MSD of Decatur Township Partners with Insight Education Group to Implement Educator Effectiveness Grant from U.S. Department of Education

MSD of Decatur Township Partners with Insight Education Group to Implement Educator Effectiveness Grant from U.S. Department of Education

Grant funding allows MSD of Decatur Township’s educators to be part of networked improvement communities alongside four states nationwide

INDIANAPOLIS (October 10, 2017) — The Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Decatur Township today announces that, in partnership with Insight Education Group, it has been awarded a Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL) Grant through the U.S. Department of Education.

TSL funding will support Insight’s Empowering Educators to Excel (E3) program in the district, a private/public partnership which provides 47 schools across four states the opportunity to work together in a networked improvement community (NIC) context. Over the next three years, MSD of Decatur Township will receive approximately $4 million to maintain and support the E3 program.

“The Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township is both honored and excited to benefit from the Teacher and School Leader grant,” said Dr. Danny Mendez, Director of Secondary Education. “As we know, schools are the hub of communities and by building stronger schools we will strengthen the Decatur Township community.”

E3 will focus on the greatest school-related influencers on student achievement: the recruitment, development and retention of teachers, teacher leaders and principals. Educators will engage in a wide-range of wrap-around supports, including leadership academies, professional learning communities and individual and peer coaching through a video-based observation and coaching platform.

“Overall the grant will allow us to grow teacher capacity and increase student achievement,” said Mrs. Stephanie Hofer, Director of Elementary Education. "We will be able to provide focused professional development and targeted instructional coaching through three interrelated human capital management initiatives. These initiatives will clearly benefit our students and staff by improving teaching and learning in the district."

The TSL grant compliments MSD of Decatur Township’s recently implemented K-12 Computer Science Pathway Program, which provides professional development for teachers and career development for students. The integration of professional learning communities through E3 significantly benefits the existing curriculums by allowing educators across multiple school districts to consistently work collaboratively, achieving better results for the students they serve.

“A large percentage of school districts across the U.S. are comprised of 15 or fewer schools,” said Jason Stricker, CEO and co-founder of Insight Education Group. “Many of these school districts lack the resources and infrastructure of larger districts, but confront the same basic challenges. Through E3, these districts who share a growth mindset will be empowered to leverage technology to forge partnerships across state lines which will lead to improved educational outcomes for students across the country.”

MSD of Decatur Township is one of five districts across four states partnering with Insight Education Group to implement this grant. The other four districts are Colonial School District (New Castle, DE), Gainesville Independent School District (Gainesville, TX), Marion County School District (Marion, SC), and Marlboro County School District (Marlboro, SC).

For more information about the TSL grant, please visit www.insighteducationgroup.com/tsl.