Our Work

Learn more about CELL's work to impact educators and students

Strategic Education Initiatives

CELL impacts the entire education ecosystem by driving school-wide practice change, building educators' capacity, and promoting evidence-based practices and policies. Learn more about our current initiatives.

School-Wide Practice Change

CELL partners with schools to move beyond isolated strategies and create lasting, school-wide shifts in teaching and learning. By grounding improvement efforts in research and building staff capacity, we help schools align practices, strengthen collaboration, and ensure every student benefits from effective instruction.

The Early College High School framework opens doors of opportunity for students by allowing them to earn a high school diploma and the Indiana Early College Core, an associate degree, a technical credential, or 15 or more dual credits. Through the implementation of eight core principles, Early College programs provide college-level coursework and strong supports while in high school, helping more students pursue and succeed in college.

Literacy Support - Learn more about how CELL can support schools and organizations as they seek to improve the quality of their literacy instruction based on the science of reading.

The Indiana Literacy Cadre works to help Indiana’s students read proficiently by the end of third grade offering comprehensive support for school leadership and instructional coaches – providing in-school training and coaching support to implement the five pillars of reflective reading instruction.

Indiana Pathways to Careers and Postsecondary (P-CAP) is designed to transform the college and career pathways of previously disengaged students who need a different kind of academic program to thrive. The P-CAP model is rooted in evidence, yet delivers a new framework for improving the postsecondary outcomes of P-CAP students of promise - students who enter ninth grade as some of the least likely to graduate high school, but who thrive when engaged in learning that is 1) centered in relationships and 2) connected to a blended career and college pathway that results in earned stackable postsecondary credentials, dual credit, work-based learning experiences, and connections to local higher education and industry partners.

CELL offers a variety of research services to meet the needs of schools, districts, higher education institutions, and other organizations, including research practice partnerships, policy studies, program evaluation, and needs assessments.

CELL authors and co-authors publications designed to share evidence-based practices and support educators and policymakers.

The Rural Early College Network (RECN) 2.0 helps rural Indiana high schools implement the Early College High School model in an accelerated timeframe. The network and mentoring approaches allows exemplary rural Early College High School programs to support schools seeking to implement high-quality Early College programs and builds relationships between cohorts of schools for mutual collaboration.
CELL's work with The GRAD Partnership includes two projects. The Connectedness Project helps school teams implement intentional, research-based strategies to increase student belonging and engagement, leading to greater academic success. Through the Student Success Team effort, CELL collaborates with district and school leaders to determine the best support structures, data collection and monitoring, and practices to increase student achievement.

Educator Development

CELL equips educators with tools and support to bring research into practice. Through professional learning, coaching, and licensing and credentialing opportunities, we help teachers and leaders strengthen their skills, deepen their expertise, and create classrooms where students can thrive.

CELL is offering a micro-credential in the science of learning during the fall 2025 semester to help educators understand how students actually learn and apply strategies to the classroom to improve teaching and learning.

During the 2024-2025 school year, CELL offered the Cognitive Science Academy, a virtual, nine-month masterclass series for instructional teams to apply cognitive science research to classroom practice.

Indiana Special Education Assisted Licensure (I-SEAL) funds graduate coursework to enable teachers to become fully licensed to teach special education for a public school in Indiana. The primary license focus is adding Exceptional Children: Mild Intervention certification to an existing license while remaining employed with your existing school district.

Indiana Teachers of English Learners Licensure (I-TELL) funds coursework to enable educators to earn English as a New Language (ENL) licensure and serve as Teachers of Record for English learners across the state.

STEM Teach Indiana coordinates a coalition of Indiana colleges and universities to work together to increase the number of teachers credentialed to teach dual credit courses as well as highly qualified teachers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Indiana, in partnership with Independent Colleges of Indiana.

Teach Dual Credit Indiana coordinates a coalition of Indiana colleges and universities to work together to increase the number of teachers credentialed to teach dual credit courses in non-STEM fields, such as communications, English, history/social studies, and world languages.

Collaboration and Partnerships

CELL brings schools, higher education institutions, community and industry partners, and state agencies together to accelerate student success. By fostering strong partnerships and sharing resources across the education ecosystem, we create innovative pathways that expand opportunities, align education with workforce needs, and drive sustainable impact across Indiana and beyond.

CELL offers a variety of research services to meet the needs of schools, districts, higher education institutions, and other organizations, including research practice partnerships, policy studies, program evaluation, and needs assessments.

CELL authors and co-authors publications designed to share evidence-based practices and support educators and policymakers.

CELL has provided comprehensive literacy support to schools, organizations, and higher education institutions. Read a case study about our work with Ivy Tech Community College and their educator preparation program.

As an initiative leader for the Indiana Literacy Cadre, CELL helps Indiana’s students read proficiently by the end of third grade offering comprehensive support for school leadership and instructional coaches – providing in-school training and coaching support to implement the five pillars of reflective reading instruction.

Since 2001, CELL has led numerous initiatives that have transformed the education landscape in Indiana. See our past work to learn more about CELL's impact.

Technical Assistance

CELL is equipped to support districts, higher education institutions, and nonprofit and governmental agencies through a variety of work that can be customized to organizational needs and goals. Contact our team for more information.

Who We Work With

  • K-12 partners: teachers, school leaders, and district leaders from traditional public, charter, and private schools who are working to strengthen teaching and learning
  • Higher education partners, including education preparation programs: faculty and leaders shaping higher education and preparing future educators
  • State and federal partners: agencies and organizations shaping education policy and practice
  • Community partners: Nonprofits and local organizations supporting student success 
  • Business and industry partners: employers and workforce leaders expanding career pathways
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