Community partnerships play vital role in improved Indiana reading scores
By Teri Dee • Indiana News Service
An Education Scorecard report ranks Indiana students as having among the best reading rates in the country and community partnerships have taken a major role in improving lagging test scores.
The Near East Side Innovation School Corporation, which contains the Thomas Gregg and Washington Irving Neighborhood schools, has been helping with the reading comprehension problem since 2016.
Ross Pippin, CEO of the corporation, said students’ academic success is a tag-team effort.
“It’s a whole community. Schools can’t do this work alone and when educators and families and community partners are pulling in the same direction, kids have a much better chance at succeeding,” Pippin asserted.
The Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination assessment is Indiana’s yearly reading proficiency test. At Washington Irving, more than 82% of third graders passed in 2026, a 32% improvement over three years. Slightly more than 63% of Thomas Gregg students passed the exam this year, a 17% gain since 2024.
The campuses have integrated community support, on-site mental health services, family education resources, and connection points to neighborhood nonprofits, including the Indy East Promise Neighborhood and the J.H. Boner Center.
The purpose is to ensure instruction extends beyond the classroom, Pippin explained, and to help families needing additional support.
“There’s a nurse practitioner at both our schools serving students and families. They also have financial resources available to families attending schools, as well as other supports that remove barriers from students’ learning,” Pippin outlined.
Pippin added educators hope to build up Thomas Gregg and Washington Irving Neighborhood schools and make them into academic institutions families can count on for future generations.
