On Eve of Education Speech, Indiana Leaders Pledge Support to Kids, Not Systems

As Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett prepares for his second State of Education address tomorrow night, we wanted to give you a preview of what he'll be discussing based upon some recent local news reports across the Hoosier State.

Today we've linked to one that is of particular note, in part because it gives us insight into not only Bennett's vision for the state's educational future, but also shines a light on the man behind it all—Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

In addition to the short interview clip with Daniels, the report wraps up with words that make clear that the governor is in this fight for the right reasons (emphasis ours):

Next year the cap on vouchers goes up to 15000. Daniels says he doesn't know if applications will reach that number either. In fact, he says he doesn't care. He says his goal was always simply to give parents a choice, and what he'd really love would be for the public schools to improve so much that parents wouldn't want to use the vouchers anymore.

That's right—despite what opponents may say, he's not in this to hurt public schools, but he's also realistic about the fact that many kids today aren't getting what they need from them. That's the kind of attitude we'd love to see among more of our leaders across the country.

Click here to watch the full story.

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice, MAG