The Central Indiana Educational Service Center will use Indiana Department of Education grant money to train 1,500 Indiana teachers, including some locally.
The service center, which assists schools in 18 central and northern Indiana counties, received $2.6 million as part of the department of education’s Student Learning Recovery Grant awards. With the money, the service center will train 1,500 teachers — including some at Clark-Pleasant and Greenwood schools — using the Modern Classroom Project, a U.S. Department of Education best practice, said Andy Melin, the service center’s executive director.
“It is a special instructional program that would teach teachers how to enhance their work inside their classrooms, providing video and whole-class instruction to students but also allowing teachers to spend the majority of class time working with students individually or in small groups,” Melin said.
Officials from Clark-Pleasant and Greenwood schools expressed interest in having teachers go through training as part of the program. Also part of the service center’s outreach, Franklin schools and Indian Creek schools still have the opportunity to reach out to ask for spots in the program, although schools that have already expressed interest will get first priority, he said.
The Modern Classroom Project utilizes teacher-created videos, self-paced structures for students, and students of teachers using the system can only go to the next topic when they master one, according to the project’s website.
Teachers can complete their training during the fall, spring or summer starting this fall and continuing for two annual cycles. Teachers won’t be required to travel or take time off from work for training, as it can be done virtually, Melin said.
Along with the money for the Central Indiana Educational Service Center, the Simon Youth Foundation, which assists students in Center Grove, Clark-Pleasant and Edinburgh schools, along with six out-of-county school districts, will receive $368,620 in state money.
Simon Youth Foundation provides scholarship and travel opportunities for students who have fallen behind in a traditional classroom setting. In 2019, the foundation awarded students at Clark-Pleasant and Edinburgh schools $80,000 worth of scholarships.
