In a partnership between the Consortium for Educational Change (CEC) and Breakthrough Learning, approximately 5,000 students at 10 schools located in the southern portion of Illinois will benefit from more than $3 million in federal grant funds that will take significant steps to improve graduation rates and dual credit offerings over a three-year period. The effort in Illinois has been titled the Illinois Rural Innovative Schools Effort (IRISE).
The high schools in IRISE include:
- Centralia High School (Centralia HSD 200)
- Christopher High School (Christopher USD 99)
- Eldorado High School (Eldorado CUSD 4)
- Frankfort Community High School (West Frankfort CUSD 168)
- Gallatin High School (Gallatin CUSD 7)
- Harrisburg High School (Harrisburg CUSD 3)
- Lawrenceville High School (Lawrenceville CUSD 20)
- Red Hill Junior/Senior High School (Red Hill CUSD 10)
- Sparta High School (Sparta CUSD 140)
- Vandalia High School (Vandalia CUSD 203)
Schools were selected to participate in IRISE based on a variety of factors including the district’s commitment to collaboration, location, poverty level, and prior graduation rates.
Illinois is one of five states where Breakthrough Learning is working to improve college and career readiness of high school students as part of a $20 million Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-Up Grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will include additional private investment. In addition to Illinois, Breakthrough Learning is partnering with high schools in Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina as part of the grant.
The grant will support CEC and Breakthrough Learning partnering with the high schools to collaboratively increase graduation rates, increase the number of college credits earned by students, and increase the professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.
“The key to ending the cycle of generational poverty that has plagued these communities is for students to acquire educational credentials no matter what form those credentials take … trade certification, associate degree, or four-year degree,” said Jo Anderson, co-executive director of CEC. “That is the overarching goal of the partnership between the schools, CEC and Breakthrough Learning. We believe strongly that with the capacity building of CEC, the proven track record of Breakthrough Learning, and the passion of these schools to help students, this initiative will change students’ lives for the better.”
The initiative will support participating schools by building the capacity of principals and teachers to personalize learning for students, providing professional development to principals and teachers on strategies that have proven successful in other schools, and offering opportunities for the IRISE schools to partner and collaborate with with other rural schools across the nation as well as each other in order to increase the knowledge base around educational best practices.
“Our goal is to provide these schools with the research-based support needed to help all students view high school graduation as an expectation and to see post-secondary education, in whatever form that takes, as a realistic goal,” said Jenny Seitz, IRISE project director. “As a part of this effort, sustainability is a key component that CEC will infuse throughout its work with the schools, so that the momentum gained over the next three years is maintained beyond the grant window.”
Schools will work collaboratively with CEC and Breakthrough Learning to develop tailored strategies that match the needs of individual schools. Those strategies will be based upon the past success in similar initiatives led by Breakthrough Learning. CEC and Breakthrough Learning will deliver customized professional learning to build the knowledge, skills and capabilities of teachers and administrators; provide design and planning services to strategically leverage time and financial resources to transform schools and districts to personalize learning for each student; and identify and monitor data to improve decision making.
Tony Habit, president of Breakthrough Learning, said the initiative will create new opportunities for students in low-income, rural counties to gain a leg up on college and careers.
“While many districts and schools face similar challenges, there is no single solution that will work across the board,” said Habit. “The support of communities, collaboration between schools, districts, higher education and business are among the most influential factors in improving college and career opportunities for all students.”
CEC and Breakthrough Learning have met with the districts and educational partners involved in the effort on three occasions to share information, commit to the project, and plan for implementation. Illinois Secretary of Education Dr. Beth Purvis joined the most recent meeting and applauded the collaborative nature of the work and the dedication of the partners at the table. Dr. Purvis shared that “Governor Rauner is thrilled to support programs that will result in more Illinois scholars prepared to become engaged citizens with rewarding careers.”
There are several IRISE educational partners, including:
- Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS)
- Frontier Community College
- Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA)
- Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB)
- Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS)
- Illinois Education Association (IEA)
- Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT)
- Illinois Community College Board (ICCB)
- Illinois Principals Association (IPA)
- Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
- John A. Logan Community College
- Kaskaskia College
- Lincoln Trail College
- McKendree College
- Southeast Community College
CEC and Breakthrough Learning welcome additional educational and community partners. If a community organization is interested in partnering on the project, please contact Jenny Seitz at jenny.seitz@cecillinois.org or (217) 454-5328.
CEC is non-profit national leader in supporting labor-management collaboration for school improvement, and its work is based on a foundation of collaborative commitments from the “three anchors” of the school system: the school board, school district administration, and the teacher’s union.
CEC works intensively with schools and districts across Illinois and nationally to implement effective, research-based strategies to transform school leadership, teaching and learning, student non-academic support, and family and community engagement. CEC was established in 1987 and has offices in Lombard, Springfield and Carterville. For more information about the Consortium for Educational Change, visit cecillinois.org
Breakthrough Learning is a professional services agency focused on developing high-performing schools and districts by providing innovative approaches to teacher and administrator professional learning. Breakthrough Learning partner with districts, higher education, businesses and communities across the nation to ensure that all students graduate ready for college careers and life. For more information, visit breakthroughlearning.org.
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