For Immediate Release- November 7, 2019
Contact: Matt Jones, LHS Principal
Logansport High School To Receive $150,000 as Part of Early College Grant
Logansport High School will receive $150,000 in grant funding over the next five years
to support implementation of an Early College program as part of an award given to the
Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis.
CELL is the recipient of a $7.9 million grant through the Education Innovation and
Research (EIR) program administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Elementary and Secondary Education.
CELL will establish a Rural Early College Network (RECN) to help rural Indiana schools
more quickly implement the Early College (EC) high school model. EC targets
underserved students and allows them to earn both high school diplomas and up to two
years of credits toward bachelor or associate degrees through rigorous dual credit
classes supported by wrap-around services.
“Rural schools that have already earned Early College endorsement for highly effective
programs will act as partners and mentors to schools such as Logansport High School
that are just beginning to implement the model. The project will expand opportunities for
rural students, many from poverty or first generation college students, by allowing them
to take rigorous college-level classes while in high school in supportive environments
that help ensure their success,” said CELL Executive Director Janet Boyle. “Another
anticipated outcome is the establishment of model rural Early College high school sites
and a template for fostering additional high-quality EC programs serving even more
students throughout Indiana.”
Spread over five years, the grant funding through CELL’s leadership will support faster
implementation of the EC model by networking new schools with mentor schools. Five
endorsed EC schools will follow a tiered process and eventually mentor 15 new schools.
That network will grow the number of high-need students to 3,725 who will benefit from
a EC jump-start on post-secondary and also gain confidence through counseling and
supports to successfully continue into post-secondary and careers.
Each mentor school will receive $190,000 over five years, and each new school in the
initial tier will receive $150,000 over that period. Schools will use funding for
credentialing staff to teach dual credit courses, professional development, student
supports, program resources and travel to required meetings. CELL will contribute a 10
percent match ($877,380) of the total cost of the project with the grant providing 90
percent of the total or $7,963,436.
About CELL:
The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis
provides leadership that is both cutting-edge and action-oriented. Created in 2001,
CELL unites districts, schools, communities, universities and businesses to build a
sense of urgency and form innovative collaborations for statewide educational and
economic improvement. CELL currently has a network of 90 high schools across the
state trained in the Early College model and in varying degrees of implementation.
Thirty-one schools have earned the distinction of being named fully endorsed Early
College high schools. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has authorized
CELL as the sole organization to train, support and endorse Early College schools in
Indiana. Learn more at cell.uindy.edu or contact Janet Boyle at boylej@uindy.edu
About the Grant:
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced $123 million in new grant awards
to 41 school districts, nonprofit organizations and state educational agencies across the
United States as part of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program. These
grants provide funding to create, implement or take to scale an evidence-based
innovation to improve academic achievement for high-need students and for a rigorous
evaluation so that others may learn from its results.
In addition to promoting innovation generally, the awards include over $30 million to
eight grantees serving rural areas and over $78 million to 29 grantees focused on
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
The EIR program is authorized under Section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, and is administered by
the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
About the University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis, founded in 1902, is a private university located just a few
minutes from downtown Indianapolis. The University is ranked among the top National
Universities by U.S. News and World Report, with a diverse enrollment of nearly 6,000
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education students. The University offers a
wide variety of study areas, including 100+ undergraduate degrees, more than 40
master’s degree programs and five doctoral programs. More occupational therapists,
physical therapists and clinical psychologists graduate from the University each year
than any other state institution. With strong programs in engineering, business and
education, the University of Indianapolis impacts its community by living its motto,
“Education for Service.” Learn more: uindy.edu