National lessons from Indiana: With charter schools expanding, will public schools be left behind?
INDIANAPOLIS—Principal Marcus Robinson strides down the hallway of Indianapolis’s Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, past a wall that proclaims in huge letters “COLLEGE OR DIE.” His maroon polo shirt and khakis match the uniforms of middle-schoolers standing in line for the bathroom, their noses buried in books.
In a booming voice, Robinson praises them for their diligence and then continues with his rounds. He picks up pieces of trash, chastises students who are talking as they switch rooms, and singles out a girl for being too loud, telling her “I need your leadership.” Robinson’s tough-love, no-excuses approach is getting results: The