CELL, CHE and INvestEd Extend Partnership to Help Indiana Educators Obtain DualCredit Credentials

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE) and INvestEd have extended their partnership with the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis through 2025 to continue the Teach Dual Credit Indiana program. By utilizing these grant funds, Teach Dual Credit Indiana provides free graduate courses for Indiana high school educators to become fully credentialed to teach dual credit classes in communications/speech, economics, English, history, political science/government and world languages.

The program is administered by CELL and covers the full cost of tuition, textbooks and fees for in-service teachers to take graduate courses through approved Indiana higher education providers. 

“CELL has always been focused on collaboration and innovation in education. Teach Dual Credit Indiana streamlines the process for teachers to take graduate coursework and removes the financial barriers, helping high schools offer more dual credit courses to benefit their students,” said Carey Dahncke, Executive Director of CELL.

Dual credit courses, also known as dual or concurrent enrollment, allow students to earn high school and college credit while in high school. These courses save students time and money on tuition and fees, prepare them for rigorous college-level coursework, and improve academic outcomes during college.

“Dual credit courses are incredibly valuable for students to earn college credit while in high school – preparing them for college and saving them time and money toward completing their program of choice,” said Chris Lowery, Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education. “Dual credit is critical to the foundation of the Indiana College Core and is a proven tool to improve college-going rates. Through grant funding from INvestEd, the Commission is honored to continue its support for CELL’s Teach Dual Credit Indiana program to remove barriers to credentialing for high school educators around the state.”

INvestEd, a statewide nonprofit, provided a $3 million grant for Hoosier teachers to receive the necessary credit hours through Teach Dual Credit Indiana. This is the second round of funding for Teach Dual Credit Indiana.

“INvestEd’s postsecondary education planning presentations stress the value of dual credit coursework in terms of future academic success and tuition savings, and have done so for years,” said Joe Wood, President and CEO of INvestEd. “These free, rigorous courses provide a head start towards graduating and is why INvestEd is so eager to continue to support this credentialing program for Indiana’s essential dual credit educators.” 

Teach Dual Credit Indiana has served more than 400 teachers since its launch in 2020. The program was renewed in October 2023 to cover graduate coursework from Winter/Spring 2024 through Fall 2025. Interested educators who are not yet part of the program can visit https://teachdualcredit.org to sign up for updates and be notified of upcoming application windows.

In 2021, CHE estimated that dual credit courses can save Hoosier students statewide $82 million annually on potential tuition and fees for Indiana public colleges.

About CELL

The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis is the leading convener, catalyst and collaborator for innovative education change and transformation across Indiana. CELL partners alongside schools and districts through cutting-edge, action-oriented work to ensure that all students experience a high-quality education and graduate from high school with the skills and experience they need for postsecondary success.

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