Marion Community Schools is excited to announce that it has received a grant worth up to $4 million to fund bold transformation efforts at Justice Intermediate School and McCulloch Junior High School.
MCS is proud to have the Indiana Department of Education’s backing on their vision for improving student learning in grades 5 through 8. This grant was awarded through a highly competitive statewide process, and Marion is one of only four school systems in the state selected to receive this funding boost. Having this recognition of the strength and strategic direction of our proposal. MCS is grateful to the IDOE for their confidence and investment in Marion’s vision to redesign the student experience and accelerate academic success.
“This is a huge opportunity for Marion,” MCS Superintendent Stephanie Lockwood said. “Our staff work hard every day to support students, and now we have the resources and expert partnership to take our schools to the next level. This is about giving every student a learning experience that is challenging, meaningful, and built for their success.”
What this means for students
Over the next four years, students at Justice and McCulloch will experience school in new and exciting ways:
- Learning will be more active, hands-on, and connected to the real world.
- Classrooms will be built around student voice, ownership, and inquiry.
- Students will develop both academic strength and the durable skills they need to succeed in high school and beyond.
This transformation represents a district-wide commitment to creating excellent schools that serve all learners. Marion Community Schools will be engaging families, community leaders, and local partners in shaping the future of Justice and McCulloch throughout the planning process.
“We are ready for this work,” Lockwood said. “We have dedicated educators, supportive families, and students who deserve the very best. With the guidance of our partner EES Innovation and the opportunity provided by this grant, we are ready to build something great together.”
Up for the challenge
Like many school communities across the country, Marion is navigating a rapidly changing educational environment. MCS knows that to truly prepare students for high school, college, careers, and life, we must go beyond traditional improvement strategies. This multi-year Next Gen SIG grant will allow the district to redesign how students learn and how our schools operate.
This transformation will focus on:
- Strengthening literacy and math instruction
- Deepening student engagement and ownership
- Increasing daily attendance and sense of belonging
- Building durable skills like communication, collaboration, and work ethic, which align with Indiana’s new High School Redesign framework
Driving change
Through the work funded by this grant, students will experience a dramatically different learning environment shaped by new, research-based models. These include:
- Literacy Studios, where students explore rich texts, develop strong writing skills, and engage in meaningful academic discussion
- Math Labs, where students solve problems collaboratively, build reasoning skills, and engage in math discourse
- Exploration Labs, which offer hands-on, project-based learning connected to career pathways and real-world challenges
- Leadership Institutes, where students build confidence, communication, and self-direction through guided development experiences
These models are not supplemental programs. They are central to how teaching and learning will happen every day in these schools.
Alongside these school-specific efforts, educators at Justice and McCulloch will also be a part of a districtwide focus on increasing AI literacy, giving staff the tools to better personalize instruction for students. This focus will provide our educators the opportunity to become even more effective in delivering strong, standards-based core instruction.
A proven partner: EES Innovation
To guide this transformation, MCS has partnered with EES Innovation, a prioritized partner of the Indiana Department of Education that has led successful school transformation efforts across districts statewide. EES Innovation is an Indiana-based, Indiana-focused company with a deep understanding of the local educational landscape.
At Marion Community Schools, EES has already been providing our elementary schools with in-depth support, and these coordinated efforts have resulted in big improvements in our IREAD3 passage rates, which indicate significant growth for our students in reading skills.
EES Innovation will support MCS through the first planning year and through the three implementation years, ensuring that the changes fueled by this grant are thoughtful, high-impact, and sustainable.