Goal is to increase minority teachers,beginning in near-north eastside neighborhood
INDIANAPOLIS – Martin University today announced the opening of a School of Education beginning in the fall of 2017 and the initiative to develop the Martindale-Brightwood Education Zone. The new School of Education will teach and inspire a new generation of urban teachers. Its initial goal is to educate and place minority teachers at the Pre-K through 5th grade levels by establishing high expectations of achievement and providing the tools needed to encourage young minds to flourish. Planning for the School of Education was sponsored by a grant from the Bay and Paul Foundation. The School of Education will begin accepting applications for the first class in January 2017. The first cohort will start in fall semester,beginning in August 2017. This will coincide with the completion of planning for the Martindale-Brightwood Education Zone. The Education Zone will start in January 2018. As a way of supplementing economic development and increasing the quality of life and opportunities,the Martin University School of Education will join with other stakeholders in the redevelopment of the Martindale-Brightwood area. Through partnerships with schools,community organizations,and health-care and civic leadership,the Martindale-Brightwood Education Zone will transform the neighborhood. Based on the highly successful Harlem Children’s Zone,this Education Zone will have a powerful impact on the neighborhood and serve as an exemplar of hope to its young learners. “Nowhere in Indianapolis is the educational challenge greater than in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood,” said Dr. Eugene White,Martin University president. “We see ourselves as a unique resource for the neighborhood,and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.” Mayor Joe Hogsett noted the long struggles and high hopes of the neighborhood. “For decades Martin University has called Martindale-Brightwood home,where it continues to persevere along with the people of this near-northeastside community. It has and continues to serve as a beacon of enlightenment and hope for traditional and non-traditional students with a passion for education,a thirst for knowledge and a deep desire to rise out of poverty into a lasting career,” he said. Martin University School of Education plans to extend its beacon to the entire neighborhood by creating a culture of educational excellence and improving the quality of life for all residents. In addition,the university will produce a new contingent of minority teachers who know firsthand the deepest challenges that their students and families have had to overcome. For more information about these exciting initiatives,contact Jennifer McCloud at 317-822-3489 or go online at www.martin.edu. Martin University’s mission is to provide excellence in educating and developing traditional and non-traditional students in an inclusive,supportive and healthy collegiate environment.