CELL receives grant for educational study
By Sami Shelton
News Editor
The University of Indianapolis Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) has received a grant to conduct a study of the educational programs that allow for a smooth transition between high school and college.
According to CELL Senior Fellow David Dresslar, CELL will embark on a $349,000 statewide policy study. The project, partially funded by a grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education, will examine potential improvements to high school programs such as Dual Credit courses, Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests, and International Baccalaureate diplomas.
“We are not necessarily making changes [to the programs],” Dresslar said. “We are advocating for policies to make these programs more available for kids in urban and rural communities, rather than just in suburban communities.”
CELL will look at factors such as accessibility, costs and funding, curriculum development, teacher selection and training, public awareness and statutes and guidelines followed by the government and schools when considering improvements, Dresslar said.
The project primarily will be funded by the $298,700 Lumina Foundation grant. The term of the grant is from Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 30, 2010.
“Over the next three years we must collect people to perform the policy study, examine the programs, determine improvements that need to be made and finally go to the state with our results.” Dresslar said.
According to Dresslar, the results of the study will make educational programs more available to students. The benefits of these programs will also be provided to students, parents, government officials and the public in a clear, better understood format.
According to www.luminafoundation.org, the Lumina Foundation for Education is an Indianapolis-based foundation that provides grants to Indiana organizations to expand accessibility and success in high education. Proposals are carefully considered by the executive board of the foundation, as well as by external experts in the field. The proposal process can take up to six months to complete.
According to Communication Specialist for CELL Lauren Howard, CELL primarily works with funding from Lily Endowment Inc. and grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation. The organization uses innovative education change to impact student achievement and successes in Indiana.
Examples of CELL’s work include performing school evaluations and improvement services, connecting Indiana educators with national and international experts and creating new innovative high schools across Indiana.
