Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) will use a $1 million grant from Salesforce to support several major initiatives within the district.
Salesforce, an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., recently announced $25 million in new grants to support school districts and education nonprofits across the United States.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Salesforce’s commitment to education, with giving now totaling more than $165 million in support of schools, educators, and students around the world.
“At IPS, we are grateful for our continued partnership with Salesforce,” said Supt. Dr. Aleesia Johnson. “Through their consistent support, we are working to advance, scale, and sustain racial equity initiatives across the district, and to continue to increase social and emotional resources for students and staff most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The investment in IPS supports two key areas:
• Racial Equity Support: The district is in a unique position to exercise the courage to reimagine and rebuild a stronger IPS that equitably serves all students while promoting learning and work environments that respect and value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. To achieve this, IPS plans to:
o Provide professional development for teachers, staff.
o Pilot a parent/guardian racial equity learning cohorts.
o Scale a racial equity-minded recruitment and retention strategy for teachers and staff.
• Social Emotional Learning: IPS seeks to increase social emotional learning (SEL) support for special populations within the district. The specific SEL supports will include:
o Creation of sensory-friendly environments at Positive Supports Academy, ROOTS, and the high school Future Centers.
o Peer mentoring for high school students.
o Professional development for special education, alternative education, and Future Center staff.