(The Center Square) – Indiana students will soon have greater access to early college courses thanks to a $4.1 million federal grant to expand dual-credit learning opportunities in urban high schools.
The grant will launch the Urban College Acceleration Network, a partnership to mentor urban high schools in developing dual-credit programs.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner announced the launch this week.
“We know that achievement gaps persist in reading, math, and educational attainment among Indiana’s racially and ethnically diverse, low-income, special education and English language learner students – gaps that were exacerbated by the pandemic,” she said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that through the UCAN partnership, many of our urban schools will come together to leverage their collective knowledge and experience to help close these gaps and expand opportunities for every student to succeed.”
Funding for the program comes entirely from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, according to a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Education. ESSER was created by Congress in 2020 to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on elementary and secondary schools in the United States.
Dual-credit courses are taught in high schools under the direction of a college or university. Courses are taught by teachers who qualify to teach at a college level. Ivy Tech, which provides more than 90% of the dual-credit courses in Indiana, serves more than 69,000 Hoosier high schoolers in 450 high schools.
Yet there has been a gap between urban and suburban schools in the availability of dual credit courses.
UCAN was proposed by the Center of Excellence in Leadership and Learning at the University of Indianapolis to close that gap.
“We approached the state and proposed the initiative,” said Carey Dahncke, CELL executive director. “We wanted to see that statistically disadvantaged children in the state are having the same advanced course opportunities.”
The UCAN strategy pairs urban high schools with successful dual-credit programs with urban schools that do not for the purpose of mentoring them through the process of starting a dual program.
According to Dahncke, schools often face hurdles in getting dual-credit courses up and running. UCAN funds may be used in a variety of ways to help schools overcome those obstacles.
Funding may be used to provide the equipment or resources that are needed to provide dual credit courses.
Funds may also pay for teacher stipends or help teachers gain the required number of graduate hours to teach a subject at the college level. Most high school teachers acquire a master’s degree in education, according to Dahncke, which does not qualify them to teach math, English, or other core subjects beyond high school.
Decisions on the use of funds will be made at the local level based on input from the principal, superintendent, and a team of teachers, according to Dahncke. He added, “This is a one-time investment that will pay long-term dividends to schools all around the state in urban areas.”
Ivy Tech hailed the initiative in a statement, calling UCAN “a vital and innovative statewide initiative.”
Dual credit courses are also offered through the University of Indianapolis, Indiana University and Vincennes University.
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