Republican college professor to run for state schools superintendent

A Republican college instructor from Fort Wayne is challenging state schools superintendent Glenda Ritz for the top education official job in 2016. Dawn Wooten is an adjunct English instructor at IPFW, Indiana Tech, and the University of St. Francis. Wooten has been a vocal critic of Common Core and of Ritz’s department.

Wooten has never worked in the public schools, but says as a homeschool teacher, she had to follow the same standards. She says she sees too many students in her college level classrooms who don’t know the basics of English composition.

Current superintendent Glenda Ritz ended a recent campaign for governor, saying her work in education wasn’t finished and that she’d run for re-election in 2016.