Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning

09/03/2026

Last week, the University of Indianapolis and Perry Township Schools broke ground on the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, launching Indiana’s first career-connected learning program housed on a university campus.

As part of the program, students will experience careers firsthand through project-based learning, mentorship opportunities, and direct engagement with professionals.

We’re thrilled about this partnership to help more students experience real-world learning.

Learn more: https://news.uindy.edu/2026/07/28/uindy-partners-with-perry-township-schools-to-build-30m-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-program-indianas-first-on-a-university-campus/

Today, we welcomed state, local, education, and community leaders to campus to celebrate a bold new chapter in career-connected learning.

This fall, the University of Indianapolis and Perry Township Schools will launch Indiana's first career-connected high school program housed on a university campus—giving high school students the opportunity to learn through real-world projects, mentorship from industry professionals, and hands-on experiences that connect the classroom to future careers.

Read more about this impactful partnership, made possible through the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc.: https://bit.ly/4fZwYxF

09/02/2026

New grant opportunity: Requests for Proposals are currently being accepted for the Opportunity to Learn Project supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Public school corporations, charter schools, and charter networks located or operating in Indiana but outside of Marion County are invited to propose new, enhanced, or expanded programs and projects that address non-academic barriers that students may experience.

Planning grants of $50K to $100K are available, followed by competitive grants of $600K to $17.6M.

Schools and networks receiving planning grants will be invited to participate in a support workshop convened by CELL, which will provide guidance, resources, and opportunities for peer learning to help grantees develop strong, evidence-informed plans for implementation.

Planning grant requests are due by 5 PM ET on Tuesday, September 15.

More info: https://indianalifelonglearningprojects.org/opportunity-to-learn-project-rfp/

09/01/2026

Ready to become a licensed special education teacher, without the tuition bill?

CELL’s Indiana Special Education Assisted Licensure (I-SEAL) initiative supports Indiana teachers through streamlined, funded coursework in partnership with educator prep programs. Teachers can complete coursework to add an Exceptional Needs – Mild Intervention license, at no cost to them or their school.

I-SEAL can also provide:
• Support for non-education bachelor's degree holders entering a Transition to Teaching program
• Support for additional special education licensures, including blind/low vision, deaf/hard of hearing, and intense intervention
• Free Praxis test prep workshops for those who have completed a program but haven't successfully passed licensing exams

Special education teachers are in high demand across Indiana, and this program is designed to make the path to licensure realistic for working educators.

Learn more and complete an interest form today: IndianaSEAL.org

08/28/2026

At yesterday's football game, University of Indianapolis president Dr. Tanuja Singh recognized CELL for 25 years of transforming lives through learning.

CELL Executive Director Dr. Carey Dahncke took to the field to receive a certificate of recognition on behalf of our team.

We’re grateful to be part of the UIndy community!

08/28/2026

In a new report from the College in High School Alliance, Indiana received a Best Practice Spotlight for the Indiana College Core, Core Transfer Library, dual credit-embedded Next Level Programs of Study, and cost caps for priority dual credit coursework.

We’re grateful to the Indiana Department of Education and Indiana Commission for Higher Education for making dual credit courses accessible and transferable for Hoosier students!

Read the report:

State policy recommendations to help ensure dual enrollment students can transfer and apply the credits they earn during high school, thereby maximizing the benefits of participating in college courses in high school.

08/27/2026

🎉 Please join us in congratulating Perry Central Jr-Sr High School for being selected as a Celebrate Your School Award Top 10 honoree!

Perry Central turned a small classroom grow tower into Perry Central Organics, a student-run lettuce business that now supplies the school cafeteria and local partners. Students handle the whole operation themselves, including growing the crop, managing orders, setting prices, and tracking revenue. They’ve won an FFA business-plan competition and even given Indiana's governor a tour. It's part of a bigger push at the school to make learning feel like real work, something they're seeking to do across 14 different career pathways.

CELL’s Celebrate Your School Awards provide monetary gifts to schools as part of our 25th anniversary in 2026, recognizing excellence and celebrating the educators who make our work possible. Perry Central was selected out of almost 100 submissions and plans to use the funds to make improvements to their greenhouse and continue to expand the program.

Congratulations on this well-deserved accomplishment!

Read their story: https://cell.uindy.edu/news/2026/08/celebrate-your-school-perry-central-jr-sr-high?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Perry Central Community School Corporation

08/27/2026

Join CELL for a free webinar, "Chronic Absenteeism: Understanding Root Causes, Building Real Solutions," on September 8 at 12 p.m. ET.

Chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator of lower academic achievement, reduced school engagement, and increased risk of later educational difficulties. Understanding why students are absent is an important first step toward improving attendance.

Dr. Nathan Williamson of MAZI Education will explore:
• The distinction between chronic absenteeism and truancy
• Underlying drivers of attendance problems, including logistical barriers, school avoidance, disengagement, and misunderstandings about consistent attendance
• Current research on effective, tiered approaches to improving attendance
• The role counselors and administrators play in coordinating school, family, and community support
• Promising practices for fostering student engagement and attendance

This free webinar is designed for school counselors, administrators, and other school leaders and is part of CELL's School Counselor Lunch and Learn Series, with more webinars coming soon.

Register now: https://cell.uindy.edu/events/2026/09/chronic-absenteeism-understanding-root-causes-building-real-solutions?utm_campaign=lunchandlearn&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

08/26/2026

Congratulations to Bri Karazsia, a 2026 Indiana Teacher of the Year Top 10 Finalist!

Bri is a high school teacher at Bloomfield Middle and High School, a CELL-endorsed Early College High School, where she teaches multiple dual credit courses in history, humanities, and English and serves on the school’s Early College school leadership team. She previously completed graduate coursework through CELL’s Teach Dual Credit Indiana initiative to meet dual credit requirements for English. Earlier this year, Bri was recognized as the 2027 Indiana Farm Bureau Rural Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations, Bri, and best of luck!

Bloomfield School District

08/25/2026

🎉 Please join us in congratulating Needmore Elementary School for being selected as a Celebrate Your School Award Top 25 honoree!

After posting the highest IREAD pass rate in both North Lawrence Community Schools and Lawrence County in 2024-25, the school kept pushing. One year later, 100% of its third graders passed IREAD. Needmore paired participation in the Indiana Literacy Cadre with a newly implemented Professional Learning Community process, bringing teachers, support staff, the reading specialist, instructional coach, and school leaders together around student data and shared goals. Together, those efforts have shifted improvement from something that happens classroom by classroom to a coordinated, schoolwide approach built around consistent collaboration and collective ownership of student outcomes.

CELL’s Celebrate Your School Awards provide monetary gifts to schools as part of our 25th anniversary in 2026, recognizing excellence and celebrating the educators who make our work possible. Needmore was selected out of almost 100 submissions and plans to use the funds to continue to enhance literacy instruction.

Congratulations on this accomplishment!

View all of the award recipients: https://cell.uindy.edu/about/25th-anniversary/celebrate-your-school-awards

North Lawrence Community Schools

08/24/2026

Indiana's new legislation (HB 1266) now requires 60 minutes of daily Tier 1 math instruction in grades K-5, plus 20 minutes of intervention support. But as our latest blog explores, more instructional time alone won't automatically produce deeper mathematical reasoning.

Drawing on insights from OECD Director Andreas Schleicher (creator of the PISA assessment), we look at what top-performing countries do differently: less lecturing, more teacher collaboration, and room for "productive struggle."

For principals, superintendents, and curriculum leaders navigating this shift, the real question isn't just how to fit 60 minutes into the schedule—it's how to make those minutes count.

Read the full breakdown: https://cell.uindy.edu/news/2026/08/redesigning-instructional-programs-for-deep-mathematical-reasoning?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook