CELL in 2024: A Year of Progress and Promise for Indiana’s Educators

Since 2001, the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis has been a driving force in advancing education across Indiana. In 2024, we built on this legacy by addressing key challenges facing educators and administrators through innovative programs that delivered measurable results. From enhancing classroom instruction to addressing teacher shortages, CELL’s efforts tackled critical issues while paving the way for continued progress in 2025. 

Leading the Way in Literacy:
Bridging Research and Practice

In 2024, CELL expanded its efforts to align instructional strategies with science of reading research. By offering data analysis, onsite professional development, curriculum reviews, and training webinars, CELL supported educators in adopting evidence-based literacy practices. Collaborating with educator preparation programs across the state, CELL also made strides in aligning pre-service training with the latest research, empowering teachers to drive reading success from early childhood through high school. 

The Indiana Literacy Cadre, a statewide initiative in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education, provided research-based professional development to hundreds of administrators, literacy coaches, and training support specialists at 362 K-3 schools. These efforts yielded impressive results: Cadre schools performed 12.5 times better than peers on the IREAD assessment, Indiana’s grade three reading assessment that measures foundational reading skills and comprehension.

Expanding Pathways to Postsecondary Achievement

CELL’s efforts to enhance postsecondary and career pathways achieved significant milestones in 2024. The Indiana Pathways to Careers and Postsecondary (P-CAP) initiative secured funding from the Don Wood Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education to expand to more high schools. This growth builds on the program’s remarkable success at its four pilot schools, where a redesigned curriculum helps at-risk students in the bottom academic quartile develop and pursue meaningful career aspirations. In 2024, P-CAP programs expanded from four schools to 11 across Indiana. P-CAP ninth-grade students saw a 28% increase in GPA and a 5% increase in attendance compared to their eighth-grade year.

The Early College High School initiative also reached new heights, with 60 programs now endorsed. Bolstering this success were two groundbreaking projects: the Rural Early College Network (RECN) and the Urban College Acceleration Network (UCAN). RECN has significantly expanded dual credit opportunities for rural students and increased the number of dual credit credentialed teachers across Indiana, paving the way for future expansion. Throughout the life of the project, RECN served 23,091 students, with 44% of those students coming from poverty, and saw fifteen rural high schools earn Early College endorsement from CELL.

UCAN wrapped up its work in November, with West Side Leadership Academy in Gary and Concord High School in Elkhart earning Early College endorsement and additional urban schools on an accelerated track to achieve this goal.

Bringing Cognitive Science to the Classroom

In September, CELL launched the Cognitive Science Academy, a nine-month masterclass designed to help instructional teams integrate cognitive science research and strategies into their teaching. Educators and administrators reported tangible improvements in classroom instruction and student engagement after applying these evidence-based practices.

Empowering Educators: Addressing Shortages and Enhancing Expertise

CELL remained at the forefront of addressing Indiana’s teacher shortages and equipping educators with advanced skills to enhance effectiveness. These efforts focus on three key goals: equipping students with highly qualified educators, improving teacher retention, and enhancing earning potential within the profession. In 2024, CELL’s initiatives in this area related to credentialing more special education, ENL, and dual credit teachers, helping schools continue to fill critical teaching positions.

Since its inception, the Indiana Special Education Assisted Licensure (I-SEAL) initiative has reached more than 1,100 educators who have participated in more than 21 educator preparation programs. In 2024, 328 teachers completed their coursework, bringing the total to more than 700 newly licensed special education teachers serving Indiana’s most at-risk students. 

Indiana Teachers of English Learners Licensure (I-TELL) moved to a waiting list for participation having enrolled 294 educators, with more than 75% completing English as a New Language licensure requirements in 2024. The U.S. Department of Education featured I-TELL in Raise the Bar: Pathways to Multilingualism as one of five programs nationwide significantly expanding multilingual pathways using American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. 

Teach Dual Credit Indiana welcomed 139 new educators to the program and celebrated 78 teachers completing the 18 credit hours required for dual credit instruction, with an additional 83 achieving the same through STEM Teach. A standout achievement for these programs in 2024 was the 72 educators who leveraged graduate course funding to earn their master’s degrees, enhancing both their teaching qualifications and earning potential. 

Looking to 2025: Embracing Change with Confidence

As 2025 is underway, Indiana’s education landscape is positioned for continued transformation. From federal updates to new state initiatives, CELL is prepared to guide educators and administrators through the evolving terrain ahead. Although change can bring challenges, it also presents an opportunity to reimagine what’s possible. Every shift in policy or practice offers a chance to innovate. CELL is committed to making sense of what’s new and what’s next, ensuring schools can adapt and succeed. 

We are genuinely excited about the year ahead as we work alongside partners to transform lives through learning. Cheers to more time spent empowering educators, strengthening schools, and building a brighter educational future for Indiana’s students in 2025!