News & Press

By Marjorie Cohen and Andrew Moore

In a unique event held this month, Indianapolis Mayor Gregory A. Ballard publicly lent his support to a broad effort to ensure that students in the city’s recently launched alternative high schools receive adequate services to help them graduate prepared for postsecondary education and career success.

Kicking off a resource fair that brought together city agencies, schools, community groups and college readiness organizations, Mayor Ballard observed, “Transportation, housing, health — these must not serve as barriers to getting to school, nor to staying in school. We know that schools by themselves can’t provide all the supports students and their families need, and city agencies and community groups can step in to fill the gaps.

“The city takes pleasure and pride in its role as one of the founding members of the Indianapolis-Alternative High School Initiative Partnership — along with The Mind Trust, Indianapolis Public Schools and several other school corporations, and the Center for Excellence in Leadership and Learning at the University of Indianapolis,” the mayor added, after being introduced by Joe’Von Beverly, a graduate of YouthBuild Indy, one of the Indianapolis AHSI programs.

“It’s always great to see Indianapolis emerging as a leader,” Mayor Ballard continued. “The city is committing a lot of community resources,” he noted, in a reference to a recently announced $110,000 grant to the Indianapolis-AHSI Partnership.

David Harris, CEO of The Mind Trust, observed that after only 18 months, the Indianapolis-AHSI Partnership now supports seven alternative high schools. These student-centered schools provide personalized support for students who have struggled in traditional high school settings. The resource fair was held at one of the schools, the Indianapolis Metropolitan High School at Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana.

The Community Involvement Event took place early in the evening so that school teachers, counselors and principals could attend after the school day. In the course of the evening, school representatives circulated among some 25 tables staffed by potential resource or partner organizations.

For instance, at one table, senior staff from the city’s parks and recreation department and quasi-city IndyGo transportation agency made connections regarding afterschool and bus transit options. At another, staff from the city library system outlined how their technology lab can serve as a project and study site for students.

The event included many organizations with expertise in increasing college readiness and promoting college success.

“Through all of these efforts, Indianapolis hopes to turn to its own young people to fill the jobs of the present and the future,” the mayor noted. “Every student has the capacity to succeed – that’s the mindset we need.”

Along with Nashville, Tenn., and Newark, N.J., Indianapolis is one of three cities developing a network of new alternative high schools in partnership with AHSI. AHSI is a network of 12 youth development organizations actively supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-convened by NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) and Big Picture Learning. Other national organizations involved in the Indianapolis partnership include Diploma Plus, the Street Schools Network and YouthBuild USA.

Details: To learn more about the AHSI Place-Based Partnership project sponsored by the YEF Institute, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Marjorie Cohen at (202) 626-3052 or cohen@nlc.org.