Steve Hinnefeld, Indiana blogger, recounts the curious trajectory of a fdderally funded tutoring program. To speed things along, the U.S. Department of Education made a no-bid contract with The Mind Trust to find tutors and students. The Mind Trust is known for its role in promoting charter schools. So far, it has signed up 200 students from an eligible pool of more than 50,000.
Indianapolis nonprofit the Mind Trust was awarded a no-bid contract to manage Indiana Learns. It will be paid up to $3 million to run the two-year, $15 million program, according to the contract. The Mind Trust is known for promoting charter schools; it has helped launch 45 charter or innovation network schools in Indianapolis. It also operates Indy Summer Learning Labs with United Way of Central Indiana.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The administration of another well-intentioned President…who went to private schools.
No bid contracts should be outlawed.
They are just begging for fraud.
The CEO of Mind Trust has his bio at the site. He was formerly at Carnahan High School for the Future in St. Louis. An internet search showed the school enrolls approx. 90% Black students. It is technology-integrated, has interactive instruction.
The CEO was formerly with TFA. He lists himself as serving on the Marian University (Catholic) Center for Vibrant Schools Board of Visitors.
If I interviewed Mind Trust’s CEO, I would ask him how the instruction at Carnahan High School compared to the learning experience at a school like Cathedral Roman Catholic H.S. where Mayor Greg Ballard attended.
I’d ask him how many TFA there are at Cathedral in a typical year.
Btw- Mind Trust’s CEO receives credit for opening 15 charter schools in his former job as Charter Schools Director during Ballard’s mayorship.
About Ballard’s alma mater- US News reports a teacher student ration of 13 to 1 and White student population of 70%. News reports show that Cathedral got $1.1 million from taxpayers in 2018. Wikipedia describes a 2019 controversy. “The Archbishop of Indianapolis asked Cathedral to fire a teacher involved in a same sex marriage or else…”. The school “opted to dismiss the teacher.”
I am so tired of overreach by the U.S. Department of Education. And I’m a liberal.
This is federal money, but it’s the Indiana DOE and not the US DOE that awarded the no bid contract to implement the ESA-like tutoring grants to parents that the state legislature enacted early in 2022. With the end of elected State Superintendents over a year ago, and the appointment of the new State Supt by the Governor, the IDOE is now completely in the hands of privatization and strongly favors Indiana’s well over 100 charters and 320+ voucher funded private schools.
Good correction, MaryAnn.