The Mind Trust awards educational talent grants
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Indianapolis-based The Mind Trust has awarded more than $100,000 in Talent Innovation Fund grants. The organization says the five recipients will use the funding to implement “creative approaches to solve an education talent challenge in Indianapolis.”
The Mind Trust says the projects selected for funding were chosen based on their ability to increase the number and quality of instructional staff in Indy classrooms, as well as retain a higher percentage of staff and increase the racial and ethnic diversity of instructional staff.
“The Talent Innovation Fund was created to support local ideas to attract and retain great educators to fit the unique models across the district, networks and schools,” said Sara Marshall, senior director of talent at The Mind Trust. “These awards leverage the knowledge of local leaders to implement ideas that were created with their school community in mind.”
The implementation of the winning projects will take place during the 2020-2021 academic year.
The recipients include:
Indianapolis Public Schools – $29,000
- To support the district’s transition from traditional compliance-driven talent work to a more strategic partnership model. The award will support IPS Talent Team attendance at a high-quality training facilitated by the Urban Schools Human Capital Academy, a dynamic, cross-district learning experience that engages district leadership teams in new learning and problem solving for some of their biggest talent challenges.
The Educate ME Foundation, Inc. – $25,000
- To recruit and support licensure of 10 aspiring educators of color for placement in public schools in Indianapolis for the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, the Educate ME Foundation will help address development and retention by providing culturally-competent training to current Indianapolis school leaders and teachers.
Promise Prep – $25,000
- To implement talent development and recruitment strategies during its pre-launch phase to ensure a strong, engaged talent pipeline is in place for its launch year. The award will help fund attendance for Promise Prep leadership team members to attend high-quality training to help leaders deliver equitable instruction in ELA and math. It will also support hiring events, stipends to compensate the engagement of pre-launch teacher candidates, and the recording of demonstration lessons to use as exemplars of instruction during staff onboarding.
Tindley Summit Academy – $25,000
- To fund the Summit Educator Ambassador Program (SEAP), a yearlong teacher fellowship designed to enhance the leadership skills of Tindley Summit’s most talented teachers to have a larger impact on students, the school, and the Tindley Accelerated Schools network. The 8-month program will provide training in racial equity, education policy, community and family engagement, data-driven leadership, strategic planning, and more. SEAP ambassadors will receive a stipend and will be equipped and encouraged to step into teacher leadership roles within the school.
Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63 – $5,000
- A planning award to explore project partnerships and outline an initiative to develop an educator pipeline that begins in elementary grades. The award will also support equity training with current staff.