agricultural improvement; and to provide, by law, for a general and uniform system of Common Schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge, and equally open to all."

It took decades for the legislature began to fulfill its promise.

The 1820s saw the start in a few places of free public township schools, locally funded by taxes. During the administration of William Hendricks, a plot of ground was set aside in each township for the construction of a schoolhouse. [5] Indiana lagged the rest of the Midwest with the lowest literacy and education rates into the early 20th century.[6]

Caleb Mills[edit]

Caleb Mills (1806–1879) was an Presbyterian educator who served as the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana and was the first faculty member at Wabash College. He played a central role in designing the public education system of Indiana.[7]

Mills arrived in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in November 1833 with his bride Sarah, after graduating from Dartmouth College in 1828 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1833. He was the first professor and the principal of the Crawfordsville Classical High School, which opened in December 1833 with 12 students. As soon as a charter could be obtained from the state legislature it became the Wabash Teachers Seminary and Manual Labor College, finally acquiring the name Wabash College in 1851[8] Mills was recruited to the job by his old college roommate Edmund Otis Hovey, one of the nine founders of the school, who later joined him on the faculty as one of the professors. In the early days it was Mills' task as the sole teacher to teach all the classes in every subject, and additionally to serve as the pastor of a church six miles outside of town on weekends.

Starting in 1846, for six years, Mills wrote an annual address to the Indiana legislature on the subject of public education. In these letters, arguing for a statewide system of taxpayer funded free public schools, he made the case that the benefits of a "good and efficient system of free schools" would pay for themselves, and described the parts that would be needed for such a system, including township school committees, district superintendents, school libraries, and normal schools to train teachers. These addresses were printed in the Indiana State Journal under the byline "One of the People", and were the main influence on the new school law, embracing most of Mills' proposals, which was drafted and adopted by the state constitutional convention in 1852.

In 1854 Mills was elected Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, defeating the incumbent Democrat, William C. Larrabee, 99,857 to 85,835. Mills, a Whig, ran on a fusion ticket called the People's Party which brought together Whigs, Free Soilers, Know-Nothings and temperance advocates to support a common slate. Mills, after serving one term, did not stand for re-election in 1856 and Larrabee regained the office. Mills remained on the faculty of Wabash College, teaching Greek and serving as curator of the college library, until his death in 1879.

Higher education[edit]

For a list of institutions, see Category:Universities and colleges in Indiana.

The state government chartered Indiana University in Bloomington in 1820 as the State Seminary. Construction began in 1822, the first professor was hired in 1823, and classes were offered in 1824.

Other state colleges were established for specialized needs. They included Indiana State University, established in Terre Haute in 1865 as the state normal school for training teachers. Purdue University was founded in 1869 as the state's land-grant university, a school of science and agriculture. Ball State University was founded as a normal school in the early 20th century and given to the state in 1918.[9]

Public colleges lagged behind the private religious colleges in both size and educational standards until the 1890s.[10]

In 1855, North Western Christian University [now Butler University] was chartered by Ovid Butler after a split with the Christian Church Disciples of Christ over slavery. Significantly the university was founded on the basis of anti-slavery and co-education. It was one of the first to admit African Americans and one of the first to have a named chair for female professors, the Demia Butler Chair in English.[11] Asbury College (now Depauw University) was Methodist. Wabash College was Presbyterian; they led the Protestant schools.[12] The University of Notre Dame, founded by Rev Edward Sorin in 1842, proclaims itself as a prominent Catholic college.[13]

Basketball[edit]

Indiana did not invent basketball but it pioneered in adding it to the high school curriculum, using it to build rural support for urban high schools, and giving prestige to top black athletes. High schools based in the county seat won countywide support, as hundreds and even thousands of supporters packed the bleachers to cheer the county team.[14][15]

There was racial segregation of black students especially in Indianapolis. Although official segregation ended in the 1940s, in practice the great majority of blacks attended schools that were overwhelmingly black. One unexpected result was that whites in Indianapolis cheered all-black Crispus Attucks High School in its quest for the state basketball championship.[16][17].

Current[edit]

Public schools[edit]

Indiana's 1816 constitution was the first in the country to implement a state-funded public school system. It also allotted one township for a public university.[18] However, the plan turned out to be far too idealistic for a pioneer society, as tax money was not accessible for its organization. In the 1840s, Caleb Mills pressed the need for tax-supported schools, and in 1851 his advice was included in the new state constitution. In 1843 the Legislature ruled that African Americans could not attend the public schools, leading to the foundation of Union Literary Institute and other schools for them, funded by donations or the students themselves.[19] The Indiana General Assembly authorized separate but equal schools for Black students in 1869, and in 1877 language in the law changed to allow for integrated schools.[19]

Although the growth of the public school system was held up by legal entanglements, many public elementary schools were in use by 1870. Most children in Indiana attend public schools, but nearly ten percent attend private schools and parochial schools.[20] About half of all college students in Indiana are enrolled in state-supported four-year schools.

Indiana public schools have gone through several changes throughout Indiana's history. Modern, public school standards, have been implemented all throughout the state. These new standards were adopted in April 2014. The overall goal of these new state standards is to ensure Indiana students have the necessary skills and requirements needed to enter college or the workforce upon high school graduation.[21] State standards can be found for nearly every major subject taught in Indiana public schools. Mathematics, English/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies are among the top, prioritized standards. In 2022, the Indiana Department of Education reported that the state's overall graduation rate was 86.7%, down one percent from 2021.[22]

The rate of Indiana high school students attending college fell to 53% in 2022, a significant decline from 65% in 2017.[23][24] Indiana's college-going rates have fallen further than most states'.[25][26][27][28] Trends reveal widening gaps for ethnic minorities and low-income families.[27]

Vocational schools[edit]

Indiana has a strong vocational school system. Charles Allen Prossor, known as the father of vocational education in the United States, was from New Albany. The Charles Allen Prosser School of Technology is named in his honor. There are vocational schools in every region of Indiana, and most Indiana students can freely attend a vocational school during their high school years and receive training and job placement assistance in trade jobs. The International Union Of Operating Engineers (IUOE) has seven local unions in Indiana, offering apprenticeship and training opportunities.[29] According to the Electrical Training Alliance website, there are ten electrical training centers in Indiana.[30]

Colleges and universities[edit]

See also: List of colleges and universities in Indiana

The state's community college system, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, serves nearly 200,000 students annually, making it the state's largest public post-secondary educational institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system.[31] In 2008, the Indiana University system agreed to shift most of its associate (2-year) degrees to the Ivy Tech Community College System.[32]

Indiana University is a multi-campus university system. Its flagship campus at Bloomington began as the Indiana Seminary in 1820. Indiana State University was established in Terre Haute as the state's Normal School in 1865. Purdue University was chartered in West Lafayette as the state's land-grant university in 1869 and is also now a multi-campus institution. The three other independent state universities are Vincennes University (founded in 1801 by the Indiana Territory), Ball State University (founded 1918 as the East Division of Indiana State), and the University of Southern Indiana (founded 1965 as the Evansville campus of Indiana State).

Many of Indiana's private colleges and universities are affiliated with religious denominations. The University of Notre Dame, Marian University, and the University of Saint Francis are Catholic. Universities affiliated with Protestant denominations include Anderson University, Butler University, Huntington University, Manchester University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University, Franklin College, Hanover College, DePauw University, Earlham College, Valparaiso University, University of Indianapolis, and University of Evansville.[33]

The state has several universities ranked among the best by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Notre Dame ranks among the top 20, Purdue University among the top 50, and Indiana University Bloomington among the top 100.[34][35][36] Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has recently made it into the top 200 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Butler, Valparaiso, and the University of Evansville are ranked among the top ten in the Regional University Midwest Rankings. Purdue's engineering programs are ranked fourth in the country.[37] In addition, Taylor University is ranked first in the Regional College Midwest Rankings and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been considered the nation's top undergraduate engineering school for 25 consecutive years.[38][39][40][41][42]

The state is also home to the largest medical school system in the country (the Indiana University School of Medicine) and a smaller, osteopathic medical school (the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine). In addition, Indiana boasts one veterinary medical school (the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine), one optometry school (Indiana University School of Optometry), three pharmacy schools (the Purdue College of Pharmacy, Butler College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Manchester College of Pharmacy, Natural, and Health Sciences) and four law schools (IU Maurer School of Law, IU McKinney School of Law, Notre Dame Law School, and Purdue Global Law School).

Indiana University Bloomington. The public Indiana University system enrolls 114,160 students.[43]
Purdue University. The public Purdue University system enrolls 67,596 students, not including Purdue Global.[44]

see also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Grover L. Hartman, "The Hoosier Sunday School: A Potent Religious/Cultural Force" Indiana Magazine of History 78#3 (1982), pp. 215–241 online
  2. ^ William J. Reese, ed., Hoosier Schools: past and present (Indiana University press 1998)
  3. ^ See About VU
  4. ^ For text see online
  5. ^ Dunn, pp. 315–317
  6. ^ Patrick J. Furlong, "Indiana" in Gale Farmington, ed.), Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century (2000) 2:101–103.
  7. ^ Anne T. Fraker, "Caleb Mills: Schools, Christianity, and Civilization in the West." American Presbyterians 70.3 (1992): 151–162.
  8. ^ Osborne (1932), p. 31.
  9. ^ Gray (1995), p. 182
  10. ^ Furlong, "Indiana" 2:101–103.
  11. ^ "Butler Libraries Blog " University Founder Demia Butler & The University's Abolitionist-Feminist Beginnings". blogs.butler.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  12. ^ Gray (1995), p. 87
  13. ^ Marvin R. O'Connell, Edward Sorin (2001).
  14. ^ Phillip M. Hoose, Hoosiers: The fabulous basketball life of Indiana (Indiana UP, 2016), ch. 1.
  15. ^ Todd Gould, Pioneers of the Hardwood: Indiana and the Birth of Professional Basketball (Indiana UP, 1998)
  16. ^ Alexander M. Moore, "Elementary and Secondary Education" in Donald F. Carmony, ed. Indiana: A Self-Appraisal (Indiana UP, 1966), pp. 166–185.
  17. ^ Richard B. Pierce, "More than a game: The political meaning of high school basketball in Indianapolis." in Sport and the Color Line (Routledge, 2004) pp.223-246 abstract
  18. ^ "Indiana History: Indiana, the Nineteenth State (1816)". Center for History. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
  19. ^ a b "Examining the Cross-roads: School Segregation in Indiana: Center for Evaluation, Policy, & Research: Indiana University Bloomington". Center for Evaluation, Policy, & Research. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  20. ^ "Indiana K-12 School Enrollment grows for 2021-2022 School Year". January 20, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "Indiana Academic Standards". Indiana Department of Education. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  22. ^ Roberts, Mary. "State Releases 2021 Graduation Rates". Inside INdiana Business. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  23. ^ "Rate of Indiana high school students headed to college plummets to 53%". Chalkbeat Indiana. June 10, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "Indiana College Readiness Report 2021" (PDF). In.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  25. ^ Nietzel, Michael T. "Updated Figures Show College Enrollments Falling Further Behind Last Year". Forbes. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  26. ^ Indiana, Helen Rummel, Chalkbeat (June 11, 2022). "Rate of Indiana high school students headed to college drops to 53%". NUVO. Retrieved July 22, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ a b "Rate of Indiana high school students headed to college plummets to 53%". Chalkbeat Indiana. June 10, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  28. ^ brooke.mcafee@newsandtribune.com, BROOKE MCAFEE (June 13, 2022). "Local college enrollment reflects Indiana decline". News and Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  29. ^ "Local Unions by State/Province". www.iuoe.org. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  30. ^ "electrical training ALLIANCE for the IBEW and NECA". electricaltrainingalliance.org. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  31. ^ "Ivy Tech Reports Record Enrollment". Insideindianabusiness.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  32. ^ "Hoosier State Gets Coordinated". Inside Higher Ed. May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  33. ^ "About UE". University of Evansville. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010.
  34. ^ "University of Notre Dame".
  35. ^ "Purdue University-West Lafayette".
  36. ^ "Indiana University-Bloomington".
  37. ^ "2023-2024 Best Engineering Schools". US News & World Report. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  38. ^ National University Ranking|Top National Universities|US News Best Colleges Archived May 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. News & World Report, retrieved 2013-Aug-13
  39. ^ Regional University Midwest Rankings|Top Regional Universities Midwest|US News Best Colleges Archived October 29, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. News & World Report, retrieved 2013-Aug-13
  40. ^ Regional College Midwest Rankings|Top Regional Colleges Midwest|US News Best Colleges Archived January 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. News & World Report, retrieved 2013-Aug-13
  41. ^ Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs|Rankings|UsNews Archived September 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. News & World Report, retrieved 2013-Sept-17
  42. ^ "The Survey Says: Rose-Hulman No. 1 in U.S. News' Engineering Rankings for 24th Straight Year". www.rose-hulman.edu. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  43. ^ "Indiana University enrollment remains strong; minority numbers up" (Press release). Indiana University Newsroom. August 31, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  44. ^ "Purdue University sets record for largest enrollment and highest graduation rates ever" (Press release). Purdue University. September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2017.

Further reading[edit]

  • Boone, Richard G. A history of education in Indiana (R. Appleton, 1892) online
  • Cotton, Fassett A. Education in Indiana. An outline of the growth of the common school system, together with statements relating to the condition of secondary and higher education in the state and a brief history of the educational exhibit (1904) online.
  • Davis, Gail D. "An oral history of rural schools in Pike County, Indiana" (PhD dissertation, University of Central Florida; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2004. 3134676).
  • McCord, David Marion. "Sunday School and Public School: An Exploration of their Relationship with special reference to Indiana, 1790-1869" (PhD dissertation, Purdue University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1976. 7701744).
  • Madison, James H. Indiana Through Tradition & Change: A History of the Hoosier State & Its People, 1920-1945 (1982) pp. 263–291. online
  • Phillips, Clifton J. "Chapter X: The Expansion of education" in Indiana in Transition: The Emergence of an Industrial Commonwealth, 1880-1920 (1968), pp. 386-486. online
  • Reese, William J. Hoosier Schools: Past and Present (1998)
  • Rudolph, L. C. Hoosier Faiths: A History of Indiana's Churches and Religious Groups (1995), 710 pp.
  • Thornbrough, Emma Lou. Indiana in the Civil War Era, 1850-1880 (1965) pp. 461–535. online

External links[edit]

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