The new data revealed that 87.3% of third graders — about 73,500 out of more than 84,000 students statewide — demonstrated proficient reading skills in 2024-25. That’s roughly 6,000 more proficient readers than a year ago and the highest rate since before the pandemic.

In 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a blistering report of Indiana’s growing ABA clinic landscape. The report tells a cautionary tale of a field with no billing caps, no quality control, no oversight, no parent voice, and audacious fiscal improprieties. According to the report, Indiana made at least $56 million in improper fee-for-service Medicaid payments for ABA therapies from 2017-2020.

““We are the quietest, most successful 60-year old program in the federal government’s history,” boasted Rhett Cecil, the organization’s executive director. “… (our programs) are going to support their families and children. They’re allowing families to work or get job training or further education. And our services — that child care and early education — are free for those families.”

Just under 13,000 families in all 92 counties utilize the program, which receives roughly $181 million in federal funding annually. That budget line was briefly threatened by the Trump administration, which walked back proposed cuts in favor of flat funding — which does mean services will be lost as inflation and other costs eat into the bottom line. “

“The 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey measured a host of experiences with mental health conditions, substance abuse and treatments for people ages 12 and older. About 14,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 were interviewed throughout 2024 for the annual survey.

“These data are incredibly valuable to researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and others, allowing for greater understanding of the nation’s behavioral health, and to help inform actions in support of President Trump’s vision to Make America Healthy Again,” said Art Kleinschmidt, SAMHSA principal deputy assistant secretary, in a statement. SAMHSA is an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”

“Educational experts often cite third grade as a pivotal point in a student's life, where, if foundational reading skills aren't mastered, it could lead them to be academically behind for the rest of their lives.

Final scores for this year’s IREAD results won’t be released until August, but schools are already anticipating the need to adjust staffing and classroom sizes as more students are held back.”

“While we are positively moving and improving in math, there is an urgent need to support middle school students in English/language arts.”

– Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner

An analysis of data from over 11,000 adolescent participants in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study found that sleep disturbances may be the most influential predictor of future psychopathology. Sleep issues were more predictive than adverse childhood experiences and family mental health history. Neuroimaging data did not improve the ability to forecast mental health risks. The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

For students with disabilities, the loss of instruction time can be particularly devastating, said Amy Holbert, CEO of Family Connection of South Carolina, a training and information center for families whose children have disabilities. And especially when students receive out-of-school suspensions, it can put a strain on working families who suddenly have to scramble to find child care, she added.

Indiana legislators this year left several bills on the table that sought to address student mental health, bullying, and counselor shortages, and dropped some requirements related to social emotional learning in teacher training. In April, the Trump administration announced an end to federal grants that supported mental health professionals. And conservative state and national politicians and groups have criticized social-emotional learning as inappropriate in a school environment.

IDOH officials pointed to ongoing efforts through Health First Indiana. The initiative supports partnerships between the state health department and local groups to improve prenatal care access, support home visiting services, promote breastfeeding, and expand education on infant safe sleep practices. IDOH also reviews hospital discharge and fatality data to guide future interventions.