New Ind. State Superintendent Looks Past Party Labels for Good Ideas

Glenda Ritz, the newly elected Democratic state superintendent of public instruction, isn't going to let a state government controlled by Republicans stop her from making changes she believes will improve Indiana's schools.

The Indianapolis teacher said she knows there aren't enough votes in the Republican-dominated Legislature to make big changes, such as repealing Indiana's private school voucher program, but said her position has enough flexibility to get the state "moving forward in a different direction."

For example, Ritz said she supports the requirement all third-graders be able to read but plans to get rid of the pass/fail test implemented by her predecessor, Republican Tony Bennett. Students instead would be provided intensive reading instruction and measured on their growth toward literacy, rather than by their performance on a single, high-stakes test.